Synesthesia in ʿAbd al-Wahhāb al-Bayātī’s Poetry

Synesthesia, which literally means the combination of senses, is originally a psychological term. This term is used to describe a neurological condition in which two senses or more are fused and perception related to one sense is stimulated by another, i.e. the synesthetic for example, perceives sounds as inherently colored or tactile. Later, this term referred to as “fusion of the senses” came up. Synesthesia as a kind of metaphor has existed in all eras and languages. Of this artistic device, some examples have survived in early texts and have remained after generations. Examples of it are mentioned in the Iliad and the Odyssey that are among the oldest extant works of Western literature. One can find many uses of the device in classical Arabic and Persian poetry, especially in mystical poetry. For example, notable examples can be found in the poems of Mowlavi and Ibn al-Fariḍ. These old examples lead us to conclusion that synesthesia, as a literary device, is rooted in the far past. In addition, there are a few stereotypical examples of synesthesia used by people in everyday speech. However, for over a century, this term has been used as an artistic device in modern rhetoric. It is in the new era that the conscious and intentional use of it as an artistic device to express emotions and convey poetic message, has spread. Abd al-W ahhāb al- Bayātī (1926-1965), contemporary Iraqi poet, is one of those who used this artistic device in his poems.

Theoretical Framework:

Synesthesia means the combination of senses. Many examples of the device can be found all the available literature. This artistic device is a specific kind of metaphor and is also called the metaphor of senses. This is because a sense in synesthesia figuratively substitutes another sense. When synesthesia is expressed in words, it makes language be extended, i.e. when two senses of the five ones enter into combination with each other, ten realms can be theoretically imagined: 1.Vision in combination with hearing and vice versa; 2. Sight in combination with touch and vice versa; 3.Sight in combination with smell and vice versa; 4. Sight in combination with taste and vice versa; 5. Hearing in combination with touch and vice versa; 6. Hearing  in combination with smell and vice versa; 7. Hearing in combination with taste and vice versa; 8. Smell in combination with touch and vice versa; 9. Smell in combination with taste and vice versa; 10. Touch in combination with taste and vice versa. Obviously, when the reverse of these ten types is considered, twenty different potentialities of synesthesia can be imagined in total.

In order to examine synesthesia and how it was used in al-Bayātī’s poems, the present study uses the descriptive-analytic method. First, the related examples are extracted from his poems and then, that extracted cases is described. Finally, the interrelationships of those examples with syntagmatic elements and theirs emotional and significant functions in both horizontal and vertical axes are analyzed.

Of the various potentialities of synesthesia, al-Bayātī used more or less seven options. Frequency of using it varies from one type to another. The vision-hearing type was used most frequently and the smell-taste type was used least frequently. The significance and function of each element of this artistic device is in harmony with the vertical axis of each poem, i.e. in harmony with its atmosphere, emotional and significant context. To convey his own experiences and thoughts and to make the structure of each poem more coherence, al-Bayātī by means of his creative imagination brought together two different senses and created synesthetic images. Interestingly, this device often has a social aspect in al- Bayātī's poetry. It should also be mentioned that he genuinely and moderately used synesthesia. The use of it caused de-familiarization, which in turn serves as a means to attract the attention of the audience, along with the aforementioned.

In contemporary literary criticism, synesthesia is one of the features of modern literature, especially modern poetry. It is due to the influence of western literature that the modern Arab poets use this artistic technique. Modern poets have used this technique to enrich contemporary poetry. When we study the poems of modern poets, we find that many modernist poets have more or less used this artistic device in their poetry; however, it can be said that al-Bayātī is one of the poets who used noticeably this device in his poetry. Examples of this artistic device in his poetry are to such an extent that it must be considered one of the dominant aspects of his poetic style. Without noticing this artistic device, it must be said that a comprehensive study of his poetic style would be incomplete. Al-Bayātī used this artistic device to depict his emotions and experiences in a concrete way and then conveyed them to the audience. This is because emotions and emotional experiences are abstract and naturally difficult to be conveyed to the audience by means of ordinary speech.