Local Features in Andalusian Arabic Poetry in the Third Century AH -Context and First Aspects of Appearance-Part Two

Abstract

The recent studies conducted on Andalusian poetry argue with great confidence that this poetry, for over four centuries, was nothing more than an echo of Arab poetry in the Mašriq (Eastern lands), both in its themes and meanings. According to one of its scholars, this poetry "lacked emotion and sentiment; it did not pulsate with feeling. Its practitioners were merely imitating what the people of the Mašriq said and did. They were nothing but echoes of the cultural heritage and customs of the Mašriq, with voices resonating from the Šām (Syria) to Iraq. There was no sovereignty, no originality, no talent and no independence."1In light of this dissociation between Andalusian poetry and its environment, we have decided to revisit the texts of this poetryofthethird century AH to examine the relationship between Andalusian poets and their diverse environmental components with regard to the themes they explored and how they offered poetry that is the result of a deep interaction between them and their environment. We will underline thefeatures shaping its individuality and confirm its independence. These features are explicitly expressed in the title and are referred to as "local features."