The image of the horse in the Mu'allaqat of Imru' al-Qays and Antarah ibn Shaddad: A study in linguistic media and implicit patterns

Abstract

This study re-examines the image of the horse in the poetry of Imru’ al-Qays and ʿAntarah ibn Shaddād through an integrative approach combining the analysis of linguistic media with cultural criticism. It draws on selected concepts from new media studies as interpretive tools to explore the semantic structures and implicit cultural patterns embedded in the poetic text through the interplay of movement, visual imagery, and sound. The study adopts a descriptive-analytical method to examine the linguistic media that constitute the poetic image, while employing selected concepts from new media studies to elucidate the mechanisms through which the poetic scene is constructed, without imposing anachronistic concepts on pre-Islamic poetry. It also employs cultural criticism to identify the implicit cultural patterns embedded in the poetic image, proceeding from textual indicators to their broader cultural implications, and comparatively analyzes their manifestations in the works of the two poets. The findings demonstrate that linguistic media play a central role in constructing the image of the horse, while their functions and cultural implications vary according to the distinctive poetic experience of each poet. The study further reveals that integrating linguistic media analysis, selected concepts from new media studies, and cultural criticism offers a deeper understanding of the horse image and demonstrates that pre-Islamic poetry possesses a multimodal expressive structure capable of generating cultural meanings that extend beyond sensory description to reveal implicit cultural patterns and distinct configurations of the relationship between the poetic self, heroism, and society.

Keywords: Horse Image; Imru’ al-Qays; ʿAntarah ibn Shaddād; Linguistic Media; Cultural Criticism; Implicit Cultural Patterns.