Salah Abdel Sabour 1931 – 1981

Biography

Salah Abdel-Sabour is indeed a pioneer of the modern Arabic poetry. He was Egypt's

pioneer of the taf'ila, a poetic method central to the "free poetry" movement of the late 1940s

and 1950s, in which the poet applies traditional rhymed metres to lines of indeterminate

length instead of filling the predetermined metric grid of a canonical poem. Together with

Badr Shaker Assayab & Nazek Al Mala’ika in Iraq, Abdel Mo’ti Hegazy in Egypt and other

Arab poets, they laid the foundation of a new school of Arabic poetry. They formulated their

own experience in new authentic, creative patterns. Although this trend remained modernist

all through, it maintained an intimate attitude towards national heritage original Arabic taste.

Born in May 1931, Salah Abdel-Sabour showed an interest in literature in his early life.

He started writing verses at the age of 13. As a secondary school student, he showed a

noticeable interest in languages, literature and politics. He also took part in demonstrations

against British occupation, and in 1949 he was arrested at the age of 18.

Abdel-Sabour obtained a B.A. in Arabic Language from Cairo University in 1951. In

his early youth, In his early youth, he tried to find, for literature, a new significance beyond

rhetoric eloquent expression, attempting to approach other realms of arts such as music and

painting. He co-edited "Al Thaqafa" (Culture) magazine, until January 1953, where he wrote

several poems and short stories.

In 1954, Abdel-Sabour had his poem Melancholy published in Al-Adab (Letters)

magazine. In 1957, his first collection of poems People in my Country was published,

shooting the poet into fame. In 1961, his second collection "I am saying to you" was

published, and his third "Dreams of an Ancient Knight" in 1964. According to most of his

critics, including those in disagreement with him, these poems reached highest peaks never

achieved by modern poetry. Abdel Sabour’s poetic diction has several sources, some of which

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were derived from sophism, the Holy Qur’an, the Bible as well as philosophical, historical or

folkloric origins.

Abdel-Sabour's literature was not confined to poetry, but extended to poetic drama.

Within a period of ten years, he had five poetic plays published. The first was The Tragedy of

Al-Hallaj (1965), for which he was granted the State Incentive Award for Theatre in 1966.

In addition to poetry and poetic drama, the great poet also practiced critical writing. In

literary studies, he tackled many intellectual and art issues in a broad human context. He paid

special attention to contemporary Egyptian thought. He also contributed in writing critical

essays for Rosa Al-Youssef and Sabah El-Kheir Magazines and Al-Ahram newspaper.

Abdel Sabour was a follower of the free art which viewed art as an expression of

unbridled imaginativeness and true, vehement emotions, within a highly romantic context. He

believed that genuine poetry could be written only through absolute self-communion; he

remained faithful to his own principles all his life until his death on August 14, 1981.

A Journey into the Night

Salah Abdel-Sabour was T. S. Eliot's closest counterpart in the history of Arabic

literature. Like Eliot, his initial departure from the poetic canon was conditioned by a

yearning for architecture that compelled him, in time, to seek out a classicism of his own. His

work, which revolved around the definition of poetry as "the sound of a human being

speaking," invariably communicated an image of existential despair as he juggled feelings of

defeat, death, disillusion and dissolution.

Abdel Sabour was influenced by poet critic Elliott. This influence is clear in Abdel

Sabour's poem "Journey into the Night" which is composed a collection of psychological

images which form the poem as a whole. The poem consists of six sections each with an

independent title. This architectural structure is reminiscent of Eliot's "The Waste Land".

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Also reminiscent of Eliot's "The Waste Land", is Abdel Sabour's use of cinematic

presentation of the poem using the method of "montage" to compile footage single

uncorrelated scenes into a unified entity. However, Abdel Sabour's poem does not mimic

Eliot's "The Waste Land", but takes the formation of technical sections, and expresses its own

haunting concerns, cultural heritage and different local material.

