Profiting from Poetry in the Pre-Islamic Era.
Abstract
The phenomenon of profiting from poetry is closely linked to authority, politics, and money. Since ancient times, poets have resorted to this practice by praising kings, princes, caliphs, the wealthy, and those in high status. Through their poetry, they promoted the policies of some, attributed qualities to others, elevated the status of some, and diminished the status of their rivals. In this way, poets who sought profit became like media platforms for those they praised.
Moreover, profiting from poetry is considered as a means of achieving wealth and reaching the courts of kings and princes. Poets pursued every avenue for this purpose, begging and pleading with their patrons, even if it required them to compromise their dignity or attribute qualities to the patron that they did not possess.
On the other hand, those who were praised by the poets bestowed upon them wealth, status, and power, allowing some poets to live under the patronage of kings, becoming integral to their policies.
To understand the reasons behind the phenomenon of profiting from poetry, compromising dignity, and why poets resorted to this practice, the social life that experienced by poets and the class differences between the poet and the patron should be considered. Additionally, the scarcity of livelihood resources, relying on herding and hunting, pushed poets to seek alternative means of income to ensure a comfortable life.
Some poets turned their poetry into a profession for profit, like Al-A'sha, who did not leave a king or a renowned leader across the Arabian Peninsula without approaching, praising, and magnifying them, often asking for favors. This pursuit of profit led him to refrain from praising the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) after he was enticed with money, if the narration is accurate.
However, the stance of critics on this phenomenon was not overlooked. They became aware of it early on, and it was present in their minds as they evaluated poetry and judged poets based on their works. Ibn Rashiq al-Qayrawani, for instance, dedicated a specific chapter in his book "Al-Umda" titled "The Chapter on Profiting from Poetry." In this chapter, he clearly expressed his negative stance, stating that Arabs do not profit from poetry, attributing this to religious and social reasons.
Abu Amr ibn al-Alaa also believed that profiting from poetry lowers the poet's value and status, as was the case with Al-A'sha.
Conversely, some critics held a positive view of the phenomenon, considering the rewards that poets recieve from their patrons as incentives that encourage them to produce their best poetry.
This is an analytical study of the art of profiting from poetry, if the term may be used. It presents the importance and objectives of the topic, beginning with an overview of the development of poetry throughout history and identifying the cultural and social impact of poetry in pre-Islamic society. Then, it moves on to define the concept of profiting from poetry and its connection to poetic purposes, especially praise, as well as the critics' stance on this phenomenon, highlighting their division into supporters and opponents. Additionally, it covers the definition of profiting in both linguistic and terminological terms, and identifies poets who profited from their poetry in the pre-Islamic era, notably Al-Nabigha, Al-A'sha, and Al-Musayyib ibn Al-Alys, presenting examples of their poems through which they earned their livelihood. This is to showcase a model of poetry used for profit first, and the positive impact of their poetry second, which can be classified under the category of advertising or marketing. The study concludes with a summary of the main findings and recommendations.
Keywords
التَّكسُّب بالشعرِ في العصر الجاهلي
Öz
ترتبط ظاهرة التَّكسُّب بالشِّعر ارتباطاً وثيقاً بالسُّلطة والسِّياسة والمال، وقد لجأ الشُّعراء إلى هذه الظاهرة منذ القدم عن طريق مدح الملوك والأمراء والخلفاء والأغنياء وأصحاب السلطة والجاه، فروَّجوا لسياسة بعضهم وأسبغوا صفة على بعضهم الآخر، ورفعوا شأن وضيعٍ وحطُّوا من قدر خصمِهِ، وهكذا كان شعراء التَّكسُّب بمثابة منابر إعلامية لممدوحيهم.
كما تُعتبر ظاهرة التَّكسُّب وسيلةً من وسائل الثَّراء والوصول إلى بلاط الملوك والأمراء، حيث قطع الشعراء من أجلها كلَّ سبيل متوسلين مستجدين ممدوحيهم، حتى وإن اضطرهم الأمر إلى إراقة ماءِ الوجهِ أو وصف الممدوح بما ليس فيه من صفات.
بالمقابل أغدق الممدوح على مادحه المال والجاه والسلطة، فعاش بعضهم في كنف الملوك حيث أصبح الشعراء جزءاً من سياستهم.
وإذا ما أردنا البحث في أسباب التَّكسُّب وإراقة ماء الوجه ولجوء الشعراء إلى هذه الظاهرة فلا بدَّ لنا أن ننظر إلى الحياة الاجتماعية التي كان يعيشها بعض الشعراء، والفوارق الطبقية بين المادح والممدوح، إضافة إلى قلَّة موارد الرزق التي كانت تعتمد غالباً على الرعي والصَّيد، هذه الحياة جعلت الشعراء يبحثون عن موارد رزقهم ليَضمَنَ بذلك حياة ذات سَعةٍ، وقد نجد بعض الشعراء مَن جعل من شعره مهنةً للتَّكسُّب كما فعل الأعشى الذي لم يترك ملكاً ولا سيِّداً مشهوراً في أنحاء الجزيرة إلا قصده ومدحه وفخَّم شأنه معرضاً بالسؤال، وهذا التَّكسُّب جعله يُعرض عن مدح الرسول صلى الله عليه وسلِّم بعد أن أغروه بالمال إن صحت الرواية.
