Semantic and Lexical embellishments in the alsim of liya Ab Md

By
Tajudeen Adebayo
Voice of Nigeria, Ikoyi, Lagos
Email: ibnadebayo2002@yahoo.co.uk

The drive for modernization of Arabic literature started in Egypt and Syria early in the
nineteenth century and gradually spread to the rest of the Arab world
1
. Consequently, a new
reading public and a new conception of literature emerged. Literary writers began to reflect
and indeed change social and political reality, instead of merely displaying their verbal skills.
Such movement was expanded by the migr litterateurs who travelled from Lebanon and
Syria to the Western World and became influenced by the leading ideologies in the United
States and Europe. Prominent among such groups were the members of ar-Rbitatul al-
Qalamiyyah (the Pen League) which was formed in the New York in April 1920
2
. The Pen
League was known for its liberalization of Arabic literature from the shackles of the ancient
period such as poetry metres
3
, themes,
4
ideology and styles
5
. liya Ab Md, whose work
known as alsim forms the nucleus of this study, was not present at the inaugural meeting of
the Pen League
6
, but he was, by popular opinion, known as the chief of poetry in the migr
literature
7
. The works of members of the Pen League were characterised with the premium
placed on philosophical value rather than the lexical and rhetorical values of a literary work.
Despite that, their works could not be said to have turned its attention completely away from
lexical components, hence this study which seeks to x-ray the semantic and lexical
embellishments that were brought to play in the alsim of liya Ab Md.
The introduction of rhetorical discipline known as lmu al-Badi by AbdAllah Bin Mutaz
(d.286 A.H)

culminated the efforts of the Arab Rhetoricians during the 3
rd
Hijrah century
8
.
However, the task of final systematization of the three branches
9
of Arabic rhetoric was
completed by as-Sakkk (d. 626/1229)
10
. Al-Bad is a branch of balgha which should not
be overused lest the ornamenting value depreciates
11
. It is divided into two parts:
muhassintu lafziyyah (Lexical beautifiers) and muassintu manawiyyah (semantic
beautifiers) even though this classification does not go down well with some modern day
scholars of Balghah who argue that lexeme cannot be independent of the semantics
12
. This
present work seeks to beam its search light on both the semantic and lexical embellishments
contained in the alsim.
One of the key factors that facilitated the uniqueness of the migr literature is the effect of
migration on their works. Migration, otherwise known in Arabic as Hijrah, is an age long
social culture of all animals such as birds, fishes and all vertebrates. Abbas Mahmud Aqqd
dedicated a chapter in his book titled: run fi db wa l-funn to Hijrah
13
. Man is not left
out of migration, almost all the prophets of Allah had causes to migrate from one place to
another for various reasons. Such reasons may include, but not limited to, economic, political,
and social reasons. In the case of migr litterateurs, the political and religious instability in
Syrian and Lebanon occasioned by the incursion of Ottoman Turks, and Europeans led many
vibrant youth to seek succour abroad starting from late Nineteen century. The evangelistic
missions, capitalising on the poverty in the land, encouraged most of the Youth to try their
lucks in the New World. In addition to that, liya Ab Md added the visit of Brazilian
Emperor to Palestine and Lebanon in 1977/98 during which he spread the news of a
prosperous life in the West to the reasons for mass exodus of the Lebanese Youth to the New
World
14
. They are majorly divided into Northern Emigrants to United State of America and
Southern emigrants, specifically to Brazil
15
. Al-Khafji was of the opinion that the political
and economical unrest were only catalyst to the migration of Lebanese and Syrians to the
New World as it had been noticed in their culture that they always travel abroad in search of
economic fortune wherever it may be
16
.
In the New World, several Associations were formed by the migrant Syrians and Lebanese
with a view to forming formidable fronts that can influence the political and economic
decisions in their home country. Prominent among such associations was the Syrian
American Federation, which was formed in 1924 from two other associations
17
. Literary
blocs were also formed; al-Usbatul al-andalusiyyah was formed in Brazil while ar-
rbitatul al-Qalamiyyah was formed in New York
18
. There are two sides to the pros and cons
of migration. Writers like Augustus Adb Basha in his book titled: Lubnn bada al- arb
(Lebanon after the war) and Muhammad Kard in his book titled: Garib al-Gharb
(Peculiarities of the West) were of the opinions that the migration was a curse on agricultural,
industrial and socio-political lives of Lebanon. In the view of Ndirat, such writers seems to
have trivialised the gains of the migration in terms of economic developments and
collaborations between the Lebanon and the New World which culminated in formation of
projects like Lebanese Migrant Bank and several mighty buildings built by the migrants.
Ab Md was perhaps the most prolific poet of the Pen League considering the number of
collections he published and his fame in poem composition. He had been known for his
poetry talents even before he joined the League. Ab Md was born in a village called al-
Muayditha in Lebanon. The exact year of his birth was a bit problematic because he was
quite ungenerous with information about his background, but majority of researchers were of
the opinion that he was born around 1889. He did not have access to formal education except
the elementary aspect of it while he was in the village
19
. With this, he differed from his
migr contemporaries who enjoyed a systematic education under the Catholic
Missionaries. This may be the reason why he developed to be a free thinker in his later years.
Sometimes, he satirized the monks in the monastery, even though he was known as a
Christian. It is as a result of this that Gibrn and Mikhil did not consider liya as their
metaphysical comrade
20
though they respect his powerful sense of imagination and poetical
talents.
As a Lebanese, Ab Md left his native land in search of greener pasture in 1900 for
Alexandria, Egypt where he worked as a tobacco merchant with Ab Ilys. He later worked
in his uncles shop at Atarin Quarters. In 1909, he established his own shop, after the demise
of his uncle. It is highly significant to mention here, how Ab Mds stay in Alexandria
influenced his literary career. Muhammed Qurh, reported in his article published in (Al-
Hayt) magazine that Ab Md in response to a question thrown to him said:
In Alexandria, I used to sell tobacco during the day in my uncles shop. In the
evening I used to learn Arabic grammar and morphology by myself and sometimes in
some local Arabic school
21
.
This aspect of self-learning is very significant in Ab Mdis biography. For this reason,
Alexandria is regarded as his training ground. In addition to this, he was very conversant with
magazines and newspapers. He hardly parted with the Dwn of the leading poets of that
period especially those who championed the call for revival of Arabic poetry from its
slumber. These included Mahmud Sami Al-Brd, Ahmed Shawqi and Hafiz Ibrahim. With
this attitude, he developed strong interest in poetical composition by means of emulation.
More importantly before he left Alexandria after eleven years, he had been able to compose
and publish his first Dwn entitled Tidhkr al-md (Memory of the past). In this Dwn,
Ab Md followed strictly the traditional prosodic and grammatical rules. The poems therein
also showed signs of originality, though they were very brief and could be regarded as
unexciting
22
. In the preface to the Dwn, he expressed his regards to Egypt, his training
ground. Ab Md migrated from Egypt in the year 1912. He stopped over in his native land
in order to display his patriotism. He was in the fore-front of the agitating masses who were
seeking better condition. Expectedly, the government did not welcome this gesture. He had to
leave this country after few months for the New World.

