The concept of oppositional poetry
Opposition is defined linguistically in several ways. It is said that a person opposed the path, meaning he walked and walked toward it. It is said that he opposed the book by the book, meaning he met it. And the person opposed the same as what he did, meaning he did the same as what he did.
Technically, oppositional poetry has been defined as poetry composed in agreement with other poetry on a specific subject, where it adheres to the other poetry’s composition in its rhyme, tone, and subject completely, in which the poet is keen to match the opposition poet in his poetry, if not surpass him. The poet may resort to this type. From poetry when he sees in the poetry of other poets what distinguishes him in terms of eloquence, splendor of wording, expressive images, and other things that arouse his amazement.
Types of poetic oppositions with examples
Poets, ancient and modern, have competed in poetry of oppositions. Below is a presentation of the types of poetic oppositions with examples:
The opposition of the ancient poets to the ancients
This type of literature was famous among poets in the past, especially during the period of prosperity. An example of this type is Safi al-Din al-Hilli’s opposition to al-Mutanabbi, according to the following:
- Al-Mutanabbi said: In his famous poem, in which he praised Ali bin Mansour Al-Hajib, which begins:
My father is the suns that are drifting towards the sides
- Women who wear silk jilbabs
- Safi al-Din al-Hilli says: Al-Mutanabbi opposed his poem in which he praised Sultan Nasser bin Muhammad Qalawun, and its beginning:
Aspen melted from above the breasts
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The opposition of modern poets to the ancients
Poetic oppositions have moved from the ancient era to the modern era, and one of the most prominent poems that displays this type is the poem of the Prince of Poets, Ahmed Shawqi, in his opposition to Al-Buhturi, according to the following:
- Al-Buhturi said: In his famous poem in which he described Iwan Khosrow, and its beginning:
I protected myself from what defiles myself
- And I lifted up from every burden
- Ahmed Shawqi said: Al-Buhturi disagreed with his poem in which he described the antiquities of Muslims in Andalusia, and its beginning:
The difference between day and night is forgotten
- Remind me of my youth and the days when I forget
The impact of opposition poetry on the literary heritage
Opposition poetry has emerged between the ancients and the moderns, and they competed greatly among themselves. To make each poet stand out with his poetry over the other, which had great effects on the literary heritage, including the following:
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- Increasing the spirit of competition among distinguished poets to display their abilities in the fields of poetry, which made the gardens of literature fertile with anecdotes and anecdotes, thus building a great literary edifice that depicts the true meaning of the saying “Poetry is the Diwan of the Arabs.”
- Preserving ancient and modern poetic heritage throughout the ages; With the bright pages that opposition poetry added to the poetry collection, all of them poured into the sea of Arabic literature and enriched it.
