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A Study on the Motifs of Man’s Mortal Fate, as Represented in the Mu‘allaqāt

Neung Woo Kim 1

1서울대학교

Accredited

ABSTRACT

This research deals with some motifs including sayings, views and images portraying the mortal fate of man that are represented in the Mu‘allaqāt( ), an anthology of seven long Arabic poems in the Jāhiliyah(pre-Islamic) era. My contention is that the introductory parts of poems of the Mu‘allaqāt,which together are called atlāl( ruins or traces of nomads’ staying)introduction, function as very poetic ways of expressing the poets’ inner thoughts and genuine emotions about the finite nature of man. The scenes and recollections from the vestiges of life as described in the atlāl introduction arouse fear of doom and bewilderment in the audience. Throughout the introduction, the poets undergo an indirect experience of their imminent death and share it with the audience to relieve fear of death. The repeated usage of the introduction by poets of the Mu‘allaqāt shows that people of the Jāhiliyah era constantly entertained the concept of impending doom and the anxiety thereof and thus realized their fated end. The pre-Islamic Arab’s recognition of the mortal nature of man, as found in the atlāl part of the Mu‘allaqāt, is clearly demonstrated in other parts of poems by recurrent motifs such as concrete remarks and expressions implying man’s death as an inextricable destiny. In particular,some poets tried to depict the attributes of death such as its impartiality,eventuality and mercilessness by using vivid images from the nomadic lifestyle.

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* References for papers published after 2023 are currently being built.

This paper was written with support from the National Research Foundation of Korea.
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