Firstly, he stayed at Cincinnati in Ohio State where he spent four years. He was engaged with
his brother Murad in business.
23
though, George Saydah considered this year as a break in
the literary career of Ab Md , but Ab Md , in his interview with Muhammed Qurh said:
the business did not affect his poetical talents but it however, boosted it in a strange manner.
Another remarkable thing about his stay in Ohio is the transformation witnessed by his poetry
from emulation, which characterized his first Dwn and took a new dimension. It was then
he composed some fine poems such as: Ibnatu l-Fajr, (Daughter of the dawn), Falsafat-l-
Hayt, (philosophy of life) and fi-l-layl (in the Night). With this transformation, he was able
to meet up with the standard of his comrades in U.S.A. and even surpassed them. In 1916,
Ab Md moved to New York on invitation sent to him by a set of Palestinian youths. They
requested him to be an editor for their Magazine titled al-Majillatu al- rabiyyah (the Arabic
Magazine). Ab Md summarized his journalistic career in the following lines:
I moved to New York in 1916, when I received an invitation from some Palestinian
youths requesting me to edit their magazine titled: Al-Majillatul Arabiyyah, (The
Arabic magazine) it was no long before I contributed my quota in the edition of al-
fatat which was been published by our friend, Shukri, al-Bakhash, now the owner of
a sister magazine called Zuhlatul-l-Fatat in 1918, I crossed to another newsletter
Miratu l- Garb (Mirror of the west). It was in 1923 that I left this paper and I
later established As-Samir in April 1929. It was being published fortnightly, but in
1936; I changed it to a daily paper.
24

