The Prosodic Features in the poem "Gandhi is the Indian Hero" by Ahmed Shawqi: An Analytical Artistic Study

Abstract

Critics are interested in the study that reveals the prosodic features of poetry, since the structure of Arabic poetry is completely dependent on ʿarūḍ and qawāfī, and the poetic skill differs from one poet to another based on the use of rhythmic dimensions resulting from poetic meters. Against this background, this article explores Ahmed Shawqi’s poem "Gandhi is the hero of India". It further aims at discovering artistic dimensions that shed light on the most prominent characteristics of the external rhythm. The research follows the analytical method as the data interpretation methodology, that explains the poetic verses following the principles of the science of ʿarūḍ. Beside analytical method, the study employs the artistic method that detects ʿarūḍ and qawāfī aspects in the poems. The study found that the poet composed the poem on Baḥr al hazj, while he often used the ziḥāf al kaf, He remarkably resorted to the Tadwīr, and the Taqsīm ʿaḍūḍī, which has a great impact on the musical and semantic richness. Similarly, the poet's reliance on al qāfiyah al muṭlaqah al mutawātirah was evident in the composition of the poem, in which the letter of rawī (Dāl) emerged among two consonants, performing its rhythmic function, and matching the nature of the poetic text.