technique of niqāb (innuendo) in the “jesus afte crucifixion” ode in shākir al-sayyāb

the tendency to say things indirectly rather than being explicit is one of the most evident qualities of contemporary arabic poetry. to achieve this indirectness, the contemporary poets make use of numerous devices including innuendo. the “jesus after crucifixion” ode by sayy?b is one the primary examples of this novel literary technique. since the technique of innuendo is based on the elements of drama and story and the two elements of conflict and dynamism – as two fundamental principles of drama – play the greatest part in the dramatic structure of the story, the success of the poet in utilizing innuendo depends on to what extent the elements of the ode match the said elements as well as to what degree the voice of the poet corresponds to the voice of the favorite protagonist of the story. sayy?b, by selecting the most agonizing part of jesus’ life and attempting to illustrate the expectation of mankind following that much suffering and pain, he has matched the experience of the contemporary man or his own with the story of jesus crucifixion – which is always fresh in people’s minds – and relying on the overlap between these two characters, he has managed to promote his personal experience to a universal mankind level.