Ekphrasis in Descriptive Poetry in the Third Century Hijri 10.35781/1637-000-126-005

Abstract

Ekphrasis is a facet of a longstanding phenomenon in human cultures, referring to the interconnection of literature and arts. The term originated in Greek civilization, but it gained prominence and interest in ancient European rhetoric, and contemporary studies have revived it through theorization and research on the phenomenon and its manifestations. Our study aims to explore instances of openness in ancient Arabic poetry, particularly in the third century of the Hijra, to various artistic practices of that era. We have adopted a descriptive and analytical approach for researching this aspect. It has become evident that poems from different poetic purposes, by Al- Buhturi, Ibn Jahm, Ibn al-Mu'tazz, and others, revealed the attention of the ancient Arab poet to forms of artistic practice in his environment, which he drew inspiration from. His texts included various forms of ekphrasis, that is, descriptive passages revolving around visual artworks that served as carriers of leisure, along with types of furniture and decoration, murals, and various forms of construction and architecture, among others, which endow the poem with distinctive shades of poetic expression.