Abstract
Guidelines to understanding the poetry of the Kurdish poet-prophet Salim Barakat (b. 1951, Qamishli, Syria) are to be found in a poem by his friend, the Palestinian poet-prophet Mahmud Darwish (b. 1941, al-Birweh, Palestine – d. 2008) – Laisa lil-Kurdi ila al-Rih [Ila: Salim Barakat] (The Kurd Has Only the Wind [For Salim Barakat]) ( (2004). For the benefit of the English-speaking reader, as Darwish‘s poem and Barakat‘s poetry (also in Arabic) have not previously been translated to English, I have included, in the body of this study, my translation of Darwish‘s aforementioned poem and various of Barakat‘s poems, namely: Niqabat al-Ansab (Lineage) (1970); Kama‟in fi al-Mun„atafat Killiha / Htam ma – Sihm (Ambushes at Turns / Conclusion – A Sort of Arrow) (1985). I have appended the whole of Barakat‘s long poem Surya (Syria) (2014). The techniques Barakat introduces into the art of writing modern Arabic poetry come from modern mainstream poetry, as well as from his Kurdish and Persian background. Altogether his concept of history, which puts into sharp outline the norm of the ancient and medieval world of empire, enters the poem-of-his-being, the ―work‖ as Maurice Blanchot describes it – and makes his chronicling unique. Discussion of the selected poems clarifies as to how Barakat became a poet-prophet, and describes the commitment he took on not only to the Kurdish nation, but also to the entire Middle East.
References
- Barakat, Salim (2007), al-A’mal al-Shi‘ riyah Salim Barakat (The Poetry Works of Salim Barakat). Beirut: al-Mu’ssah lil-Dirasat wa-Nashr (The Foundation for Studies and Publishing). Barakat, Salim (19 Elul 2014):, “Qasidat Jadida lil-Sha‘ir al-Kabir Salim Barakat: Surya” (A New Poem by the Great Poet Salim Barakat: Syria). Al-Mustaqbal (a newspaper), no.5155:20. Available at: http://www.almustaqbal.com/v4/Article.aspx?Type=np&Articleid=632596 Blanchot, Maurice (1982), The Space of Literature. University of Nebraska Press. Boyce, Mary (2001), Zoroastrians: Their Religious Beliefs and Practices. London: Taylor and Francis Ltd. 2001 (2nd rev. ed., imprint Routledge). Daryaee, Touraj (2012), ed., The Oxford Handbook of Iranian History. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Kapadia, Shapurji Aspaniarji (2013), The Teachings of Zoroaster: The Philosophy of the Parsee Religion. UK: Aziloth Books. Available at: http://www.sacred-texts.com/zor/toz/toz04.htm Mirmokri, Manijeh and Seifori, Shala (2016). “On the Reduplication in Kurdish language.” International Journal of Kurdish Studies 2 no.3: pp. 165–178. Available at: http://www.ijoks.com/issue5special/vol2_3_mirmokri_seifori.pdf Rooke, Tetz (2006), “Feathers from heaven: or what the paprika plant said to the hero,” Middle Eastern Literatures 9, no.2: pp. 179—188. Skjaervo, Prods Oktor (2011), trans. and ed., The Spirit of Zoroastrianism. New Haven: Yale University Press. Snir, Reuven (2015), Mahmud Darwish: Fifty Years of Poetry [Hebrew]. Israel: Keshev Publishing House. West, E.W. (1897), trans. The Bundahishn ("Creation"), or Knowledge from the Zand. Oxford University Press: Sacred Books of the East, vol. 5. Available at: www.avesta.org/mp/bundahis.htm Darwish, Mahmud (2004), La Ta’tadhir ‘Amma Fa’alta (Don’t Apologize for What You’ve Done). Available at: http://www.darwishfoundation.org
Abstract
Guidelines to understanding the poetry
of the Kurdish poet-prophet Salim Barakat (b. 1951, Qamishli, Syria) are to be
found in a poem by his friend, the Palestinian poet-prophet Mahmud Darwish (b.
