A Comparison between Samih al-Qasim and Adonis’s Readings of the Greek Myth of Ulysses

One of the main features of contemporary Arabic poetry is its use of mythology to express social concepts and depict socio-political heterogeneity. Greek mythology is one of the best vehicles for this purpose; that is why it is frequently used by contemporary poets. One of such myths is Ulysses which holds a prominent status among outstanding contemporary Arab poets. Samih al-Qasim (1939-2014), the contemporary Palestinian poet, and Adonis (1930- ), the contemporary Syrian poet, are among them. In light of the attention of the above-mentioned poets given to Ulysses and its central role in conveying desired concepts, this paper aims to study their reading of Ulysses; first, Samih al-Qasim’s, and then, Adonis’ are separately analyzed and compared to Ulysses with its ancient aspect, and then their approach toward the original Greek myth is evaluated. In conclusion, while paying attention to the original myth, the reading of the above-mentioned poets of the myth will be compared to each other. The importance of such research lies in its discovery of the main concerns of these poets which consequently leads to a more accurate and more appropriate understanding of contemporary Arabic poetry. By comparing and analyzing the text of these poems, it can be argued that both poets, under the influence of the Greek myth and inspired by its mythological narrative, turn toward mythologization. Through defamiliarization and introducing novel experiences to the narrative, they depict the heterogeneous status of their individual and social lives in a literary style and offer it to the reader. The most important topics discussed by the two poets include an endeavor to achieve a lost identity, offering loyalty to contemporary Penelope, a hope for resurrection, and finally an emphasis on the need for change and evolution in the Arab society.