The Sensual and Spiritual Love-Representation of Women by Some Ḥijāzi Poets. A Thematic Analysis of Selected Poems

Abstract

The present study aims at studying the sources and patterns of women images by Ḥijāzi poets in ghazal poetry, an important Arabic poetic genre that gained popularity and an outstanding stature in the Umayyad period. It also endeavours to show how poets depict images by the use of their five senses and examines what spiritual features of women these poets prefer. The method that I have used for this study is thematic analysis. The study examines the representation of the beloved women and certain motifs and the use of the five senses in the construction of themes. The findings of the study show that the images employed by Ḥijāzi poets are similar to those employed by poets in the pre-Islamic period. Ḥijāzi poets use sensual images more than spiritual ones because of the intensity of their emotional experiences, which have, in turn, enabled them to depict psychological sensual sufferings. Moreover, images in the Ḥijāzi poetry are representations of the poet's imagination; they do not necessarily have any exact correlative in reality. Poets eulogize women's modesty, shyness, and purity. The relationship between the sexes is found to be free and close contact is possible.