allusion (tadmin) and various types of it in the odes of safi al-din al-hilli

the supremacy of adaptation and imitation of antecedents over innovation is one of the features of arab poetry after fall of abbasid dynasty. however, literary borrowing which is deliberate and combined with tastefulness and elegance yields an appropriate effect and association on readers. technically, in rhetoric, if a poet borrows a hemistich, a verse or some verses from others' poems as allegory; then put it in his own poem with the same rhythm and rhyme or change it a bit according to his goal, he has applied an acceptable device which is called allusion (tadmin). one of the well-known and competent poets of this period safi al-din al-hilli; (died 1350) who had special attention to the celebrated arab poets in previous periods and evocation and regeneration of their poems. hence, he employed allusion from their poems a lot. by reflection on al-hilli 's diwan on one hand, and reference to divans of precedent poets on the other hand; this study attempts to recognize many examples of allusion and its application in the divan of this poet and introduces major sources (citing verses and expressions of antecedent poets) in successive historical periods to illuminate various types of allusion and its functions in poems of al-hilli; and to indicate artistic use of device by this poet.