Without tear, this extract has explicitly depicted the journalistic carer of Ab Md. His
newsletter; As-Samir continued to be in circulation until Ab Mds demise. In addition to
journalism, Ab Md composed and published three volume of Dwn in New York. The
first one was entitled: Dwn Iliya Ab Md (2nd volume). This volume served as a
compilation of those nationalistic poems that he couldnt publish in Egypt. Hence, this could
be considered the second volume of his 1
st
Dwn; Tidhkr I Md. The preface to this Dwn
was written by Gibrn Khall Gibrn who commended the poetical originality of Ab Md.
He has sanitized his poetry from imitation and displayed his creativity. It is in this Dwn that
he enclosed his popular poem titled: Falsafat -l- Hayt (The philosophy of life). Furthermore
he published another Dwn in 1928 titled: al-khamil (the thicket). This happened to be the
last compilation he could publish before he died. Though, he still composed many poems
which were later compiled and published posthumously by his association under the title
Tibrun wa turb (gold and dust). These two collections contained the most romantic poems
of Ab Mds works. They have many features in common to the extent that some critics
considered the fifth volume as an extension of the fourth volume.
alsim is contained in the in the poem collection titled: al-Jadwil. It contains seventy one
stanzas with each stanza comprising of four lines each. It is a compendium of puzzles
composed in the existentialist format. The semantic beautifiers (muhassintu manawiyyah)
displayed in the work consist of the following: ibq (antithesis), Muqbala (multiple
antithesis), apostrophe, epistrophe, epistrope, epizeuxis, Tashkhs (personification), uslb al-
hakm (scholastic approach), al-irdf al-khalf (oxymoron) among others.
Semantic embellishments
ibq (antithesis) is a form of semantic embellishment that brings two antonyms together
with or without the use of negative item
25
. It is known as ibq jb (non-negated
antithesis) when the negative item is not employed, but the negative item such as non/anti are
used it is known as ibq salb (negated antithesis). Examples of non negated antithesis are in
the following extracts of the alsim:
Wasa abq siran in shitu hdha am abaetu
I must go on whether I will or disagree,
A jaddun am qadmun ana fi dha al-wujd
Am I a new being in this existence or old?
A awbun m zaamn am allun lastu adr
Are our assumptions right or wrong? I dont know
Qad jamata al-mawta f odrika wal aesha al-jamlan
You gather in yourself a death and a beautiful life
Laeta shr anta mahdun am arhun
I wish I knew whether you are a cradle or a grave
Al-ghadu al-majhlu wal-amsi al-ladhni iktanafka
The unknown tomorrow and yesterday that surrounded him
L tasaln m gadun m amsi inn lastu adr
Dont ask me, about tomorrow or yesterday for: I dont know
Lam ajid fi al-qari shaehan laesa fi al-kkhi al-mahn
Ive never found in the palace something missing in a despised hut
Wa sajnu al-khlidaeni al-lael wa-ubuh al-mubn
A prisoner of the two eternal; the night and the bright day
Innan arj wa akhsh innan ar wa aghab
I still hope, fear, pleased and provoked
A tarhu briqan aomaa hnan wa tawrah
Is it like a ghost that appears briefly in a well and melted away,
Wa ar dhtiya shaenan wa ahynan milka
I see myself a devil and sometimes an angel,
Kaefa ra al-qalbu raoan thumma qafran lastu adr
How the heart did turns to a garden or a desert? I dont know
Aena ahk wa buk wa an iflun agrun
Where are my infant laughter and weeping?
Am an inda gurbi sh-Shamsi gaer fi al-bukr
Or my personality at the sunset, is different from that of the morning
M ladh abbabahu ind wa m bagh-ghaanhi
What had endeared it to me, what had made me hate it,
L tuqu al-aru tukhf shawqaha ao zahraha
The earth is unable to conceal its thorns or flowers,
Wa tul ash-shamsi yurj mithlam yurj al-ghurb
The sunset is hoped for as we hope for the sunrise.
Wa raeta ash-sharra mithla al-khaeri yami wa yab
Ive seen badness like goodness goes away and comes back,
Innan jitu wa am wa an l alamu
Indeed I came, I am going yet I didnt knew,
Ana lughzun wa dhahb ka maji alsamun
26

I am a mystery; my arrival is a puzzle like my departure,
The underlined words in each of the sentences above contain words and opposite thereby
giving the sentences some kind of beauty and at the same time laying emphasis on the intended
meaning.
ibq salb (negated antithesis) is a form of semantic embellishment that brings two
antonyms that negate each other.
Hal rathu qabla nafs ghaeru nafs? Lastu adr
Had it been seen by another mind beside mine? I dont know?
In the underlined words, the two words nafs was negated with the use of ghaer which means
non. This is the only example of ibq salb (negated antithesis) found in the alsim.
Muqbala (multiple antithesis)- This semantic embellishment is another form of antithesis
which consists of two or more words with opposite meanings occurring respectively. Some
scholars of Balghah consider Muqbala as just another type of antithesis.
27
Multiple
antithesis could be seen in the following extracts from the alsim:
Hal an hurun alqun am asrun f quyd
Am I a freeman or a bond slave?
Innam anta bil illin wal fi al-ardi illun
Its only that you are shadow less but I have my own shadow,
Innam anta bil aqlin wal y baru aqlun
Its only that you are without brain, but I have brain,
Walidh azdadtu budan kullam azdadtu qtirban
That is why I move farther whenever I tried to move nearer
Fa aytun fa khuldun, am fanun fa duthr
28

