Nature as a Private Symbol: A Reading in the Poetry of Sa’adi Yousef

Abstract

The natural symbol constitutes a remarkable phenomenon in the poetry of the Iraqi poet Sa’di Yousef, particularly in his later collections, which invest his texts with more depth, diversity, and artistic richness.

Objectives: This study, titled “Nature as a Private Symbol: A Reading in the Poetry of Sa’adi Yousef”, aims to address the phenomenon of nature as a private symbol in Saadi Youssef’s poetry, in which the poetic self and its associated inner feelings, emotional experiences, psychological states and special issues are symbolically referred to.

Methods: The study will employ the descriptive-analytical approach to examine the connotations associated with the symbols in a selection of poetic texts that represent the phenomenon of nature as a private symbol.

Results: The most important findings of the study: The natural symbol in Saadi Youssef's poetry is mostly connected with the poetic self and relevant special issues and inner feelings of psychological and emotional nature. Most of the poet's natural, private symbols belong to two different realms: Childhood spaces: the first place (home) and multiple exile environments; therefore, they are composed of a positive connotation and a negative one.

Conclusions: The study recommends an examination of the private use of nature as a symbol in Saadi Youssef’s poetry regarding: The domestic place and the hostile place and Cinematography.