Repetition in the Poetry of Suffering by Tahman al-Kalabi

(A Stylistic and Psychological Study)

Abstract

This research aims to study the phenomenon of Repetition in the poetry of Tahman Al-Kalabi as a stylistic and psychologIcal approach to reveal the structure of suffering and alienation in his poetic experience. Al-Kalabi is considered one of the 'Su'luk' poets (vagrant or rogue poets) whose life was marked by a series of pain, confinement, and deprivation. Accordingly, the study addresses a main question: How does Tahman Al-Kalabi employ repetition to express his psychological crisis and transform language into a mirror reflecting his emotional disorder? The research adopts a Stylistic Methodology with a Psychological Dimension, analyzing the semantic, phonetic, and syntactic levels of repetition to uncover their psychological and artistic dimensions.

The results showed that repetition in Tahman’s poetry is not merely a linguistic adornment; rather, it is an integrated semantic and psychological structure that embodies the permanence of pain and suffering. At the semantic level, recurring vocabulary belongs to fields significantly tied to the poet's experience. At the phonetic level, the repetition of letters plays a rhythmic role that suggests anxiety and disorder. Meanwhile, syntactic repetition transforms into a means of emotional discharge and catharsis through styles such as vocatives (calls), similes, and conditional structures.