Characteristics of the poetry of contrasts in the Umayyad era

Characteristics of the poetry of contrasts in the Umayyad era

The poetry of contradictions in the Umayyad era is characterized by the following characteristics:

Length

The contradiction was long in content, as a result of the negative interaction between politics and tribal fanaticism, which inserted the contradiction into matters of politics and politicians, whether with praise or otherwise.

The influence of Islam

The Islamic environment had a major role in influencing the words that poets of antithesis wrote in their poems.

Obscene satire

The poets of contradictions adopted a bad style by violating sanctities and insulting honor through their hurtful and poignant expressions to the point of contradicting religious and moral teachings.

Sarcastic style

The main purpose of the antidote poets' use of mockery was to harass and slander opponents.

Creating images and meanings

The poets of contradictions were distinguished by their vast imagination, through which they created imaginative images, invented imaginative facts, and exaggerated the synthesis of meanings without paying attention to the issue of truth and lies.

Compare and balance

This style is one of the most important characteristics of antithetical poetry among the Umayyads.

Tracking opponents' mistakes

This method was used to enrich the poets' pens in their satire of their opponents.

Objectives of Arabic poetry

Arabic poetry aims to convey many messages and goals, the most prominent of which are the following:

• spinning: It is poetry in which the poet expresses his love for his beloved.
• the description: It is a statement of the situation and its nature to give an image in the listener’s mind about it.
• apology It is poetry in which the poet defends himself to ward off accusations against him.
• spelling: Mentioning the poet’s disadvantages to his tribe.
• Lament: Describing the virtues of the deceased and showing the extent of grief for him.
• Pride: The poet praised himself and showed the good qualities in his personality.
• praise: Showing and praising the good aspects of the opposite person.

The most prominent poets of contradictions

Below we mention the most prominent poets of antithesis that our Arabic language has known throughout time:

• The poet Jarir.
• The most ignorant poet.
• The poet Al-Farazdaq.