A Comparison of the Metaphorical Concept of Love in Ghada Al-saman’s Poems from a Historicism and Mysticism Perspective

Literature and poetry are forms of artistic creation, and like other forms of art, various research approaches and methods can be used to investigate and analyze their themes. By examining a problem through multiple methods, you can discover the hidden aspects of the problem and gain a more complete understanding, which could lead to various outcomes. Historicism and mysticism are two approaches in the methodology and research methods of researchers one of which examines the issue based on its roots and historical developments and it aims to investigate the historical factors of the emergence of a subject and the other with a mystical view of art from the aspect of truth, imagination, analogy, and expression of the concept of love which is the emergence and manifestation of goodness and beauty, it seeks to give meaning to the mysterious language of art and artist. This article explores the metaphorical concept of love in the poems of Ghada Al-Saman with the method of collecting documents and analyzing content from both historicism and mysticism perspectives. The essay is descriptive and comparative, and data analysis was done using an interpretive qualitative approach. The obtained results indicate that from a historicism point of view, relying on the consensus of art historians; The themes in Al-Saman’s poems are influenced by the time and place in which she lived and the worldview that she has found about the situation which is completely consistent with the historical voices of concern. What is perceived from a mystical perspective is that Al-saman’s poetic elements are derived from her special mystical worldview and conduct which has given it a special embodiment by creating metaphorical concepts. The love of man to man is the love of possibilities and it is permissible for mysticism and this metaphorical concept of love, which is the theme of many of her poems, is consistent with the opinions of mystics. According to the author’s analysis and perception; Al-saman mixed her romantic attachments with fantasy and symbolism so much that surrealism has given it a realistic appearance and her feelings, taste, and confusion are similar to the revelations of mystics and her earthly love is combined with the concept of true love; in this regard, the mystical approach offers a better interpretation.