Filistin Konulu Modern Arap Şiirinde Sembolizm Unsuru Olan Tarihî Şahsiyetler
Historical Figures as Symbolic Elements in Modern Arabic Poetry on Palestine

Summary/Abstract: Modern Arabic poetry, especially since the mid-20th century, began to address the Palestinian issue both as a theme of resistance and as a projection of collective memory. In this process, historical figures have begun to occupy a central role in poetry as symbolic elements, thus becoming both carriers of cultural heritage and metaphorical representatives of modern resistance. This article examines how historical figures such as Antarah b. Shaddād, Rabiʿa b. Mukaddem, Burrāq, Urqūb, Zerqā al-Yamāmah, Muʿāwiya b. Abī Sufyān, and Caliph al-Muʿtāmṣim Billāh are symbolized in modern Arabic poetry dealing with Palestine. It analyzes which aspects of their historical identities are foregrounded and explores the layers of meaning these figures assume within poetic discourse. Furthermore, the article investigates how these personalities are reconstructed within the context of contemporary struggle and how they are associated with notions of national identity, resistance, hope, and justice. This analysis in the context of intertextual references, the reflection of collective memory in poetry, and the search for historical legitimacy reveals a narrative structure in which history and symbolism are intertwined in modern Arabic poetry. During the 20th century, political repression, censorship, and the threat of authoritarian regimes against poets in the Arab world led them to seek new modes of expression. One of the literary approaches they adopted was symbolism. Originally a western literary movement, symbolism is the art of expressing emotions and ideas not through direct depiction, but by referring to their nature and using inexplicable symbols to evoke them in the mind. Symbolism began to gain popularity in Arabic literature from the early 20th century onwards, and many poets and writers began producing literary works under the influence of this movement. Following the loss of Palestine and the successive defeats suffered by the Arab states in the face of Israel, a profound sense of anguish permeated the consciousness of many Arab poets, an anguish that was vividly reflected in their poetic expressions. The pain and torment arising from the inability to safeguard Palestine evoked in them memories of analogous sufferings experienced throughout their own history. Consequently, these poets frequently employed historical figures from the Arab past as symbolic elements within their works. Although numerous poets addressed this theme, the present study focuses on six twentieth-century poets whose poetry embodies these poets: Ibrahim Tuqan, Fadwa Tuqan, Amal Dunqul, Omar Abu Risha, Izz al-Din al-Manasirah, and Mamduh Advan.

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