Classical Arabic in crisis?.. poets disagree
Regional, Culture, 5/21/2002

More and more contemporary poets prefer to write in the colloquial idiom, rather than in Fusha (classical) Arabic, author Hassan Al-Nagar said in an interview with a daily newspaper.

In the meantime, the Cultural Palaces Authority seems less interested in nurturing poetic talent that can produce work that reflects a pan-Arab identity.

Poet Farouk Shusha, a staunch classicist, thinks that developments in Fusha writing are paralleled by a similar trends in colloquial expression.

Classical Arabic poetry, which followed a tight structure, gave rise to fluid, more elastic 'free' verse form, and this latter development led to the emergence of poetry in Arabic dialects, Shusha said.

This means that the linguistic source is the same, he said, referring to Fuad Hadad, Al Abnoudi and Salah Jahin, whose cultural roots are classical, but the poetry for which they are best known is in dialect.

" I do not believe for one moment that colloquial verse poses a threat to Fusha. Rather, dialect poetry is another aspect of linguistic creativity," Shusha said. He argues that the classical and colloquial norms enrich each other with its imagery, levels of meaning and lyricism.

Poet Hassan Fathulbab supported Shusha's view, and dismissed the idea that colloquial poetry is at odds with the classical norm.

"Classical Arabic will exist as long as native speakers are around, because it is the crucible of Arabic culture. On the other hand, poetry written in Egyptian dialect reaches illiterate and literate, highly educated and semi-educated alike. But I believe that the colloquial and the classical forms being 'hostile' to one another is a fallacy," Fathulbab said, adding that any writer is free to choose the form that best suits his talent and purposes.

Egypt's Prince of Poets, Ahmed Shawqi, did not feel that he was demeaning himself by composing Bolbol Hairan and Al Leil Lama Kheli in colloquial Arabic. In doing so, Shawqi had pitted himself against Bairam Al-Tonsi, one of the great exponents of dialect verse.

Fathulbab said that competition between classical poets and those who use colloquial Arabic is healthy as long as they abide by recognised literary standards.

"Genuine creativity will shine through regardless of diction," he said.

As nature is subject to change and diversity, so is man, his arts and literature, which like the five senses, are bigger than the sum of their parts, he said.

Classical Arabic, which for the purposes of sublime expression can soar to literary heights, is not in danger because, as most orientalists observe, the Fusha is able to convey all manner of feelings, emotions and ideas, whereas the colloquial norm is somewhat lacking with regard to profound philosophical inquiry.

Poet Farid Taha takes a different view. Classical Arabic is in crisis but the colloquial dialect is not to blame, he said.

The problem lies in our educational system with its ill-planned syllabuses and poor teaching and private schools pay more attention to foreign languages at the expense of the mother tongue in order to equip students to cope with the demands of today's labour market, Taha said, adding that another reason for the declining interest in Classical Arabic was the fondness of the cultured elite for Western ideas.

Taha regretfully pointed out that many Imams(mosque preachers), most of whom are Al-Azhar graduates, often mispronounce classical Arabic.

National leaders of the past were far more eloquent than most officials who are in the public eye, he said.

Poet Mohamed Abdul Aati angrily commented that the role played by the anti-colonial literature of Abdallah Al Nadim was undeniable.

"His writings were on par with the classical poetry of Mahmoud Sami' Al Baroudi. What about the prose and poetry of Badie Khairi and the lyrics of Sayed Darwish, which shaped the feelings of a generation for the fight for freedom?" Abdul Aati said.

"Classical Arabic is far from being threatened by the colloquial idiom. Indeed, classical and colloquial norms were used side by side in One Thousand and One Nights." he said, "How could we toss aside an entire colloquial cultural heritage on the pretext that the colloquial has a negative impact on Fusha?" Since classical Arabic is the language of the Holy Qur'an, it therefore needs no defenders," Abdul Aati said.

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