Layla Darwish

DOI : 10.5281/zenodo.19712598

Abstract
In this study, the poems by Qays ibn al-Mulawwah, particularly the poem Alā man li-nafsin ḥubbu Laylā shiʿāruhā (Dīwān, 1979, p. 111) will be examined, and this poem constitutes a problem in teaching Arabic poetry, since the students might fail to grasp the socio-cognitive and hierarchical nature of the poetic discourse of classical Arabic poems. The approach used in this research will be van Dijk’s socio-cognitive model of discourse comprehension, which will show that grammatical and rhetorical devices such as tashbīh al-tafḍīl, iḍāfa, intensification of the adjectives, negation, and restriction help the reader form a macro-structure and a coherent view of the world of Layla. Layla is the nucleus of macro-proposition, with imagery and analogy functioning at the subordinate level to highlight the importance of Layla. Time-modulation, focus, and evaluation create textual meaning, turning sensory data into eternal poetry. From an educational point of view, van Dijk’s framework enables learners to move from understanding a text to reconstructing it, and from viewing grammar and rhetoric as embellishment to recognizing their importance as tools for cognition. The significance of this study lies in its contribution to cognitive literary criticism and pedagogy, particularly in showing that classical Arabic poetry is cognitively manageable.

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