Al-Mutanabbi’s View of Time in his Poetry

Abstract

The passing of time and life are one of the topics that preoccupied the old and modern poets alike. In these topics, they constantly, discussed their complaints from the hardships & misfortunes they have suffered and experienced.
As other of his contemporaries, Al-Mutanabbi, who is one of the most prominent Arab poets, discussed this issue as an imitator, yet he developed his own style. These issues involve many personal and psychological reasons as time did not serve him, nor did it give him anything. In fact, he was full of vindictive feelings against people who envied him because he believed they didn’t allow him to achieve his hopes and aspirations. This made him see that complaint and reproach could mitigate his suffering and relieve the poet though not change things.
On the other hand, Al-Mutanabbi went to the root of this topic in all its aspects where he complains so much of the rapid passing of time, and how this causes suffering and puts his patience with time under a difficult test. The poet's confrontation with time and finally, his contempt of it were due to the serious psychological suffering he faced in very difficult circumstances. As in view of the fact, that he was unable to surrender to the postulates and axioms that have only brought him severity, injustice, subjugation, grief, torture, lowness & deprivation.
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