Personification in the Poetry of Bushra Al-Bustani: A Study of “Wear Your Green Shawl and Come”

Abstract

The term personification is considered one of the modern critical concepts that has attracted significant attention from poets and critics alike. Addressing this concept requires a careful examination of all its poetic implications. Many poets have adopted diverse stylistic techniques such as ambiguity, symbolism, and rhetorical devices with deep meanings to subtly express their intended messages. Consequently, personification has become a prominent feature in their poetry, through attributing human qualities to non-human entities, thereby embodying human emotions such as sorrow, joy, and hope within the poetic text.

This study explores the phenomenon of personification in the poetry of Bushra Al-Bustani, specifically through the use of the descriptive-analytical method, and highlights the figurative structures in her poetic texts. Al-Bustani is regarded as one of the contemporary poets who has fully embraced poetic modernism with all its artistic forms and literary concepts. In her poetry, especially in relation to nature, the concept of personification emerges as a striking phenomenon. Its aesthetic value, however, cannot be assessed without first defining the term and identifying its manifestations within the poetic text. The personification of nature in Al-Bustani’s poetry reflects profound meanings and deep-seated emotions that the poet experienced at the time.