The Image of the City in the Poetry of Two European Poets and Two Arab Poets

Abstract

The city as a physical entity engages an outstanding position in world literature. Some writers show its admirable and gorgeous sides. The majority of writers, however, see the city as the place of hard times, difficult life and endless commitments. The four poets chosen in this study (T.S.Eliot, Frederico Lorca, Abdul Wahab Al Bayati and Ahmad Abdul Mu'ti Hijazi ) belong to the second category.These four modernist poets have highlighted its negative psychological and mental impacts on the its dwellers and the ecosystem as a whole. The purpose of the study centers on highlighting the negative moral, psychological and emotional impacts the city leaves on creative writers, particularly poets. Indeed they always find a sharp contrast between their hunches and imaginings on the one hand and the depressing reality of the city's mode of living on the other. As regards the methodology used throughout the study, it foregrounds the thematic aspects of the poems selected with a particular reference to the representations of the city and its dull world. A close reading of these poems and the biographical information will be the guiding line. Some of the parallels and differences between the poets in question are included. The main findings and conclusions of the study can be summarized in the following points. The city is the center of civilization and emblem of national pride of all countries. However, it has many disadvantages such as the dwellers' keen sense of spiritual loss, alienation and displacement, especially among hypersensitive people like poets. Many sociologists, psychologists and philosophers have investigated this issue of the city's frustrating life. The poets' contribution to this topic can be considered as a fresh version that readers look forward to and are enthusiastic about.