It reflects the feelings of alienation and loss the Arab world suffered as a result of the

political, social, economic and cultural conditions fostered by long colonization followed by

the 1948 war. It draws prominent pictures attesting to the alienation of the Arab people who

were destructed by disasters and oppression. It also reflects a sadness stemming from the

poet's estrangement and loss.

The first section of the poem, titled "Sea of Lamentation" is addressed to the poet's "girl

friend". His use of this word « girlfriend » is in part a rebellion against the usual words used

in traditional poetry to describe women such as: darling, my beloved, and my love & in part a

reflection of the need for a new form of man - woman relation characterized by shared

humanity, realistic warmth, and common responsibility towards each other & life. Friendship

here includes « Love » in the sense common to traditional Arabic poetry & more; true

friendship of heart and mind, common approach & shared life.

The poet describes the night to his girl friend as a night of isolation & estrangement:

ضمير بال ينفضني صديقتي يا الليل

الصغير فراشي في الظنون ويطلق

بالسواد الفؤاد ويثقل

الحداد بحر في الضياع ورحلة

For Abdel Sabour, the night signifies darkness, misery, worries and hollow solace.

Through the night, the poet reflects the triviality of things and powerlessness to dispel that

permanently renewed restlessness

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الغريب , محنة والظالم ، الطريق يقفر المساء يقبل فحين

فضمجلسالسمر ، الرفاق ثلة يهب

" " - غد" " – مساء نلتقي وافترقنا اللقاء إلى

" . مات" – الشاه فاحترس مات الرخ

." " خطير" العب ،أني التدبير ينجه لم

." غد" – –" مساء نلتقي وافترقنا اللقاء إلى

The suffering of the night is a sense of inevitable end pronounced by the expression of

farewell, synonymous with alienation and death. The group of friends, who were playing

chess, break up their get-together with a promise to meet the next day to finish the game. The

game of chess is a game of life and death where killing the king is no longer a game but an

imaginary compensation for their estrangement & loss. Thus, the best of them is proud that he

is a dangerous player. The end of the chess game with the death of the King symbolizing the

death of the day. Thus, the estranged poet remains alone & indifferent to the voices of the

strangers in the street, even if the theme of their conversation is women & wine in winter

nights

ينام جفني تدع لم الظنون فراشي وفي

يظلعون تائهون الطريق عرض في مازال

السكون دوامة في تنداح أصواتهم ثالثة

يبكون كأنهم

الشتاء في كالنساء جميل الدنيا في الشيئ

" السرار" تهتك الخمر

" االزار" وتفضح

" .... والدثار" والشعار

تخوم بال ضحكة ويضحكون

. هؤالء ثغاء من الطريق ويفقر

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Thus, Abdel-Sabour turns the night into a symbol of alienation and loss. Even desired

pleasures, such as women and wine, only bring hollow laughter that evaporate as quickly as

dreams. The dialogue between friends as they leave for the night, the game of chess and the

three strangers in the street accurately reflect this estrangement.

The poet's adoption of the narrative construction through his poem enriches the image

with a "plot" becoming an element in the movement and eventual completion of the unified

entity of the poem. This is clear in the second section A Small Song.

صغيره أغنية صديقتي يا إليك

صغير طائر عن

الزغيب Wواحده عشه في

الحبيب وألفه

منقار حسونا الشراب من يكفيهما

حبتان الغالل بيادر ومن

منهوم اجدل السماء عالي من حط مساء، ذات

الدماء ليشرب

والذماء األشالء ويعلك

One manifestation of Abdel Sabour's poetry is his use of the "symbolic image", which

plays an active role in A Journey into the Night. The most distinguishing element of symbolic

image is its simple vocabulary that integrates into the poetic structure beyond reality yet

suggesting it at the same time. The second section A Small Song portrays two images of

contradictory symbols reflecting the reality of class distinction, the poor class is deprived of

their humanity, and the rich authoritarian class lives on the blood of the weak.