Then comes an eternal life or ruin and destruction.
The underlined words in the above extracts contained multiple antitheses which aim at
establishing the intended meaning without mixing it with other issues.
Apostrophe is a form of semantic embellishment and a type of personification whereby
communication was addressed to a non-human object that cannot respond or even hear the
speech
29
. It creates an unreal speech situation and the object addressed is made to share
human ability of responding to the message. Apostrophe usually occurs with the use of a
vocative particle as contained in the following extracts of the alsim.
Ayuhal-baru atadr kam maat alfun alaeka
Oh you river do you know how many thousand (of year) that had passed you?
Anta y bahru asrun hu m aama asruk
Oh you river, you are a slave like me, how strong is your own slavery?
Inna fi adri y bahru la asrran ijban
Oh you river there are wonderful secrets in my mind
Innan y baru barun shihhu shika
I am indeed, Oh River! A river which has two sides like yours
Ayyuhal qabru takallam wakh birn y rimm
Oh you grave, talk!! Oh you rotten (bones) inform me,
Sili l-fajra ainda alfajri tnun wa rukhm
Ask the dawn: Does it have clay and marble?
Wasali alqara al yukhfhi kal kkhi a-alm
Ask the palace: Does it not been covered with darkness like the hut?
Wasali li anjuma war-rh was ali aoba al-ghamm
Also, ask the stars; the wind, likewise the rainfall
Atar ash-shaea kam nahnu narhu? Lastu adri
30

Do you see things the way we see it? I dont know?
In the above quoted lines of poem, the poet addressed several in-animate objects such as
ocean, grave, dawn, castle and stars asking them questions like human beings. He was not
expecting them to answer because they are non human beings.
Personification: (Tashkhs) is closely related to apostrophe except that it does not involve
addressing the object. The characteristics of human entity such as listening, laughing and
talking are rather transferred to an inhuman or abstract entity
31
as contained in the following
extracts of the alsim:
Qad saltu al-Bara yaoman hal an y baru minka?
I once asked the river that: am I really (created) from you?
aikati amwjuhu minn, waqlat lastu adr
Its waves laughed at me and said: 'I dont know?
Mal ladh al-amwju qlat na thrat lastu adr
What did the waves say when it swirl? I dont know?
Qad saltu as-suhba fi l afqi hal tadhkuru ramlak
I once asked the cloud: do you remember your sand?
Wa saltu ash-Shajar al-muriq hal yarifu falak
I also asked the leafy tree that did it appreciates your kindness?
Wa saltu ad-urra fil al-nq hal tadhkur alak
I likewise asked the necklace: do you remember your source?
Ka anni khiltuha qlat jaman: lastu adr
As if I imagined them saying jointly: I dont know?
Thuma qlat: ayuha as-silu inn lastu adr
32

And it said (imaginarily): Oh you questioner I dont know?
In the above quoted extracts, the inanimate objects were conferred with human characteristics
of listening, laughing and talking even though the poet knew that they cannot do any of such.
The poet took the communication to the next level by placing a response in the imaginary
mouth of assumption that the silence of those objects implies that they were saying: we dont
know.
Epistrophe: This semantic embellishment has to do with repetition of the same word or
expression at the end of a sentence
33
. The Poet, liya Ab Md employs the epistrophe in the
alsim as he repeated the expression Lastu adr (I dont know) seventy-one times at the
end of every stanza of the alsim. Epistrophe is mainly for affirmation.
Epizeuxis: Closely related to epistrophe is epizeuxis except that the repetition of a word and
expression which is meant for affirmation can appear at any position in the sentence unlike
epistrophe which has to be at the end of the sentence
34
. Examples of epizeuxis featured in the
following extracts of the poem under review:
Wa arqi m arqi? A awlun am qair?
My way, what is my way? Is it long or short?
Anta jnin ayyu jni qtilun f ghaer thr
You are a criminal, what a criminal!! Who kills, not in blood revenge?
Qad raetu ash-Shuhba l tadr limdha tashruq
I had seen that the shooting stars are not aware of why they illuminate,
Wa raetu as-suba l tadri limdha tagdiqu
And I saw the cloud; also do not understand why they pour down (rain)
Wa raetu al-ghba l tadr limdha turiqu
Likewise, I saw the forest do not know why it put forth leaves,
Fa limdha kulluha fil Jahli mithl? Lastu adr
Why are they all like me in ignorance? I dont know?
A tarni kuntu yaoman nagaman f watrin
Would you say I was once a tune of a string?
Am tarni kuntu qablan maojatan fi narin
Or would you say I was a wave of a river,
Am tarni kuntu fi ihda an-Nujmi az-zuhri
Or would you say I was among the shooting stars,
Kam kiynin qad talsha f kiyn wa stal
How many being has vanished in my being and transformed?
Kam kiynin fihi shaehun min kiyn? Lastu adr
35

