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Overview

The origin of the al-Diwan school, its founders, their stand on the Revivalists, the traits of their poetry, and why the school came apart.
Who al-Aqqad was and the occasion of “In Elegy of Maya”, analysed passage by passage.
Vocabulary, imagery, styles and music, the coherence and artistic unity of the text, and the values drawn from it.

"In Elegy of Maya" (al-Aqqad) and the school of al-Diwan
├── Origin (after Mutran · Shukri, Aqqad, Mazini · named after "al-Diwan" 1921)
├── Conditions that made the group (occupation · crisis · escape to dreams, nature, the universe)
├── Their stand on the Revivalists (looking backwards vs the tragedy of their age)
├── Traits (two cultures · ambition · organic unity · contemplation · sincerity · sadness · modern language · the title)
├── Break-up and after (Shukri silent · Mazini to prose · Aqqad alone · his pupils)
├── Subject and occasion: Maya Zaydah (1886-1941) and her literary salon
├── Four passages: where is Maya? · the two planets · moral qualities · revolt against death
├── Vocabulary · Styles, imagery and music · Coherence and unity · Values

Lesson 3: In Elegy of Maya by Abbas Mahmoud al-Aqqad and the School of al-Diwan · 1 / 13

Origin of the school of al-Diwan and its founders

Preparation

Comparison aspect	Main idea	Keywords
Khalil Mutran had a French culture tied to the French poets.	After him came three poets whose culture joined the Arabic heritage to English literature	Aftercamethreewhose
These three are the group of al-Diwan	Abdul Rahman Shukri (1886–1958) Abbas Mahmoud al-Aqqad (1889–1964) and Ibrahim Abdel Qader al-Mazini (1889–1949)	AbdulRahmanShukri1886
•	The school was named after the book “al-Diwan in Literature and Criticism” issued by al-Aqqad and al-Mazini in 1921	schoolnamedafterbook

The three embodied the Arab youth of the early twentieth century, living a suffocating crisis imposed by colonialism through the disorder, ignorance and poverty it spread.
Young people found no room for the growth of their human personality, no way to free themselves from colonialism or to bear responsibility, since their resources were weak against the coloniser.
Their hopes collided with the hateful colonial reality, so they fled the painful world of fact into the world of dreams and imagination.
They took refuge in nature, pouring into it their lost hopes and their despair of life, and contemplated the universe and the secrets of existence.

What bound them together

Pride in Arab culture, and the influence of English Romanticism.
Expressing, with warm positions and a sincere experience, the tragedy of their generation; turning towards the human self and leaning towards imagination.
In this they agreed with Khalil Mutran, who took from French Romanticism the personal emotional feeling-direction.
From 1909 they began publishing their opinions and calling to their doctrine in newspaper articles and in the prefaces to their diwans.
Al-Aqqad summed up the school’s position in the preface to al-Mazini’s first diwan (1913): they were young men raised by upbringing and reading, so they feel as an Easterner feels and picture the world as a Westerner pictures it.
The first fruit of this temper was that pens strained towards independence, the removal of the film of hypocrisy, and freedom from artificial restraints.

Lesson 3: In Elegy of Maya by Abbas Mahmoud al-Aqqad and the School of al-Diwan · 2 / 13

The school of al-Diwan and the Revivalists

Why they differed

The school held that its view of poetry differed from that of the Revivalists: those men look backwards, while they express the tragedy of their own age.
They attacked the Revivalists, foremost among them Ahmed Shawqi, Hafiz Ibrahim and Mustafa Sadiq al-Rafii.
Their most famous and harshest writing is “al-Diwan in Literature and Criticism” (1921), from which the school took its name — though their poetic work and critical opinions appeared before it.

Taking the old rhetorical models as the highest ideal, and the dominance of the rhetorical side over content and idea.
Exaggeration in panegyric and dishonesty in expressing the human self although al-Aqqad held that sincere panegyric is not a fault.
Caring for the husks of things and their surfaces.
Excessive imitation of the old in language and imagery.
No regard for artistic unity, passing within one poem from one subject to another.
Exaggerations and the absence of evident sincerity in their poetry.

