Abstract:
Readers of West African Arabic poetry usually discover several features that are similar to Pre-Islamic and Islamic era poetry. This is due primarily to the fact that they unconsciously or otherwise imitate the Pre-Islamic mode of poetic composition by copying themes, tropes, and topoi, just as Abdul-Samad (2009) notes, an avid reader may spot a “deliberate, well-planned open intertextuality in both lexical and artistic terms.” Notwithstanding, West African Arabic poetry cannot be completely robbed of its unique features. This paper discusses the concepts of imitation and originality with a focus on two poems by ʿUmar Krachi. The main purpose is to explore the various ways in which the author imitates the classical mode of poetic composition, and at the same time maintains a considerable level of originality as far as West African Arabic poetry is concerned. The first poem, was written in praise of Malam Sallaw in 1928 who was Kumasi Zongo Chief, while the second poem lampoons an intruder who objected Umar’s manner of pronunciation of ‘al-hamdu lillah’. It will be shown that although Umar used the bipartite structure of the nasīb/ghazal (amatory prelude) and the theme of madīḥ (panegyric) in the panegyric poem, and monothematic structure in the lampoon poem, both poems have their unique local flavour, despite his imitation of classical Arabic poetry in style and theme.