How many beings have also taken something from my being? I dont know?
Most of the examples given above for epizeuxis were considered as components of stanzas
rather that just lines of a poem. The phrases like l tadr limdh (dont understand why) was
repeated four times in a stanza, lines
Chiasmus: This semantic embellishment is a technique used in writing or speech in which
words or ideas are repeated in reverse order
36
as featured in the following extract from the work
under review:
Liya mnun wa lkin l ka mn wa nusuk
I have faith but unlike my previous faith and worship
Innan abk wa lkin l kam qad kuntu abk
37

I still weep, but unlike my past weeping,
In the above quotes, the poet claimed to still retain his faith and weeping but quickly explained
in the adjunct propositions that it is unlike his previous faith and mode of weeping. The second
proposition reversed the first one mainly for elucidation.
Oxymoron: In this kind of semantic embellishment, two antonyms are placed next to each
other
38
. This style of writing, which is referred to in Arabic as al-irdaf al-khalfi, add colour to
writing as featured in the following extracts:
Wa talsh f baqya al-abdi robbu as-slijn
The remains of a slave and that of a staff owner vanished together
Wal taqa l shiqu wal ql fam yaftariqn
39

The lover and the loathed meet where they would never depart
The slave, in the first line is the opposite of a chief who was referred to as a staff owner while
the lover and the loathed are also another antonyms found in the same sentence.
Scholastic Approach: (Uslb al-akm): this mode is known as dialectical mannerism and is
related to argumentation and debate
40
. It is common in argumentation and scholastic speech in
which the communicator attempts to provide substantial cognitive evidence to prove his
position and rebuff the opponents viewpoint as exemplified in the following extracts of the
work under review:
Qad akalnka wa qulna qad akalna ath-thamara
It is you we eat while we claim to eat fruits
Wa sharibnka wa qulna qad sharibna al-maara
Its you we drink while we claim to drink rainwater,
M an am fa hal ghaeriya am, lastu adr
I am not blind, should others be blind? I dont know
Qla adra an-nsi bil asrri sukknu a-awmi
It is said that: The residents of the monastery are more knowledgeable about the secrets.
Qultu: in aha aladh qlu fainna sirra shiu
I replied: If that is true, then the secret is known.
Ajaban kaefa tara ash-shamsa uynun fi barqi
How strange: how can the veiled eyes see the sun,
Wal lat lam tatabarqa l tarha? Lastu adr
While the unveiled ones will not see the sun? I dont know?
In yaku al-maotu qian ayyu dhanbun li ahrah
If death should be a punishment; what kind of offence is chastity?
Wa idh kna thawban ayyu falun lid darah
Or a reward, what credit is due to indecency?
Wa idh kna wam fhi jazun ao khasrah
If it attracts neither reward nor loss,
Falima al-asmu ithmun wa alun, lastu adr
What is the essence of the names; sin and goodness I dont know?
In yaku almaotu hujan yamlau an-nafsa salma
If death should be a slumber, that fills soul with peace,
Falimdh ashiqu an-naoma wal ahwa al-imm
Why do I long for slumber and never like the fate of death,
Qad yaqni al-khara ash-shaoku al-ladh yajrau kaff
The thorns that wounds my hand might turn to save me from danger
Wa yaknu as-summu fil ari al-ladh yamlau anf
The poison might be in the perfume that fills my nose,
Innama al-wardu uwa al-afalu fi shar wa urf
The rose is the best in my own judgment and tradition.
Wauwa sharun kulluhu ulmun wa lkin: lastu adr
41

A judgment which is full of injustice, but I dont know?
The poet, in the extracts above used his scholastic approach to argue the wrongness of the
claims of those who claim to understand the puzzles of this existence.
Epitrope: This is closely related to scholastic approach in the sense that both are used in
argumentation and debate except that the communicator accepts the thesis of his or her
opponents before he/ she uses that skilfully as ammunition in anti-thesis against the opponent
42

as featured in the following extracts of the alsim:
In taku al-uzlat nuskan wa ttuq fa adh-dhibu rhib
If seclusion should be devotion and piety, then the wolf is a monk
Wa arnu al-laethi daerun hubbuhu fardun wa wjib
And the lions den is also a monastery ordained to be loved
In yaku al-maotu ruqdan badahu awun awl
If death should be a slumber after this there is a long consciousness
Falimdh laesa yabqa awuna hdha al-Jaml
43

