A Translational Comparative Analysis of Horse Imagery in Selected Abbasid and Andalusian Poetry

Abstract

This study analyzes the representation of the horse image in poetry, mainly in some of the Arabic-translated Abbasid and Andalusian poems. This study relies on the analytical and theoretical aspects of the French School of Comparative Literature. At the same time, it studies the influence of literature on different writers globally.  French School studies international affinities, while Influence study means analyzing the similarity in a conscious or unconscious way of ideas or themes. This study also adopts some aspects of Russian Formalism that concentrate on studying texts linguistically through structures, imagery…etc. The significance of the study aims at introducing a comparative study between different poets from the Arabic Abbasid tradition and that of some Andalusian poets during the reign of the Islamic Almoravids in Al-Andalus, Spain. In fact, these Andalusian poets were believed to be influenced by the Eastern Abbasid Arab poets in Syria and Iraq.

highlights

1. The paper conducts a detailed comparative analysis of the horse imagery in Andalusian poetry.
2. It identifies significant similarities between the horse and nature representations.
3. It offers English translations of key Andalusian poems.
4. It systematically explores thematic similarities in Andalusian poetry.
5. It contributes a new perspective to the field of Andalusian literary studies.