1941, al-Birweh, Palestine – d. 2008) – Laisa lil-Kurdi ila al-Rih [Ila:
Salim Barakat] (The Kurd Has Only the Wind [For Salim Barakat]) ( (2004).
For the benefit of the English-speaking reader, as Darwish’s poem and Barakat’s
poetry (also in Arabic) have not previously been translated to English, I have
included, in the body of this study, my translation of Darwish’s aforementioned
poem and various of Barakat’s poems, namely: Niqabat al-Ansab (Lineage) (1970); Kama’in fi al-Mun‘atafat Killiha / Htam ma – Sihm (Ambushes at Turns / Conclusion – A Sort of Arrow)
(1985). I have appended the whole of Barakat’s long poem Surya
(Syria)
(2014). The techniques Barakat introduces into the art of writing modern Arabic
poetry come from modern mainstream poetry, as well as from his Kurdish and
Persian background. Altogether his concept of history, which puts into sharp
outline the norm of the ancient and medieval world of empire, enters the
poem-of-his-being, the “work” as Maurice Blanchot describes it – and makes his
chronicling unique. Discussion of the
selected poems clarifies as to how Barakat became a poet-prophet, and describes
the commitment he took on not only to the Kurdish nation, but also to the
entire Middle East.
References
- Barakat, Salim (2007), al-A’mal al-Shi‘ riyah Salim Barakat (The Poetry Works of Salim Barakat). Beirut: al-Mu’ssah lil-Dirasat wa-Nashr (The Foundation for Studies and Publishing). Barakat, Salim (19 Elul 2014):, “Qasidat Jadida lil-Sha‘ir al-Kabir Salim Barakat: Surya” (A New Poem by the Great Poet Salim Barakat: Syria). Al-Mustaqbal (a newspaper), no.5155:20. Available at: http://www.almustaqbal.com/v4/Article.aspx?Type=np&Articleid=632596 Blanchot, Maurice (1982), The Space of Literature. University of Nebraska Press. Boyce, Mary (2001), Zoroastrians: Their Religious Beliefs and Practices. London: Taylor and Francis Ltd. 2001 (2nd rev. ed., imprint Routledge). Daryaee, Touraj (2012), ed., The Oxford Handbook of Iranian History. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Kapadia, Shapurji Aspaniarji (2013), The Teachings of Zoroaster: The Philosophy of the Parsee Religion. UK: Aziloth Books. Available at: http://www.sacred-texts.com/zor/toz/toz04.htm Mirmokri, Manijeh and Seifori, Shala (2016). “On the Reduplication in Kurdish language.” International Journal of Kurdish Studies 2 no.3: pp. 165–178. Available at: http://www.ijoks.com/issue5special/vol2_3_mirmokri_seifori.pdf Rooke, Tetz (2006), “Feathers from heaven: or what the paprika plant said to the hero,” Middle Eastern Literatures 9, no.2: pp. 179—188. Skjaervo, Prods Oktor (2011), trans. and ed., The Spirit of Zoroastrianism. New Haven: Yale University Press. Snir, Reuven (2015), Mahmud Darwish: Fifty Years of Poetry [Hebrew]. Israel: Keshev Publishing House. West, E.W. (1897), trans. The Bundahishn ("Creation"), or Knowledge from the Zand. Oxford University Press: Sacred Books of the East, vol. 5. Available at: www.avesta.org/mp/bundahis.htm Darwish, Mahmud (2004), La Ta’tadhir ‘Amma Fa’alta (Don’t Apologize for What You’ve Done). Available at: http://www.darwishfoundation.org
Details
| Primary Language | English |
|---|---|
| Journal Section | Makaleler |
| Authors | |
| Publication Date | January 25, 2018 |
| Submission Date | September 4, 2017 |
| Published in Issue | Year 2018Volume: 4 Issue: 1 |
NOTICE: All submissions will be accepted through the Manuscript Submission System. Please click on www.ijoks.com and register to submit a paper.