Why cant we maintain this lively consciousness?
In the above quoted extracts, the poet accepted for the purpose of argument the claims of his
opposition in an attempt to explain rationale behind some things such as seclusion, rest in death
among others. He then, skilfully debunked those claims with his own points.
Litotes: in this type of semantic embellishment, the communicator negates a lexical item which
is an implicit way of alluding to the synonym of the negated word
44
as featured in the following
extract of the work under review:
Wa iniitqan l itiqlan wa ibtidan l khitman
45

And liberation rather than detention; and a beginning not the end,
Lexical embellishments
This type of embellishment lies in the lexical items employed in the proposition. The
distinguish feature of lexical embellishment disappears once the lexical item is substituted
with a synonym
46
. The volume of lexical embellishment in the alsim is lesser than the
semantic embellishment contained therein. Paronomasia (Jins) of different types,
parallelism and Head-Tail are majorly the types of lexical embellishments that could be
found in the work as featured in the extracts below:
Paronomasia (Jins): is a type of lexical embellishment which employs a number of words
that are totally or partially homogenous in a single proposition
47
. There are different types of
Jins as exemplified with extracts from the alsim below:
Morphological Paronomasia: the lexical items employed in this type of embellishment have
different grammatical categories which are morphologically related as featured in the following
extracts:
A an as-siru fi ad-darbi ami ad-darbu yasr
Am I the one moving on the road or the road itself?
Anta y baru asrun u m aamu asruk
Oh you river, you are a slave like me, how strong is your own slavery?
Am taru kna mithla a-aer f sijnin fa r
Or a similitude of a caged bird which later flew away,
Wa an aaku aynan wa lkin ayu aak
I also laugh some times, but which kind of laughter
Wa balagtu as-sirra sirr, aikat nafsiya minn
And I have discovered the secret of my mystery. I laugh at myself.
Ana ka-ahbi lkin an ahba wa dann
I am just like a wine, but I am the wine and the jug of myself,
Wa hawha qabla ram al-karami ramu al-ghdiya
The womb of the morning rain had contained it before the womb of the grapevines.
Wal ladh aojada hdha al-lughza lugzun mubhamun
48

Whoever originates this mystery is himself on obscure mystery.
The underlined words in the above lines of poems are morphologically related even though
they belong to different grammatical categories.
Non-Resemblance Paronomasia: This lexical embellishment involves two lexical items
whose constituent letters are the same except for one letter in each word. The place of
articulation of the different letters does not resemble each other as featured in the following
extracts:
Fa mat anju minal asri wa tanju, lastu adr
When shall we obtain our freedom I dont know?
Qultu m shdaka mon shdaka illa lil-kharb
I said: your constructor did not erect: you except for dilapidation
Ao maknin marra dahrun wahwa li masra wa masrah
Or a place which served me as a route and a stage in the course of time
Qad raaetul usna yunsa mithlama tunsa al-uyb
Ive seen that good things are later forgotten as well as shortcomings
La tasal ayyuhuma ashha wa abha? Lastu adr
Dont query which of the two is more desirable or splendid
Qad raaetu an-namla yasa mithlama asa li rizq
49

I saw the ant strives as I do strive for my sustenance,
The underlined words in the above quotes were all different in pronunciation with one single
letter making them non-resemblance paronomasia.
Parallelism: This includes the use of repetitive lexical item or a phrase for cohesion and to
establish rhyme and assonance
50
as contained in the following extracts of the poem under
review:
Kuntu mawan ao malan am tarni kuntu shayya
I was nothing or a mere craft or I was something else?
A shabihat luka l wa ak uthriya uthraka
My conditions and excuses are just like yours,
Innama anta bil illin wa l fil ardi illun
Its only you are shadow less but I have my own shadow,
Innam anta bil aqlin wa l y baru aqlun
You are without brain, but I have brain,
Fa aytun fa khuldun am fanun fa duthr
Then an eternal life or ruin and destruction,
Atar ubathu badan am tar ubathu kullan
Would you say I shall be partially or wholly resurrected?
Atar ubathu iflan am tar ubathu kahlan
Or I shall be raised a child or a man?
Kulla yaomin liya shanun, kulla hnin l shuru
Every day I have business and feelings,
Rubba qubin inda Zaydin uwa usnun inda Bakrin
Many an ugly things to Zayd is a beauty to Bakr,
Hiya f rasiya fikrat wahya f aeniya nr
51

