Research Title: Poetic Musicality in Abbasid Poetry A Study of Abū Tammām and al-Buḥturī as Models

Abstract

The Abbasid era witnessed a profound qualitative transformation in poetic musicality, which emerged as one of the most distinguished artistic and literary phenomena characterizing this golden age of Arab-Islamic civilization. Music within poetry became deeply intertwined with its structure, evolving into an essential component of its artistic composition and expressive aesthetics. This development was largely the result of the flourishing of cultural life, the expansion of intellectual horizons, and the Arabs’ growing interaction with the cultures of other nations such as the Persian, Greek, and Indian civilizations

The poetic musicality in the works of Abu Tammam and Al-Buhturi represents one of the most significant features of artistic innovation in Abbasid poetry. Their poetic approach is characterized by a distinctive use of rhythm and language to create a musical beauty that reflects both poetic and intellectual vision. Despite belonging to the same era and sharing a common cultural environment, the difference in their aesthetic sensibilities and artistic tendencies shaped two distinct musical worlds within their poetry, each embodying the diversity and richness that defined Abbasid poetic expression.

The concept of acoustic imagery represents one of the most prominent artistic features that flourished in Abbasid poetry. It emerged as an aesthetic mechanism employed by poets to enrich the poetic experience and deepen the semantic structure of the text. Acoustic imagery is manifested through the employment of both internal and external sounds—such as rhythm, alliteration, repetition, modulation, and auditory imagery—in a way that generates an interaction between sound and meaning, transforming the poem into a vivid scene in which meanings are both seen and heard

Abbasid poets—foremost among them Abū Tammām and al-Buḥturī—utilized acoustic imagery as a means of artistic expression that transcended the boundaries of meter and rhyme, reaching deeper levels of emotion and embodiment. In the poetry of Abū Tammām, acoustic imagery appears in the intensification of sounds with symbolic and philosophical dimensions, as well as in the use of powerful vocabulary carrying a strong sonic energy that highlights emotional tensions and amplifies the idea. As for al-Buḥturī, he is distinguished by his inclination toward sonic harmony and the creation of auditory and visual tableaux that blend rhythmic beauty with delicacy of expression. He relied on phonetic resonance and musical imagery that bring the experience vividly to the receiver, generating a sense of aesthetic delight.