Colloquial Expressions in the Hilla Poem: A Stylistic Study of Selected Examples

Abstract

This study addresses the topic of "Colloquial Expressions in the Hilla Poem " from a stylistic perspective, starting from the problematic dialectical relationship between Classical and Colloquial Arabic in contemporary Iraqi poetry. It aims to analyze how colloquial Arabic transforms from a spoken dialect into an organic aesthetic component within the text, contributing to shaping its vision and crystallizing its discourse. The study adopts the stylistic approach as its primary framework, utilizing its tools to analyze deviation, selection, and interaction between different linguistic levels within a single text. This framework is applied to selected examples from the Hilla poem, specifically the poem "All I Ask of the Honorable Mourners..." by Muwaffaq Muhammad al-Ruba'i (A, B, W) . Khamra), and the poem “And the scrolls of my waters in the calendar of the slain” by Jabbar Al-Kawaz .

         The study reached significant conclusions, most notably that the use of colloquialisms in the two analyzed models was not arbitrary or due to a lack of ability, but rather a conscious strategic choice . The analysis revealed that these words perform multiple and complex functions. They are an effective tool for deconstructing official discourses and ridiculing religious and political authorities, as in the derogatory portrayal of " Shait and Mait." They also serve as a means of evoking sensory and intimate reality and a connection to the local environment, thus lending credibility and psychological depth to the experience, as in the call "Ya Hassoun." Most importantly, the study revealed that colloquialisms, in conjunction with Classical Arabic, form a dramatic dialogue within the text, reflecting the crisis of identity and discourse in a fragmented social and political reality. The interplay and conflict between the two linguistic levels become an expression of collective tragedy, as in the sarcastic response , "Hey, you... your texts are nonsense." The study concluded that the Hilla poem, through this skillful employment, has succeeded in establishing colloquial Arabic as an essential element in building a new, hybrid, and vibrant poetic language, capable of bearing the concerns of the Iraqi reality in all its complexities, and that this achievement is credited to it as a sign of the maturity of a poetic experience that raises the slogan of commitment to lived reality .