The Rhetoric of Imagery between Abu Tammam and Khaqani al-Shirwani; The Image of Stars as a Model

Abstract

The rhetoric of imagery is considered one of the most prominent elements of poetic creativity, as it reflects the poet's ability to transform abstract meanings into suggestive sensory images that combine imagination and reality, thought and emotion, thereby lending depth, beauty, and impact to the poetic text upon the recipient. Its significance lies in being a bridge between the poetic self and the external world, through which the poet possesses the tools to shape his artistic vision and express it in a manner that reflects culture, awareness, and refined sensibility. Proceeding from this significance, this research examines the rhetoric of imagery in the work of two major poets from different cultural backgrounds: Abu Tammam al-Ta'i in Arabic poetry, and Khaqani al-Shirwani in Persian poetry, by focusing on the image of stars as an analytical model concerned with studying the similarities and differences in the rhetorical and artistic employment of this astronomical image. The research adopts the descriptive-analytical approach based on content analysis, as well as the comparative approach which traces common phenomena in two different literary contexts, to uncover the rhetorical and semantic intersections in the poetry of the two poets.

Literary critics have likened Khaqani's poetry to Abu Tammam's in terms of complexity and ambiguity, and among the common characteristics that led to such criticisms is their profound attention to astronomy and celestial bodies, and their innovative artistic depictions in this field. The Arabs, like the Persians and other nations, paid great attention to the sun, the moon, stars, and astronomy in general, as this interest in the sky gave rise to deeply rooted beliefs among astrologers and common people alike, extending beyond the scientific aspect to the mythical and symbolic dimension, making celestial bodies indicators of fortune and misfortune, and of human destinies. Poets were profoundly influenced by this subject, producing innovative artistic images based on astronomical descriptions or alluding to beliefs grounded in this science, rendering their poetry laden with astronomical symbols that added depth and suggestiveness, and made it more closely connected to the human conscience and its aspiration to what lies beyond the earth. Abu Tammam and Khaqani, with their intimate knowledge of the astronomical beliefs of their eras, employed them as rich material for their poetic imagery, utilizing stars, constellations, and planets in constructing complex and beautiful poetic images that reflect their encyclopedic culture and their ability to harmonize science and art, astronomical knowledge and poetic taste. The research concludes that Abu Tammam and Khaqani made maximum use of astronomy in most of their poetic images and meanings, as if they adorned their poetry with meteors, stars, the moon, and the sun, in both wording and meaning, and crafted brilliant, radiant images with astronomical constellations, making the edifice of Persian and Arabic poetry more splendid and more difficult to access, so that much of their poetic meanings cannot be understood except through deep contemplation and extensive familiarity with astronomy and its subtleties and secrets, rendering them unique models in employing scientific knowledge in the service of poetic rhetoric.