Worldview Acts in the Elegiac Poetry of Al-Mutanabbī and Al-Maʿarrī

Sarah Ahmed Hussein Saad

doi:10.61850/lij.v7i1.175

Sarah Ahmed Hussein Saad

Thamar University

This study aims to investigate the acts of worldview construction as manifested in the elegiac poetry of Al-Mutanabbī and Al-Maʿarrī, through the analysis of one elegy by each poet. The research adopts a pragmatic approach grounded in speech act theory. In the elegiac context, each poet articulates a distinct worldview through divergent performative configurations of the self, which guided the analytical trajectory of the study. Accordingly, the paper is structured into three sections: worldview acts in Al-Mutanabbī’s elegy; worldview acts in Al-Maʿarrī’s elegy; and a comparative analysis between the two poets. the findings reveal a fundamental divergence in their respective worldviews. Al-Mutanabbī tends toward self-consecration, positioning himself in opposition to societal perceptions and their disapproval. He constructs an idealized world centered in the self, directing movement from the world toward the self, thereby sacralizing the self as the embodiment of values and existence. In contrast, Al-Maʿarrī adopts an inverse orientation, moving from the self toward the world in order to represent existence, values, and ideals rather than individual selves. Consequently, each poet produces a distinct pragmatic effect on the addressee.

Keywords: Speech Acts; Worldview; Elegy; Pragmatic Strategies.

1. Abd al-Rahman, A. (1965). Abu al-Ala al-Ma'arri. Egyptian General Institution for Authorship, News, and Publishing. (in Arabic).
2. Al-Salafi, A. T. (2021). Akhbar Abi al-Ala al-Ma'arri (O. Al-Sanawi, Ed.; 1st ed.). Dar Fares. (in Arabic).
3. Zaeimian, T. (2003). Al-ara’ al-falsafiyya ‘inda Abi al-Ala al-Ma’arri wa ‘Umar al-Khayyam. Al-Dar Al-Thaqafiyya lil-Nashr. (in Arabic).
4. Saad, S. A. H. (2024). Istiratijiyyat khitab al-qasd fi shi‘r al-Mutanabbi: Dirasah tadawuliyyah [Unpublished doctoral dissertation]. University of Ibb, Yemen. (in Arabic).
5. Ali, M. M. Y. (2016). Tahlil al-khitab wa tajawuz al-ma‘na nahwa bina’ nazariyyat al-masalik wa al-ghayat. Kunooz Al-Ma‘rifa. (in Arabic).
6. Khitam, J. (2016). Al-tadawuliyyah: Usuluha wa ittijahatuhā. Kunooz Al-Ma‘rifa. (in Arabic).
7. Yule, G. (2010). Al-tadawuliyyah (Q. Al-‘Attabi, Trans.). Arab Scientific Publishers. (in Arabic).
8. Sahraoui, M. (2005). Al-tadawuliyyah ‘inda al-‘Arab: Dirasa tadawuliyya li-af‘al al-kalam. Dar Al-Tali‘a. (in Arabic).
9. Al-Warafi, N. (2020). Representation of intentionality in pragmatic discourse. Journal of the University of Babylon for Humanities. (in Arabic).
10. Bouba‘iou, B. (2001). Jadaliyyat al-qiyam fi al-shi‘r al-jahili. Arab Writers Union. (in Arabic).
11. Al-Ma‘arri, A. A. (1957). Saqt al-zand. Dar Sader. (in Arabic).
12. Dayf, S. (1987). Al-ritha’ (4th ed.). Dar Al-Ma‘arif. (in Arabic).
13. Boukhalfa, I. (2018). Worldview in the novel Ra’s al-Miḥna by Abdelaziz Glaouji. Contemporary Studies Journal. (in Arabic).
14. Hussein, T. (n.d.). Sharh luzum ma la yalzam li Abi al-Ala al-Ma‘arri. Dar Al-Ma‘arif. (in Arabic).
15. Al-Barquqi, A. (2014). Sharh diwan al-Mutanabbi. Hindawi Foundation. (in Arabic).
16. Shaker, M. M. (n.d.). Al-Mutanabbi: Risalah fi al-tariq ila thaqafatina. Dar Al-Madani. (in Arabic).
17. Al-Saeedi, H. (2022). Fusul fi al-tahlil al-tadawuli: Qira’at tatbiqiyya. Dar Al-Sadiq Cultural Foundation. (in Arabic).
18. Selim, O. (2009). Falsafat al-tadawuliyyat al-suwariyya wa akhlaqiyyat al-niqaash ‘inda Habermas [Unpublished master’s thesis]. Mentouri University, Algeria. (in Arabic).
19. Moeschler, J., & Reboul, A. (2010). Al-qamus al-mawsu‘i lil-tadawuliyyah. National Translation Center. (in Arabic).
20. Balba‘, E. (2017). Al-Qur’an wa al-tatbiq al-tadawuli: Af‘al al-kalam. Siyaqat. (in Arabic).
21. Austin, J. L. (2010). How to do things with words (M. Yahyaten, Trans.; 2nd ed.). Alam Al-Kutub. (in Arabic).
22. Abd al-Rahman, T. (1998). Al-lisan wa al-mizan. Arab Cultural Center. (in Arabic).
23. Lang, G. H. (2012). Introduction to speech act theory (S. H. Buhairi, Trans.; 1st ed.). Zahraa Al-Sharq. (in Arabic).
24. Ali, M. M. Y. (2004). Muqaddima fi ‘ilmi al-dalala wa al-takhattub. United New Book House. (in Arabic).
25. Van Dijk, T. A. (2000). Text and context (A. Qanini, Trans.). Afrique Orient. (in Arabic).
26. Al-Rashidi, A. S. M. (2024). Repentant speeches: A pragmatic study through speech acts. Arts for Linguistic & Literary Studies, 6(2), 281–305. https://doi.org/10.53286/arts.v6i2.1947 . (in Arabic).
27. Al-Shammari, A. B. (2024). Speech acts in Al-Zamzami Al-Makki’s poetry collection. Arts for Linguistic & Literary Studies, 6(4), 9–38. https://doi.org/10.53286/arts.v6i4.2174. (in Arabic).
28. Babiker, A. A. (2024). Speech acts in Eid greeting discourse. Arts for Linguistic & Literary Studies, 6(3), 57–74. https://doi.org/10.53286/arts.v6i3.2064. (in Arabic).
29. Hassan, A. S. (2021). Speech acts in Rwagh Al-Masabeeh. Arts for Linguistic & Literary Studies, 1(4), 40–76. https://doi.org/10.53286/arts.v1i4.244 . (in Arabic).
30. Al-Juhani, W. S. S. (2025). Speech acts in Asas al-Balagha. Arts for Linguistic & Literary Studies, 7(2), 106–123. https://doi.org/10.53286/arts.v7i2.2551 . (in Arabic).
31. Wasel, E. (2020). Speech acts in Abjadiyyat al-Ruh. Tala’i‘ al-Lugha wa Bada’i‘ al-Adab, 1(1), 74–98. (in Arabic).

Info
How to Cite

PDF (العربية)

Published: Jun 15, 2026

https://doi.org/10.61850/lij.v7i1.175

Issue: Vol. 7 No. 1 (2026): June 2026

Views: 26

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

Metrics

Metrics Loading ...

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.

Ahmed Hussein Saad, S. (2026). Worldview Acts in the Elegiac Poetry of Al-Mutanabbī and Al-Maʿarrī. مجلة قضايا لغوية | Linguistic Issues Journal, 7(1), 73–106. https://doi.org/10.61850/lij.v7i1.175

LINGUISTIC ISSUES