In his essay "Poetry and Apoetical Culture", Adonis makes the remarkable claim that the nature of Koranic revelation destroys the possibility of poetry, and with it the possibility of life. Before Islam, the Arabic language was rooted in poetry; after the advent of Islam, poetic language became impossible.
When this divine Revelation came to take the place of poetic inspiration, it claimed to be the sole source of knowledge, and banished poetry and poets from their kingdom. Poetry was no longer the word of truth, as the pre-Islamic poets had claimed it was. Nevertheless ... Islam did not suppress poetry as a form and mode of expression. Rather, it nullified poetry's role and cognitive mission, endowing it with a new function: to celebrate and preach the truth introduced by the Koranic Revelation. Islam thus deprived poetry of its earliest characteristics - intuition and the power of revelation and made it into a media tool. ... Poetry in Arab society has languished and withered precisely insofar as it has placed itself at the service of religiosity, proselytism and political and ideological commitments. [4]
I cannot comment on this, for Adonis has experience which I do not. I am mostly interested in " intuition" which I have emphasized by bold font. Intuition is the source of all knowledge. In that time when the first family of living things came to be, there was no structure of knowledge save that within the structure of their own beings...that and their inter-relationship with the world. As they looked upon the world, their intuition guided them. God speaks not in words, rather through our intuitive life. If intuition be cut off, as Adonis says it is, then a person is dead and merely going through the motions of life.
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2 comments:
Oh. What an interesting article, Montag - thank you for bringing it to my attention. I adore the poetry of Adonis. I will instantly admit I am not that terribly knowledgeable on it, though - quite by chance I came across a collection ("If Only the Sea Could Sleep") last summer in the bookshop, opened it at random, read five lines and bought it, my mind quite blown.
And I didn't know you studied Arabic. What a cool thing to be doing. I study Russian, tremendously lazily, I must admit again. In fact I should be doing my studies as we speak, but instead I'm stuck on your blog, originally looking for a certain "elsewhere", but now caught perusing through all the other stuff. I may have to try to tear myself away and come back again later.
Apart from three very close internet space people friends of mine, I haven't visited any blogs since the turn of the year. I've missed yours, though. I will be back.
Not only were you not aware that I am studying Arabic, but also my "mudarrisa" ( lady teacher ) is sometimes unaware of it.
Sorry to tell you, but a minimum of 2 hours per day is needed.
However, when I run on the treadmill, I set up a book full of vocabulary to go over for the hour's run. This hour is included in the two hours.
Do you walk around in public, muttering to yourself in the foreign language? I know I do. And Arabic has a number of sounds that make passers-by take notice!
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