Vulnerability and Effectiveness in Badr Shakir Al Sayyab's “The Convoy of Loss” and Ghazi Al Qusaibi's “The Convoy of the Lost”

Abstract

This study closely analyzes two poems by two contemporary Arab poets. “The Convoy of Loss” by Badr Shakir Al Sayyab, a founding figure in the movement of modern Arab poetry, and “The Convoy of the Lost” by Ghazi Al Qusaibi, a second generation poet in the movement of modern Arab poetry. Contemporary Arab innovation and creativity are the brainchildren of Al Sayyab and Al Qusaibi’s works by which many Arab poets were influenced. The study also discusses the aspects of the mutual influence between the two poems and other contemporary works. It, therefore, explores the semiotics of the titles, rhythms, dialogues and fables, the role these aspects play in creative writing, and the critical debates they provoke. The study concludes that the two poems have not been studied thoroughly, and that though they have similar titles, address similar issues, and employ similar dialogical and mythological techniques, they have different rhythms. However, Al Qusaibi’s poem is renowned for its high musicality.