Lesson 3: In Elegy of Maya by Abbas Mahmoud al-Aqqad and the School of al-Diwan · 3 / 13

Traits of the school of al-Diwan

Comparison aspect	Main idea	Keywords
Combining the two cultures	Arabic and English	ArabicEnglish
Ambition	the school’s young men look to the horizons and the highest ideals but their ambitions outrun the reality of their age	schoolyounglookhorizons
Organic unity	the poem is a living being in each part has its function and place as each organ of the body does so its subjects are not multiple and its parts do not clash under one title	poemlivingbeingpart
Contemplation	they reflect on the universe and search deeply into the secrets of existence	reflectuniversesearchdeeply
•	Sincerity of expression and distance from exaggeration	Sincerityexpressiondistanceexaggeration
•	A touch of sadness pain pessimism and despair	touchsadnesspainpessimism
Freedom from the old	they did not borrow the old literary material but used the language of their age	borrowliterarymaterialused
•	Distance from occasional subjects and from political and social topics	Distanceoccasionalsubjectspolitical
Deepening phenomena	they cared for the essence of things so thought came before feeling in their work	caredessencethingsthought
The title	they deepened the idea of titling a poem and went on to title the whole diwan — “A Passing Traveller” for al-Aqqad “Flowers of Autumn” for Shukri — whereas their predecessors named the diwan after its owner (the diwan of al-Barudi the diwan of Shawqi)	deepenedideatitlingpoem
•	Al-Mazini evidenced artistic unity with verses addressed to Shawqi he says that he wore the mantle of the age for twenty pilgrimage seasons	Mazinievidencedartisticunity

Lesson 3: In Elegy of Maya by Abbas Mahmoud al-Aqqad and the School of al-Diwan · 4 / 13

The break-up of the school and the fate of its founders

Comparison aspect	Main idea	Keywords
•	The friendship of the three failed after a time and the group dispersed when Shukri attacked al-Mazini over a difference on some literary questions and al-Aqqad took al-Mazini’s side	friendshipthreefailedafter
Shukri	stopped writing poetry after his seventh diwan “Flowers of Autumn” and gave himself to isolation	stoppedwritingpoetryafter
Al-Mazini	turned from poetry after his second diwan (1917) and preferred the short story and the newspaper article	turnedpoetryaftersecond
Al-Aqqad	remained alone representing the direction but put poetry second in his interests late in life after his political social literary and Islamic writings	remainedalonerepresentingdirection
•	Writers who studied under al-Aqqad and carried the direction on include Mahmoud Imad Abdul Rahman Sadiqi and Ali Ahmad Bakatheir and al-Hassani Abdullah in Egypt and Muhammad Hasan Awwad in Saudi Arabia with others in the Arab lands	WritersstudiedunderAqqad

Lesson 3: In Elegy of Maya by Abbas Mahmoud al-Aqqad and the School of al-Diwan · 5 / 13

Introducing the poet

Abbas Mahmoud al-Aqqad (1889–1964) one of the signs of poetic renewal and critical thought in the modern age.
With al-Mazini and Shukri he formed the group of al-Diwan.
In the prefaces to his own diwans and to those of his colleagues and friends he set out the essence of poetry as he saw it:
- Poetry is the expression of its owner’s self and feeling, not the versifying of occasions.
- Exalting the role of the image in carrying the poet’s sensation.
- Care for the coherence of the poem and its unity.
Among his diwans is “A Passing Traveller”.

Lesson 3: In Elegy of Maya by Abbas Mahmoud al-Aqqad and the School of al-Diwan · 6 / 13

The subject of the text and its occasion

The poem belongs to the art of elegy (marthiyyah), which is speaking of the dead and naming their virtues.
The woman mourned is Maya Zaydah (1886–1941) a writer and poetess of wide cultural and social activity, of non-Egyptian origin.
She was known for her literary salon, where the great writers and poets of the time gathered, and al-Aqqad was among its regulars.
This elegy is an example of al-Aqqad’s saying that sincere praise and sincere elegy are not faults when they come from a genuine feeling.
The text belongs to the poets of al-Diwan and is read in the light of their experience: sincerity of feeling, the unity of the psychological atmosphere, and the coherence of the parts.
It consists of four passages separated by points, rising in stages from shock to defiance.

Lesson 3: In Elegy of Maya by Abbas Mahmoud al-Aqqad and the School of al-Diwan · 7 / 13

The ideas of the text, passage by passage

First passage: where is Maya?

He begins with a question whose answer is known, yet puts it to answer it himself: “where in the assembly is Maya, O companions?”
He reminds them that she had made it their habit in the assembly to give the decisive word — the right saying.
He pictures her seated on the throne of the pulpit the pulpit is the place worthy of her, because of her command of eloquence and public speech.
Eloquence answered her when it was called , and she was dignified of bearing, proud of herself.
He repeats the question at the end of the passage to confirm the shock.

