Maritime Images in al-Jahili Poetry A Study of Relevant Poetical Contexts & Semiotics

Many images of sea, sea waves and ships is repeated in al-Jahili poetry; sometimes, such images are formulated partially in one single line of verse or as a quick flicker, if not such those detailed or circumlocutory images; other times, they occur as comprehensive images that embody the poet's collective literary experience, upon which textual symbols are structured in the form of oppositional or substitutive functions and suggestions. This piece of research concludes that such maritime images take place in three contexts: either in the howdahs' or riding camels journeys in which the image of the shiphowdah or ship-camel appears; or, in love poetry, in which the image of the pearl woman appears. Or, they may occur while disclosing the poetical self when highly indulged in rhetoric, semantics and oration, not to mention vainglory, generosity and hospitality speeches. In brief, this research attempts to explain the relationship of such images to the structure of the al-Jahili poem, the poetical self, the human temperament, and his psychological and cultural horizons.

The Sea in the Contemporary Syrian Short Story

This paper seeks to present a conception of the sea and its effective role in the contemporary Syrian short story through a study of the works of a number of short story tellers who travelled at sea in search for mysteries of life to gain an understanding of the universe and explore the suffering of coastal residents. This conception is manifested in the short story writings by Abul Kader Rabe'a, Muhsen Yousef, Muhammad Smeer Jua'ra and others. The sea in the short story represents human concerns and the interdependent relationship between man and the sea. Each writer in his own way moves as a result of suffering from the private concerns to the national concerns. This is the center of Muhsen Yousef's stories through a heroic resistance and bitter struggles with the powers of evil aliened with internal powers that have attempted to control the nation's coasts. The Arab resistant triumphs over the powers of evil in a heroic epic and forces the powers to withdraw in defeat.