خوانش نمادین فرات در شعر جواهری؛ از پدیده‌ای طبیعی تا کنشگر سیاسی و اجتماعی

Title

The Symbolic Reading of the Euphrates in Muḥammad Mahdī al-Jawāhirī’s Poetry: From a Natural Phenomenon to a Political and Social Activist

Introduction

Muḥammad Mahdī al-Jawāhirī (1900–1997), a leading Iraqi poet and journalist, lived through the British occupation, post-colonial authoritarianism, the 1958 revolution, and long years of exile. In his poetry, the Euphrates River is not a mere geographical feature. It undergoes a radical semantic transformation, moving from a natural phenomenon to a multi-dimensional, mythical symbol and, ultimately, to an active political and social actor. While previous studies have addressed aspects of al-Jawāhirī's work—such as the Tigris as a symbol (Jafari, 2024), his political discourse (Rasuli & Hosseini, 2020), or general references to both rivers (al-Tamimi, 2011)—no independent, comprehensive research has focused specifically on the tripartite functions(political, social, natural) and the mythological dimension of the Euphrates across his complete divan. This study aims to fill that gap. The primary objective is to explain how the Euphrates is transformed from a natural phenomenon into a political and social actor. Three questions guide the research: What are the semantic and functional dimensions of the Euphrates symbol? How does this natural element transform into a political and social symbol? What role does the Euphrates play in reflecting the national and emotional identity of the Iraqi people?

Methodology

This research adopts a descriptive-analytical approach grounded in thematic criticism (Fairclough, 2015). Thematic criticism focuses on extracting and categorizing recurring patterns of meaning within a text. The primary corpus is al-Jawāhirī's complete Dīwān (2001 Baghdad edition). All verses containing "al-Furāt" (the Euphrates) or "al-Rāfidayn" (the Two Rivers) were extracted and analyzed. The analysis was conducted along three overlapping dimensions: political, social, and natural functions of the Euphrates. Each verse was examined in light of (a) its literary context, (b) the historical period of al-Jawāhirī's life (anti-colonial struggles, the mandate period, the 1958 revolution, exile years), and (c) three literary techniques of symbolic construction: personification (human actions and emotions), myth-making (Mesopotamian archetypes such as primordial waters and the mother-goddess), and dualistic symbolism(calm as deadly stagnation, flood as revolutionary necessity). The approach is purely qualitative and interpretive.

Results and Discussion

The analysis reveals that the Euphrates in al-Jawāhirī's poetry operates on three distinct yet interconnected levels. In the political sphere, the Euphrates assumes three faces. First, the Rebel (al-Thā'ir): using the Mesopotamian archetype of "primordial waters," the poet depicts the river as an insurgent subject. The verse "jarā thā'iran mā'u al-Furāti" (the water of the Euphrates flowed in revolt) aligns the river's surge with anti-colonial uprisings (1920–1932). Its flood is continuous, breaking every dam, symbolizing a nation whose patience has exhausted all oppression. Second, the Historical Witness (al-Shāhid): during the mandate period (1932–1958) and after the 1958 revolution, the Euphrates becomes a living document against forgetting. The poet swears: "wa in ansa la ansa al-Furāta wa mawqifan" (if I forget, I shall not forget the Euphrates and a stance). In the 1958 revolution, the river actively carries palm trees to welcome freedom. Third, the Tragic Face (al-Trājīkī): in exile (1963–1979), the Euphrates reflects collective sorrow. The poet laments national disunity: "shughila al-Furātu biḍaymihi 'an Dijlah" (the Euphrates, occupied with its own wrong, forgot the Tigris). The river itself complains of the oppressors' heavy steps, yet this tragedy never turns into despair.

In the social sphere, the Euphrates again reveals three faces. First, the Critic (al-Nāqid): the river denounces ignorance and intellectual stagnation: "ghazā al-jahlu arḍa al-Rāfidayni faḥallahā" (ignorance invaded the land of the Two Rivers and settled there). Free thought remains threatened by slanderers. Second, the Identity-Giver (al-Huwiyyātī): the Euphrates serves as the genealogy of national pride. Heroes like al-Mutanabbī are called "ibn al-Rāfidayn"; the rivers are "manābit al-majd" (sources of glory). The river also appears as a maternal archetype: "banāt al-Furāti al-munjabātu al-karā'im" (the noble daughters of the Euphrates) nurture courageous men. Third, the Poet's Double (al-Hamzād): in exile, the Euphrates becomes the poet's emotional twin. The famous line "anā al-'Irāqu… wa damī Furātuhu" (I am Iraq… and the Euphrates is my blood) merges self and homeland. The poet explicitly declares: "Furāt[u] ashbahu kulli al-nāsi bī wala'an" (the Euphrates is the most similar of all people to me in passion).

In the natural sphere, the Euphrates retains two faces. First, the Life-Giver (al-Ḥayātī): the river irrigates Iraqi fields and orchards, symbolizing national self-sufficiency: "yurrawwā tharāhu al-Rāfidāni wa tazdahī" (the Two Rivers water its soil, and it flourishes). Second, the Beautiful (al-Jamīl): the Euphrates is an object of aesthetic delight: "yā Furātī wa hal yuḥākīka nahrun fī jamāli al-ḍuḥā wa birdi al-'ashī" (O my Euphrates, can any river rival you in the beauty of morning and the coolness of evening?). Its landscapes captivate even the wise. Chronologically, the Euphrates shifts its face across al-Jawāhirī's life: rebel (1920–1932), historical witness (1932–1958), joyful (1958–1963), tragic (1963–1979), and nostalgic double (1979–1997). Three literary techniques enable this transformation: personification, myth-making, and dualistic symbolism. Compared to previous research, this study offers a more integrated, three-domain analysis exclusively focused on the Euphrates.

Conclusion

The Euphrates in al-Jawāhirī's poetry is far more than a river. It is simultaneously a revolutionary agent, a historical memory, a social critic, an identity-bestowing ancestor, a life-giving artery, and a beautiful beloved. Its contamination metaphorically represents occupation; its separation from the Tigris symbolizes national disunity; its flood embodies suppressed rage turning into uprising. By swearing "wa in ansa la ansa," the poet transforms the Euphrates into a living document against collective amnesia. The study demonstrates that committed anti-colonial poetry requires a symbolic language, and al-Jawāhirī's Euphrates functions as precisely such a language. Moreover, the natural aesthetic dimension is not secondary: for al-Jawāhirī, the Euphrates remains the river of his childhood, of cool evening shades, of indescribable beauty. This symbolic reading reveals al-Jawāhirī's mastery in transforming nature into a committed, collective actor, offering a powerful model for engaged poetry in the contemporary Arab world.

Keywords

Muḥammad Mahdī al-Jawāhirī, Euphrates, symbolic reading, political function, social function, natural function, Iraq, resistance literature