Comparison aspect	Main idea	Keywords
•	He orders the questioners to ask the elite the chosen of her gathering: have you known where Maya is?	ordersquestionerselitechosen
He lists her physical qualities	the sweetness of speech the moving melody (the beauty of her affecting voice) the clear brow and the shining radiant face	sweetnessspeechmovingmelody
Then he moves to the sad cry	“where did her two planets go? where have they vanished?” — making her a planet in height and fame	planetsvanishedmakingplanet

Comparison aspect	Main idea	Keywords
He lists her moral qualities	noble and lovely characters intents that pierce with the right opinion and a flashing intelligence like a meteor	noblelovelycharactersintents
Her beauty is sacred and beyond fault	she joined the physical and the moral in a pure beauty	joinedphysicalmoralpure
He arrives at the hard reality	“all of this — in the dust?” the question of the shocked sceptic carrying wonder disbelief and protest	dustquestionshockedsceptic
•	Then he follows it with the cry “alas for this dust” — in it pain and resignation to what happened and also a defiance of death	Thenfollowsalasdust

He addresses the dust with “waih“ “you will not give back what you hold” — it cannot return those it has taken.
He denies that hope should be lost of reviving what was lost.
He declares that Maya’s glory is not the dust’s to hold it is “not entrusted to you”, and the dust covers only her body.
He is certain that her glory is free from its grip, and that for her merit she has a thousand reward — she is immortal through her works and her traces.

Shock of the sudden loss → lamenting and suffering → revolt against death → defying it and affirming the immortality of the woman of letters.

Lesson 3: In Elegy of Maya by Abbas Mahmoud al-Aqqad and the School of al-Diwan · 8 / 13

The vocabulary of the text and its meanings

Word	Meaning
fasl al-khitab	The decisive, correct saying
her throne is the pulpit	The pulpit is her fitting place proof of her command of eloquence
marfu al-janab	Proud of himself and dignified janab is one’s side or quarter
al-nukhbah	The elite, the chosen
rahat al-nadi	The company present at her gathering nadi is a people’s council and meeting place
al-shaji	Affecting, moving
al-jabin al-hurr	The clear, unclouded brow
al-wajh al-sani	The shining, radiant face
kawkabaha	Originally kawkab (planet) the alif of lamentation and the silent ha were attached to it
al-shiyam al-ghurr	Noble characters (shiyam plural of shimah ghurr means bright-white)
al-lumai	The possessor of sound, flashing insight
al-jamal al-qudsi	Pure, sacred beauty
ahi	A word of pain, grief or complaint
waih	A word expressing wonder, rebuke and threat
khalis	Free, released

Lesson 3: In Elegy of Maya by Abbas Mahmoud al-Aqqad and the School of al-Diwan · 9 / 13

Styles, figurative imagery and music

Styles

Comparison aspect	Main idea	Keywords
Interrogation abounds	and closes the first three passages. Its chief instrument is aina (“where”) asking about place hal (“do you know”) comes once and one question has no instrument at all: “all of this in the dust?”	closesfirstthreepassages
•	Its purpose is wonder denial and the showing of the shock of loss — not asking for an answer	purposewonderdenialshowing
Command	“ask the elite” comes joined to interrogation and its purpose is direction and the confirming of the bereavement	elitecomesjoinedinterrogation
Vocative	“O companions” shares the grief with his friends and “her two planets” is an elegiac call with the particle of vocative dropped	companionssharesgrieffriends
•	The words of pain and wonder “ahi” and “waih” express suffering and defiance	wordspainwonderwaih

Figurative imagery

Comparison aspect	Main idea	Keywords
“Her throne is the pulpit“	a concise simile making the pulpit her throne marking her rank and her command of speech	concisesimilemakingmarking
“Her two planets“	a metaphor — she is likened to a planet in height and fame the thing likened to is dropped and its attribute kept	metaphorlikenedheightfame
“A shining face“, “sweet speech“, “a moving melody“	sensory images embodying her virtues	sensoryimagesembodyingvirtues
“All of this in the dust“	an image that personifies the dust and sets the greatness of her qualities against the narrowness of the grave	imagepersonifiessetsgreatness
“Approved and painless” and “sacred beauty“	images carrying her station without strain	imagescarryingstationwithout
•	The images come in their right places unforced reflecting the poet’s regret and pain	imagescomerightplaces

Music

Al-Aqqad varied the rhyme — one of the marks of development in music — and his rhyme suits the psychological state.
The opening verses end on a near-identical rhyme series (companions · decisive word · dignity · answered) producing a continuous sad cadence suited to the bereavement.

Lesson 3: In Elegy of Maya by Abbas Mahmoud al-Aqqad and the School of al-Diwan · 10 / 13

The coherence of the text and its artistic unity

At the level of wording

A spread of different styles across the textinterrogation and command — diffuses the sense that its parts hang together.

The interrogation is repeated in its own words“where in the assembly is Maya?”, “where is Maya?”, “where did they go?”, “where have they vanished?”