Its the idea in my head and the light in my eyes.
HeadTail: (A-asdir): This Lexical embellishment requires the occurrence of a lexical item
at the beginning of a proposition which is similar to the same word at the end of the previous
proposition
52
. Thus, the first word of the second sentence is called the head while the last word
of the first sentence acts as the tail as it featured in the following extracts of the alsim:
Ahumu fi ar-ramli? Qla ar-ramlu in lastu adr
Or they are very much in the sand, the sand replied; I dont know?
Qad dakhaltu ad-daera inda al-fajri kal fajri a-arub
At the dawn, I arrived at the monastery like a gay dawn
Wa taraktu ad-daera inda al-laeli kal-laeli al-gadhb
I left the monastery in the night like an irritable night,
Kna idh sawwka sawwka bil qalbin wa rh
53

He would have created you, while creating you without heart and soul
Below is the graphical representation of poetical lines of alsim which are divided into three segments:
Lines which contain semantic embellishments of different forms, lines which contain lexical
embellishment and other lines without any embellishment.

Table 1: Graphical representation of components of alsim
Table one shows that the poet gave more attention to the semantic aspect of his poem even though he
did not neglect the aspect of embellishment necessary to bring the beauty of the work to the fore.
The next graphical representation contains the graphical components of the semantic embellishment as
featured in the work under review. According to the graphic below, epistrophe carried the largest
percentage of the semantic embellishment with more than 46 %, followed by antithesis with 15%. Other
semantic embellishments were used in a very moderate proportion. He employed epistrophe to drive
home the point that neither the poet nor any other being in existence can lay claim to the definite
understanding of this existence to justify the title of the poem; alsim which means Talisman or magic;
the more you look, the less you see. This is elucidated in the table below:
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
Semantic
Embellishment
Lexical
Embellishment
Lines without
embellishment
Series 3
Series 2
Series 1

Table 2: Composition of the semantic embellishment contained in the alsim


Table 3: Composition of the Lexical embellishment contained in the alsim
Table 3 exhibits the basic components of the few lexical embellishment elements in the
alsim. Paronomasia took the lion share of 50% because of the fact that it has various types
while the remaining portion was shared between parallelism and head-tail. This is to buttress
the fact that, the migr poets and writers gave preference to ideas and philosophy as they
come rather than mere ornamentation.
Series 1
Column1
Column2
0
10
20
30
40
50
Series 1
Column1
Column2
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
45
50
Paranomasia Parallelism Head-Tail
Series 1
Column1
Column2
In conclusion, The works of the migr litterateurs placed high premium on idea and
philosophy behind their poems rather than mere playing on words that characterized old
Arabic poem even though they did not jettison the aspect of embellishment completely as that
may render their works unattractive. This work examined the use of semantic and lexical
embellishments in the alsim of liya Ab Md. The paper established the fact the poem
featured quite a large of percentage of semantic embellishment compared to lexical
embellishment buttressing the fact that poem was still very conscious of the philosophy
behind his poem while utilizing various aesthetic tools to beautify his work.

