Poetic purposes in Abu al-Fath al-Busti's poetry and their impact on producing meaning

Abstract

           Poetic themes in Arabic poetry have a significant impact on shaping meanings, and every literary text has a specific theme that influences the poet's choice of words, images, and meanings. These are the three main themes in Abu al-Fath al-Busti's poetry: praise, satire, and elegy. Let's start with praise, which is one of his most prominent poetic themes. He aimed to highlight the good qualities of the person being praised, such as generosity, courage, and sovereignty, and he was adept at this, especially when praising caliphs and princes. As for the meanings of satire in al-Busti's poetry, they were far removed from obscenity and direct insults. Rather, he relied in his satire on clever and biting allusions rather than direct defamation. At times, his satire was closer to reproach and teasing, which indicates his sensitive nature and distinctive literary sense.  Finally, elegy was not one of Al-Busti’s most frequent subjects, and deep sadness, grief, or obvious emotion did not appear in his elegies. Rather, his pieces were few and short, the most prominent of which was in the elegy for Nasir al-Din Sabuktigin, where he depicted his funeral as the Day of Judgment, and in the elegy for Al-Sahib Ibn Ubadah, where he likened his loss to the disappearance of the moon when it is full.