Mutran

The revolt against the limitations imposed by the neoclassical conventions goes back as far as the turn of the century, if not earlier still. The germs of it could certainly be seen in the work of Faransīs Marrāsh and Rizq Allah Ḥassūn, minor poets who in what was then known as Syria, attempted to revolutionize themes, diction and imagery in modern Arabic poetry. But for our present purpose it is convenient to start with a major figure like Mutran who both in theory and in much of his practice showed his dissatisfaction with classical conventions. In previous attempts to describe the development of modern Arabic poetry I have called Mutran a pre-romantic poet. The term is perhaps a little misleading, since it may suggest that the only or chief value of Mutran's poetry lies in its foreshadowing of something to come, something much more important and valuable. I should like at the outset to dispel any such suggestion. That Mutran is less important than any of the poets who precede or succeed him in this survey is completely untrue; that he is, on the contrary, one of the most gifted modern Arabic poets is beyond any doubt. The late distinguished author and critic Taha Husain once described him as ‘the leader of modern Arabic poetry and the teacher of all contemporary poets without exception’. The term ‘pre-romantic’ is chosen here not to convey any value judgment, but to describe, for lack of a more convenient term, a number of qualities in Mutran's poetry, which will be dealt with later.