Time in the Poems of Taher Zmakhshari

Abstract

This study aims at presenting the phenomenon of “Time” in the poems of Taher Zmakhshari, as this phenomenon was remarkably featured in his poems. In fact, there are several literary and critical studies, both old and recent, of “Time”.   The present study represents a continuation of previous studies and complements them, especially with regard to modern Saudi literature.

        In this study I discuss the concept of “Time”, its importance, its three dimensions (past, present and future), and its types and their implications in the poems of Taher Zamakhshari. Firstly, “partial time” represented by the seasons of the year of which three (spring, fall and winter) are mentioned in his poems. In addition, day and night together with their parts (night, morning, dawn, forenoon, evening, daytime, day, and tomorrow), and  the hour and its parts (seconds, minutes and hours) are also mentioned in his poems. Secondly, “whole time” represented in: life, age, time, and years,  is also shown in his poems.

 Besides, “time” is mentioned in several places in the poems of Taher Zmakhshari. It is included in the title, dedications of anthologies (Dawaween), and the prose introductions to the poems, to introduce, to dedicate, to open or conclude a poem, all of which reveal the significance of time in his poems and his attention to it.

Some technical aspects of “Time”, including repetition, whether a repetition of a word or a line, techniques of antonyms referring to time and various images were also adopted in the poems of Taher Zamakhshari.