The relationship between colour and the poetic image in the poetry of Ibn Ḫafāğa al-Andalusī (450-533h.)

Abstract

“The relationship between color and poetical image in the poetry of Ibn Ḫafāğa al- Andalusī”. This paper addresses the relationship between color and poetical image in the poetry of Ibn Ḫafāğa, whose name remains linked to the nature poetry of the Andalusi “lost paradise”, and whose poetic perception of nature distinguished him from other Andalusi and Arab poets. While color is usually a decorating element in Arab poetry, it turns to be in Andalusian poetry a reflection of the feelings and identity of Andalusi writers. Particularly in the case of Ibn Ḫafāğa, color is a prominent phenomenon echoing faithfully the sentiment of the poet. It is not an arbitrary and secondary element, far away from perception and feeling, but a resource used consciously to offer his own vision of the world around him.