Ahmed Shawqi's Diwan 2/1

A brief about the Diwan of Ahmed Shawqi, two volumes: Forty-four years, that is the time span that God granted to Ahmed Shawqi on the surface of this earth (1868-1932), but within this limited space his poetry spread in the world, occupied people, filled all ears, and saddened many hearts. As he occupied people in his life, he continued to occupy them after his death, and still does so until now, inspiring pioneers, and will remain an entry point to reach the characteristics of classical Arabic poetry in its purity and authenticity, and a prominent landmark indicating the level and eloquence of Arabic poetry in the Renaissance era. God endowed him with a unique poetic talent, and a flexible, flowing intuition, so he did not sit at his desk to think and strain his mind to create a poem, but ideas would pour over him abundantly, as if overflowing from all directions... He would murmur poetry while walking or sitting among his companions, present among them in person, absent from them in spirit and thought. His interlocutor would not realize he was composing unless he first heard a murmuring similar to a melody emanating from a distant depth, then his eyes would sparkle, the movements of the eyelids would follow, and he would see him raising his forehead, lightly passing his hand over it, moment by moment, as the poet Khalil Mutran said, and that is a trait of inspired poets. The spring of poetry erupted from his tongue when he was young, and he completed his tool before he was twenty years old. His diverse cultural background later (Western and Eastern) influenced his poetry, as Shawqi innovated artistic styles that Arabic poetry had not previously practiced; "because he was created to be a renewer," as Taha Hussein said. However, he did not depart from the classical poetic meter that critics have long recognized, so he kept the Abbasid traditions for the poem: unity of meter and rhyme, grandeur of style and clarity, and avoidance of the distasteful exaggeration of rhetorical figures. His imagery relied sometimes on complex images, sometimes extended, and on metaphorical images that stop at simile, metaphor, and sometimes metonymy. But he knew how to draw from the treasures of old similes and metaphors, adding his own essence and culture to give them freshness and novelty. Thus, the images drew their spirit from the poet’s experience and broad Eastern and Western culture, not from instinctive reactions. Shawqi left behind poetic and prose works, including his poetic and prose plays, stories he composed early in his life, and prose that took the form of rhymed phrases. Among these works is his Diwan "Al-Shawqiyat," which is before the reader, and it is a collection of lyrical poetry, divided into four parts. This edition has been presented in a new appearance, where it is arranged in a manner consistent with the status of poetry and the poet, focusing on categorization, division, formatting, and correcting words, explaining vocabulary, introducing his notable figures, and identifying the metrical pattern he preferred for his poem. Additionally, the Diwan includes an extensive study about the poet Ahmed Shawqi, covering aspects of his life, a glimpse of his works, and his poetic and prose achievements.