أمَّا موقفُ النُّقاد من هذه الظَّاهرةِ فلم يهملوها، بل تنبَّهوا إليها في وقت مبكِّرٍ فكانت حاضرةً في أذهان النُّقاد وهم يقيِّمون الشعر ويحكمون على الشعراء من خلال نتاجاتهم، حيث أفرد ابن رشيق القيرواني في كتابه العمدة باباً خاصاً بعنوان: باب التَّكسُّب بالشعر، وقد أوضح من خلال هذا الباب موقفه صراحة، وهو موقف سلبي، حيث رأى أن العرب لا تتكسب بالشعر، وأعاد الأمر إلى أسبابٍ دينيَّةٍ واجتماعيةٍ.
أما أبو عمرو بن العلاء فقد رأى أن التَّكسُّب بالشعر يخفض من قيمة الشاعر ومنزلته وهذا ما حصل مع الأعشى.
ومن النقاد من وقف موقفاً إيجابياً من ظاهرة التَّكسُّب، واعتبر أنَّ العطاء الذي يناله الشاعر من ممدوحه يُعتبر حافزاً يشجِّعُ الشاعر على إنتاج أفضل ما لديه من الشعر.
هذا بحثٌ تحليليٌّ لفن التَّكسُّب بالشِّعر، إن جاز التعبير، يعرض أهمية الموضوع، وأهدافه، وقد بدأنا بنظرة عامة عن تطور الشعر عبر التاريخ، وتحديد أثر الشعر في المجتمع الجاهلي ثقافيًا واجتماعيًا. ثم انتقلنا إلى التَّعريف بمفهوم التَّكسُّب بالشِّعر وارتباطه بالأغراض الشعرية، ولاسيما المديح، وموقف النقَّاد من هذه الظاهرة، وانقسامهم إلى مؤيد ومعارض، إضافة إلى المرور بتعريف التَّكسُّب في اللغة والاصطلاح، وحددنا بعض الشعراء الذين تكسبوا بشعرهم في العصر الجاهلي، وأبرزهم: النَّابغة، والأعشى، والمسيب بن علس، وعرضنا لنماذج من قصائدهم التي تكسَّبوا من خلالها؛ لنعرض نموذجاً من الشعر المُتكسَّب به لتحقيق الكسب أولاً، والأثر الإيجابي لشعرهم ثانياً، والذي يُمكّن أن يُصنَّف ضمن باب (الدِّعاية أو التَّسويق). وانتهينا بخاتمة ضمَّت أبرز النتائج والتوصيات.
Anahtar Kelimeler
CAHİLİYE DÖNEMİNDE ŞİİRLE GEÇİM SAĞLAMA
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Şiirle geçim sağlama olgusu, otorite, siyaset ve para ile yakından ilişkilidir. Şairler, kralları, prensleri, halifeleri, zenginleri ve iktidar sahiplerini övmek suretiyle bu olguya çok eski zamanlardan beri başvurmuşlardır.
Şiirle geçim sağlama olgusu, zenginlik elde etmenin ve kralların saraylarına ulaşmanın bir yolu olarak görülmüştür. Şairler; bazen yüzsuyu dökmek veya övdükleri kişiye sahip olmadığı nitelikler atfetmek zorunda kalsalar bile bu amaçla her türlü yolu denemiş, övdükleri kişilere yalvarmışlardır. Karşılığında övülen kişi, öven kişiye para, makam ve otorite bağışlamıştır.
Bazı şairlerin şiirlerini geçim sağlama mesleği haline getirdiğini görebiliriz. Örneğin, A’şa, Arabistan'ın dört bir yanındaki kralları ve ünlü liderleri ziyaret edip onları övmüş ve bunun karşılığında yardım talep etmiştir. Bu geçim sağlama olgusu, eğer doğruysa, ona para teklif edilmesinden sonra peygamber Hz. Muhammed’i (SAV) övmekten vazgeçmesine neden olmuştur.
Bu, tabiri caizse, şiirle geçim sağlama sanatına dair analitik bir araştırmadır. Şiirin tarih boyunca gelişimine genel bir bakışla başlayarak konunun önem ve hedeflerini ortaya koyuyor ve Cahiliye dönemi toplumunda şiirin kültürel ve sosyal etkisini belirliyoruz. Daha sonra, şiirle geçim sağlama kavramını ve özellikle methiye olmak üzere şiirsel amaçlarla olan bağlantısını tanımlıyoruz. Eleştirmenlerin bu olguya bakış açılarını ve olumlu ile olumsuz olarak ikiye ayrılmalarını tartışıyoruz. Ayrıca, dil ve terim olarak geçim sağlama tanımına ve Cahiliye döneminde şiirleriyle geçim sağlayan şairlere, özellikle en önemli olanlara; Nabiğa, A’şa ve Müseyyeb bin Ules’e odaklanıyoruz. Şiirlerinden geçim sağladıkları örnekleri sunarak, ilk olarak kazanç elde etmek için kullanılan şiir örneklerini ve ikinci olarak, şiirlerinin olumlu etkisini inceliyoruz. Bu şiirler, tanıtma kategorisinde değerlendirilebilir. Araştırmamız, sonuçlar ve öneriler içeren bir sonuç bölümüyle sona ermektedir
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