Conceptual Metaphor in the Diwan of La mae fi Al-nahr by Nasser Al-Badri Based on Johnson and Lykov’s Theory

In the past, the metaphor was considered one of the most beautiful and familiar improvements used among poets without the general public, but when Lykov and Johnson put forward their theory in their book entitled the metaphors with which we live, the scope of metaphor expanded, its meanings changed, and it emerged from the circle of literature. They have shown that our everyday expressions are full of metaphors and are rooted in our experience and culture and that the bulk of our normal conceptual pattern is metaphorical in nature. Since Al-Badri lived in an era of social and political setbacks, disappointment and despair were reflected in his writings with abundant use of conceptual metaphors. His Divan revolves around abstract concepts such as despair, hope, the yearning for freedom, and so on. The conceptual metaphor was the right way to present such concepts in a tangible way for the recipient to interact with them and for the poet to reach his goal. The purpose of this study is to show the conceptual metaphors used in Al-Badri’s Divan and how they are manifested in the poet’s poetry.In this research, we show the most important patterns of conceptual metaphors manifested in the Divan La mae fi Al-nahr. The study uses a descriptive-analytical approach since it focuses on the semantic and aesthetic fields of conceptual metaphors in Al-Badri’s Divan.Al-Badri sought to condemn social and political setbacks in various ways but ended up being imprisoned. Since literature is a mirror of social reality, Badri has made his poetry to serve his people and sought to negotiate through his politeness to reflect the events around him. The contradictions that exist in Arab and Omani societies and the injustice inflicted on the rulers on the people, oriented Nasser Al-Badri to express the pain and suffering of the people through conceptual metaphors of three types: directional, ontological, and structural. The poet employs directional and space-directed metaphors in his Divan oriented between the misery and collapse of the Arab nation. Diagnostic metaphor has allowed us to understand a large number of experiments related to non-human entities by inanimate human traits. Employing structural metaphors, he crystallized mental concepts using concrete and tangible concepts.Conceptual metaphors in the Divan reflected the poet's experiences, interests, and culture and revealed to us how he saw his society and the surrounding environment. It can be said that he was the mouthpiece of his nation. So, by describing and explaining the metaphors used by the poet, it is easy for us to see his thoughts and vision of things. The poet listed concepts and his bitter experiments in a vessel that allowed us to physically perceive them. Badri often employed ontological metaphors in his Divan as his name shows to show the poor conditions prevailing in his country and his loss of hope and passion for life. Al-Badri employs directional metaphors a lot, which indicates the poet's ability and prophecy to embody his extractive concepts and perceptions. In most of the poems in which the directional metaphor was mentioned, the metaphors came from top to bottom. This decline can be considered the result of the poet's use of structural metaphors that were often manifested when he felt fear of loss.