The little sad story stresses loss & sadness then its end with the poet's declaration of his

sadness to his girl friend foreshadows the third section; Mountain Trip. This section

symbolizes Abdel Sabour's fear of dying before accomplishing his dream. It reveals the

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terrorized misgivings of the poet, making the unknown visitor a masked villain. His face is

that of an owl inviting us to our inevitable fate; death associated with darkness. Thus, all

potential for joy is eliminated, taking away even the joy of anticipating a picnic on the

mountain, smelling mountain breeze & celebrating life in purity.

Abdel Sabour uses theatrical art tradition in image-building through a dialogue between

Sinbad & his friends in the fourth section "Sinbad". Folklore left a clear impact on Abdel

Sabour's poetry, especially tales of "One Thousand and One Nights," from which he derived

the character of "Sinbad".

Abdel Sabour was the first to use the symbol of Sinbad in contemporary Arabic poetry.

In Journey into the Night he says:

السندباد عاد المساء آخر في

السفين ليرسي

الندم مجلس الندمان يعقد الصباح وفي

العدم بحر في الضياع حكاية ليسمعوا

( السندباد(

الطريق مخاطر عن للرفيق تحك ال

كيف؟ : قال انتشيت للصاحي قلت ان

يمت يهدأ أن كاإلعصار السندباد

Sinbad here is not that hero driven to explore the sea, he is the poet telling his friends

the tale of Sindbad the Sailor hoping to move them to rebel and break free from restrictions.

They display a weakness & powerlessness & do nothing. Sinbad couldn't inspire them with

desire for change. This is a reference to vanquished reality that prefers stability and

consistency. People find it sufficient to hear about the heroes and characters without wanting

to simulate or be influenced by them. Abdel Sabour used the journey of Sinbad as an

objective correlative to the poet's journey towards artistic creation which he imagines as a

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journey through the unknown to discover new facts of self and life. Sinbad embodies a

journey to find the shining vibrant word. The poet and/ or Sinbad cannot stop looking for

adventure and creativity , Creativity is the realization of his existence , and if Sinbad stopped

seeking adventure, he dies

يمت يهدأ ان كاالعصار السندباد

Abdel Sabour starts to weave a new legend from that of the Sinbad's legend consistent

with his aspiration for a new dawn where hope is regenerated again, for when creativity is

fulfill as such, it becomes the new birth of the creator and the repeated regeneration of life

itself . This is the value around which revolves the fifth section, Second Birth. It implies a

return of hope with the return of dawn ending the night that so tormented the poet. Here, the

poet celebrates the presence of life with loud rituals full of laughter & happiness of renewed

fertile nature. Seas, give up their shells & pearls, clouds rain, women give birth, children play,

& lovers stroll along the river. The section ends with the narrator again reminding his friend

of the mountain trip she promised him in their last meeting like a nostalgic stroll back to

freedom .

The sixth & final section "Forever" breaks this nostalgia by a reminder of death that

comes back with the game of chess, with the death of the sheep, and the absence of the day,

and return to loneliness, and then we come back to the beginning of the journey; to finish the

game the next day and the day after tomorrow and the day after it. The friends will go on

meeting forever to finish the game of chess.

" من " الليل في رحلة لقصيدة الختام هذا تأمل في طويال يمضي أن المرء يستطيع ال ولذلك

." " " " " الحداد " بحر في الضياع رحلة و المجهول الطارق و المنهوم األجدل صورة يستعيد أن غير

. كله للوجود األبدي الفناء يحدث أن إلى الشطرنج، لعبة مثل تتكرر التي الرحلة وهي

The meaning of destiny is stressed by this conclusion, with the eternal repetition of the

cycle of life and death or a succession of day and night. The chess becomes a game of destiny

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which is not governed by a man who becomes some a part of the game, not even knowing

how it'll end. Thus, stops at its eternity & becomes a tool in its phases which are repeated

endlessly. Therefore, one cannot contemplate this conclusion to the poem without

remembering its images: " " " " الحداد بحر في الضياع رحلة و المجهول الطارق و المنهوم ."األجدل

It is a journey that is repeated like a game of chess that is repeated till the end of existence.

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