The poetic image of tears in chaste flirtation according to Ibn al-Mu'tazz Semantic study

Abstract

The poet Abd ibn al-Mu'tazz was the son of Caliph al-Mu'tazz and the grandson of Caliph al-Mutawakkil. Due to competition over the caliphate, he witnessed the killing of his grandfather al-Mutawakkil, his uncle, his father, and his cousin. Consequently, he distanced himself from politics. The motif of tears frequently appeared in his poetry, particularly in the context of chaste love, but it was absent in explicit love poetry, as that genre focused on pleasure and desire. Abd ibn al-Mu'tazz was not deprived of the joys and luxuries of life, having lived in the caliphal palace. His depiction of tears varied, encompassing tears of joy and sorrow, false and mocking tears, as well as sparse, abundant, and final tears.

The imagery of tears in his poetry extended to sensory, cosmic, and quantitative dimensions. The study concluded that the poet employed the motif of tears as a central idea contributing to the construction of his poems. The significance of tears varied depending on the frequency of their mention, reflecting the richness of his life experiences, including joy, sorrow, wealth, poverty, and the struggle for the caliphate