Notes and References
1. M.M. Badawi. 1993. A short history of Modern Arabic Literature.
2. Nadirat Jamil Siraj. 1955. Shuar ar-Rbiati al-Qalamiyya. Dr Marif, Misr, p 85
3. There are sixteen basic meters for Arabic Prosody combined laid down by its founder Khalil
bn Ahmad Al-Farhdy. Mutadrik meter one was later added by Akhfash. Muwashaht,
which was a form of free verse, was later introduced by Spanish poets. The migr poets who
were looking for a way to become free from the prosodic bond embraced this new meter.
They later expanded it and added their own free verses to it.
4. Old Themes of Arabic poetry were restricted to panegyric, satire, vainglory among others.
The migr literature considered some of these themes as been devoid of the main essence of
poetry which is inner feeling and ideologies of the poet.
5. Nadirat in his book titled Shuar ar-Rbiati al-Qalamiyya p252 dedicated a whole chapter to
the innovations introduced by the migr literature to Arabic literature.
6. Those who attended the inaugural meeting of ar-Rbiat al-Qalamiyyah were: Gibrn Khalil
Gibrn, the host, Michael Naimah, Abdl Mash Hadd, Nadrah Hadd, Ilys Atallah, William
Catzeflis, NasbArdah, Rashd Ayyb.
7. Ahmad Zaky in a book titled: Rid ash-Shir al-arabi al-hadth ranked liya Ab Md.
lower than his contemporaries among the migr poets. But by popular view, liya Ab Md
is ranked first.
8. Hussein Abdul-Raof. 2006. Arabic Rhetoric: A Pragmatic analysis. Routledge, New York,
Taylor & Francis-e-Library. P 271.
9. The three components of Arabic Rhetoricians are: al-bayn, al-man and al-bad.
10. See R. Deremi Abubakre. 1989. Bayn in Arabic Rhetoric. P7
11. Shukr Fayal. 1966. al-Adabu l-Arab Min suqti Baghdd ila ibtidin-nahah in
American University, Beirut al-Adabu l-Arab fi thari d-Drisn, Beirut as quoted by R.
Deremi. Op cit p.9
12. Basyn Abdul Fatth Fayd. 2008. Ilmu al-Bad: Dirsatun Trkhiyyah wa faniyyah li-
usli al-Balgha wa masil al-Bad. Muassasatu al-Mukhtar, Cairo p. 110.
13. Abbs M. al-Aqqd. Undated. run fi db wa l-funn, al-aehat al-mmat lil-kitb.
Cairo. P.146
14. Ndira J. Sirj. 1955. Op cit. p 47-48
15. See Adebayo T. 2000. Existentialism as depicted in the alsim of liya Ab Md: A
Critical Examination. An unpublished Masters project submitted to the Faculty of Arts,
University of Ibadan. P 7
16. M.M. Khafji. Undated. Qiatul adab al-mahjar. Drut ibtul Muhammadiyyah,
17. Ndira J. Sirj . 1955. Op cit. p 61
18. Adebayo T. 2000. Op cit. P. 8.
19. I. AnNr: Adabul Mahjar, 3
rd
Edition, Cairo, Dar l- Maarif, 1977. P.363. See also
Ndira, Op cit.
20. S. Lubky. 1954. At-Tayyratul Adabiyyatu al-Hadtha fil Lubnan, p.363.
21. A. A. Al-Qabbn. 1974. liya Ab Md Haytuhu wa Shiruhu fil Iskandariyyah, Cairo, Al-
Hayhatul Masriyyah l- Ammah, P. 15. See also An Nr. Op cit p. 364.
22. R. C. Ostle. 1975. Studies in Modern Arabic Literature. School of Oriental and African
Studies, Uni. of London, p. 35.
23. See Al Qabbani. Op. Cit p. 118 and also An Nr. Op. Cit p. 365
24. I. An Nr: Op. Cit p.365 366
25. Hussein. 2006. Arabic Rhetoric. Op cit. P. 240
26. liya Ab Md. 1986. Al-Jadwil. Beirut. Dr-al-ilmi lil malyn. Pp 139 - 177
27. Basyn Abdul Fatth Fayd. 2008. Ilmu al-Bad p126.
28. liya. 1986. Al-Jadwil. Op.cit. pp139 - 177
29. Hussein. 2006. Arabic Rhetoric. Op cit. P.246
30. liya. 1986. Al-Jadwil. Op.cit. pp139 - 177
31. Hussein. 2006. Arabic Rhetoric. Op cit. P.247
32. liya. 1986. Al-Jadwil. Op.cit. pp139 - 177
33. Hussein. 2006. Arabic Rhetoric. Op cit. P.249
34. Ibid. P. 246
35. liya. 1986. Al-Jadwil. Op.cit. pp139 - 177
36. Hussein. 2006. Arabic Rhetoric. Op cit. P.246
37. liya. 1986. Al-Jadwil. Op.cit. pp139 - 177
38. Hussein. 2006. Arabic Rhetoric. Op cit. P.247
39. liya. 1986. Al-Jadwil. Op.cit. pp139 - 177
40. Hussein. 2006. Arabic Rhetoric. Op cit. P.255
41. liya. 1986. Al-Jadwil. Op.cit. pp139 - 177
42. Hussein. 2006. Arabic Rhetoric. Op cit. P.250
43. liya. 1986. Al-Jadwil. Op.cit. pp139 - 177
44. Hussein. 2006. Arabic Rhetoric. Op cit. P.245
45. liya. 1986. Al-Jadwil. Op.cit. pp139 - 177
46. Hussein. 2006. Arabic Rhetoric. Op cit. P.259
47. Ibid. 249
48. liya. 1986. Al-Jadwil. Op.cit. pp139 - 177
49. Ibid. pp139 177
50. Hussein. 2006. Arabic Rhetoric. Op cit. P.259
51. liya. 1986. Al-Jadwil. Op.cit. pp139 - 177
52. Hussein. 2006. Arabic Rhetoric. Op cit. P.254
53. liya. 1986. Al-Jadwil. Op.cit. pp139 - 177