Humor and Politics in the Poetry of Abu Dulama Al-Asadi A symmetrical Study

Abstract

Humor emerged in the form of comic in the poetry of Abu Dulama, Zaid bin Oljaun al-Asadi, a veteran poet who lived through both the Umayyad and Abbasid reigns. His poetry that we know of was humorous and comical and to some extent laughable, which was his primary goal. Hence, most of his poetry was related to political power and was closely linked to the Abbasid caliphates where he lived during their reign. This is paradoxical for he is a comical poet with a sense of humor who is linked to serious caliphates, on top of which is Abu Jafar Al-Mansur. This research aims at identifying the link between humor and politics, and its impact on both the poetic and the political sectors, on the basis of symmetrical humor, which requires using connotation (paradox) as this is a pattern in critical tradition. So, was humor used symmetrically or was it intended for itself? Was Abu Dulama aware of what would humor contribute in terms of criticism and guidance to politics? In other words, is there anything else other than the laughable in Abu Dulama’s poetry? These and other questions will be answered by this research, starting with the meaning of humor, its poetic nature, its symmetry and its convergence with politics, and ending with its forms, types and politics in the poetry of Abu Dulama.