Metaphorical Formation in Ibn al-'Arindis al-Hilli’sRa’iyya Poem: Between Religious Consciousness and Artistic Imagination

Abstract

This study seeks to reveal the mechanisms of metaphorical formation in the Ra'iyya poem by the Iraqi poet Salihibn al-'Arandas al-Hilli (d. 840 AH), with a focus on the dialectical relationship between religious consciousness and artistic imagination in constructing the poetic text. The study adopts a descriptive-analytical approach in examining metaphorical images, focusing on two fundamental patterns of implicit metaphor (istī'āramakniyya): the personification image, which bestows human attributes upon abstract meanings and inanimate entities, and the embodiment image, which grants mental concepts and spiritual meanings tangible material dimensions. The study reveals how Ibn al-'Arandas employs these two techniques to convey his emotional experiences and religious sentiments, transforming abstract concepts such as generosity, glory, victory, and prosperity into living, active entities possessing will and motion. The findings demonstrate that the poet possesses profound artistic awareness in employing metaphorical images, successfully merging the fervor of faith with fertile artistic imagination, producing a poetic text that combines the depth of spiritual experience with the aesthetics of metaphorical formation. For him, personification transforms emotions and abstract concepts into active and influential entities, while embodiment works to transfer meanings from the realm of mental abstraction to the space of direct sensory perception, making spiritual values and moral principles capable of action and movement as if they were living characters in an integrated dramatic scene. Thus, the poet achieves a delicate balance between aesthetic brilliance and persuasive efficacy, making the Ra'iyya a poetic model reflecting the organic integration between religious vision and artistic creativity.