THEMATIC CONTRAST IN PRE-ISLAMIC POETRY

Abstract

This research addresses the phenomenon of thematic variation in pre-Islamic poetry, as a critical approach that opens horizons for understanding the diversity of poetic visions and the differences in experiences among the poets of that era. By thematic variation, we mean the noticeable diversity in the contents that occupied the poets and were manifested in their texts, such as the expression of the individual self, tribal affiliation, the position towards the other, rebellion against society, and others. The importance of this variation lies in the fact that it reflects the dynamism of pre-Islamic consciousness and highlights that poetry was not a rigid form, but rather an arena for the struggle of values ​​and a multiplicity of voices. The study focused on four central axes: the ego as a representation of the self, the tribe as the bearer of a collective identity, the other as a symbolic or realistic counterpart, and vagrancy as a literary and social phenomenon with a protest dimension Selected poetic examples from the poetry of Tarafa ibn al-Abd, Antarah ibn Shaddad, and Shanfara were analyzed, as they represent different patterns of interaction with these themes. The critical analytical approach was used to study the texts and link them to their cultural and social contexts. The research concluded that the variation in themes contributed to shaping pre-Islamic poetry in terms of its content and aesthetics, giving it human dimensions that transcend the common stereotypes about it.