Arabic poetry adapts Japanese haiku
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Haider Abdullah’s book, “Imitating Dhu al-Rummah: A Thesis of the Arabic Haiku,” proposes a method for creating Arabic haiku by bridging Arabic poetic traditions with the Japanese form.
Abdullah suggests that the structure of classical Arabic prosody can be adapted to the rhythmic qualities of haiku, providing Arab poets with a formal framework for the genre.
The book, spanning 312 pages of theory, application, and poetic evaluation, also explores connections between Islamic Sufism and Zen Buddhism, noting that while both traditions share spiritual practices, their ultimate goals differ, one oriented toward a transcendent creator, the other toward natural dissolution. This distinction, the author argues, fundamentally shapes the language used. Where Zen seeks to avoid metaphor, Arabic poetry, driven by a theological impulse, often relies on it as a means of approaching the divine.
The book contrasts the role of the self in each tradition, noting that Zen emphasizes merging with nature, while Sufism involves a dynamic, active self striving toward God. This difference is illustrated through contrasting imagery, the haiku’s camel, content in its natural environment, versus the restless, energetic animal of Arabic poetry.
The author further analyzes the role of nature in the work of the early Arab poet Dhu al-Rummah, suggesting that his descriptions of the desert are not merely objective observations but rather a metaphorical representation of his beloved. While acknowledging the challenges of fully replicating the essence of haiku within an Arabic context, Abdullah posits that the source of poetic expression lies in the universal human experience, and that all forms of language can be shaped by it.
