The object in question is poetry. Arabic poetry seems to carry more weight other than just being literary works. According to Toorawa, it seems that poetry is integral to Arabic culture (Toorawa). Poetry in the Arabic culture creates a link between ancient and modern times. For instance, the text points out how poetry from people like Imru al-Qays and al-Mutanabbi from as far as the 13th century is familiar in the modern world (Toorawa 97). In education, Arabs get exposure to works of poetry from such figures as part of a rich poetic heritage. As an Arabic cultural object, poetry raises the question of the role it plays. In reaction, the text points out the trends in the Arabic population in the ability to recite verses of Arabic poetry. In contemporary Arab culture, it seems that written literary poetry has a significant role to play. Despite this fact, vernacular poetry is better appreciated and known (Toorawa 98). In answering the question of what role Arabic poetry plays in culture, Toorawa points out the main mode of transfer of this cultural object. Most of the Arabic poetry that defines the culture is transferred through the art of listening. Listening can be attained using media, recordings, and personal listening in festivals and at home. Most importantly, Arabic poetry answers questions to do with Arabic identity.
In relation to genre, most of the literary Arabic poetry works fall under Neoclassical poetry, Romantic poetry, and Modernist poetry. The classification of these poems to these genres depends on the time and objective of their composition. For instance, Al-Sharīf al-Radi’s elegy to al- Husayn ibn is neoclassical poetry because it centers on intellect and not imagination like Romantic poetry. Poetry is used to capture the events taking place in the Arabic-speaking regions. For instance, the predicament of the Palestinian population deeply inspires some of the Arabic poetry works whether they are Palestinian or not (Toorawa 105). Poets like Mahmoud Darwish capture the predicament that faced Palestinians in 1948 when they were forced from their land (Shehadeh). For instance, “Standing Before the Ruins of Al-Birweh” by Mahmoud Darwish recounts the poet’s return to a former village home then lying in ruins. The ruined village is because of Israeli forces depopulating Palestinians and occupying the ruins left behind. Mahmoud Darwish’s imagery can be applied to several instances that Palestinians today face. With the ongoing stalemate concerning their exile, many Palestinians can’t go back to their homes which are now occupied by Israeli forces. Some of the poems are heavily symbolic. Additionally, in modern times, Arabic poets now focus on other forms of poetry. To begin with, these poems adopted a new kind of poetry with different rhyme schemes and themes. These poems moved to discuss different aspects of modernism. In essence, poetry took a reform. This reform in Arabic poetry mirrored reforms in other areas. Case in point, Badr Shakir Al-Sayyab was one of the people to lead poetry reforms (Toorawa 106). However, these reforms in poetry were in alignment with activism, political reform, and opposition. These modern-day poems manage to capture the prevailing or desired changes in society while still being able to remain beautiful as symbolic pieces of art.
Despite its root in Arabic culture, Arabic poetry makes efforts to be enjoyed by different people. In translating Arabic works, it is possible to share some of the events taking place in the Arabic world in a way that other people can understand (Abdelkarim Daragmeh 29). For instance, through translation to English, the works of poets like Mahmoud Darwish manage to get through to people of various nations in a bid to garner support for the reclamation of Palestinian lands. Even though Arabic poetry goes through changes from ancient to modern times, it still manages to remain a rich cultural object.