The succession of questions voices the shock of loss as if he cannot conceive her death and only asks where she is.
The predicate after “where” changes and moves towards the inevitable truth: they went, they vanished.
The cry ends in resignation to the truth and complaint of it at the same moment.
It joins weakness and acknowledgement of defeat with the spirit of resistance and revolt against death.
Result clear interconnection and a coherent structure out of unity of thought, unity of feeling and one sad psychological atmosphere — so the poem attains the artistic unity the school of al-Diwan wanted.

Sincerity in expressing real grief.
Organic unity and the coherence of the passages.
The language of the age without strange words, and unforced imagery.
Contemplation of death and immortality one of the school’s reflections on the secrets of existence.
A touch of sadness together with a leaning towards defiance.

Lesson 3: In Elegy of Maya by Abbas Mahmoud al-Aqqad and the School of al-Diwan · 11 / 13

Values drawn from the text

Loyalty to the people of thought and letters, and valuing their role in cultural life.
The immortality of the trace works and ideas outlast bodies.
Sincerity in the feelings of elegy, away from hypocrisy.
Patience and defiance in the face of loss, and faith that merit is not lost.
Respect for the role of the educated woman and her contribution to the literary movement.

Lesson 3: In Elegy of Maya by Abbas Mahmoud al-Aqqad and the School of al-Diwan · 12 / 13

Exam traps and key takeaways

Comparison aspect	Main idea	Keywords
Three poets, two cultures	al-Diwan joined the Arabic heritage with English literature (Mutran’s link was French) — a common wrong option pairs Mutran with English Romanticism	DiwanjoinedArabicheritage
Dates	group members Shukri 1886–1958 · Aqqad 1889–1964 · Mazini 1889–1949 publicising of their views from 1909 Aqqad’s summary in the preface to al-Mazini’s first diwan 1913 the book “al-Diwan in Literature and Criticism” 1921 — the naming book and not the first appearance of their ideas	groupmembersShukri1886
Their conditions	colonialism’s disorder ignorance and poverty → no room for personal growth → flight into dreams imagination nature and contemplation of the universe	colonialismdisorderignorancepoverty
•	The quarrel that ended the school was Shukri attacking al-Mazini with al-Aqqad siding with al-Mazini — not a quarrel with the Revivalists	quarrelendedschoolShukri
Fates	Shukri stopped after his seventh diwan “Flowers of Autumn” · Mazini gave up poetry after his second diwan (1917) for story and article · Aqqad remained alone and later ranked poetry second	Shukristoppedafterseventh
Their criticisms of the Revivalists	old rhetorical models as ideal · rhetoric over content · exaggerated and insincere panegyric · surfaces not essences · excessive imitation · no artistic unity · exaggeration and lack of sincerity — and remember Aqqad exempted sincere panegyric	rhetoricalmodelsidealrhetoric
Traits to match exactly	organic unity = a living body with functions and places for its parts thought before feeling they avoided occasional political and social subjects they titled whole diwans not just poems	organicunitylivingbody
Text facts	genre elegy the mourned woman Maya Zaydah (1886–1941) of non-Egyptian origin famous for her literary salon the poem has four passages separated by points	genreelegymournedwoman
Progression	shock → lament → revolt against death → defiance and immortality passages 1–2 mix rank (pulpit-throne) and physical beauty passage 3 turns to moral qualities then “all this in the dust?” passage 4 addresses the dust directly	shocklamentrevoltagainst
The many questions are not asking for an answer	purpose = wonder denial showing the shock the instrument is mainly aina hal once and one tool-less question. “Ask the elite” is a command joined to interrogation “her two planets” is a vocative/elegiac call with the particle dropped	purposewonderdenialshowing
Imagery	throne-pulpit = concise simile · two planets = metaphor (thing likened-to dropped attribute kept) · “all this in the dust” personifies the dust and contrasts greatness with the grave	thronepulpitconcisesimile
Music	variation of rhyme is a mark of their development the opening near-identical rhyme series creates a continuous sad cadence	variationrhymemarkdevelopment
Unity evidence	repeated “where” questions the predicate shifting towards the inevitable truth and the closing cry that joins resignation with revolt	repeatedquestionspredicateshifting
•	“Waih” = wonder rebuke and threat “ahi” = pain grief or complaint — do not swap their functions	Waihwonderrebukethreat

Lesson 3: In Elegy of Maya by Abbas Mahmoud al-Aqqad and the School of al-Diwan · 13 / 13

Curriculum

Arabic Language

Unit 1

Unit 2

Unit 3

Unit 4

Lesson 3: In Elegy of Maya by Abbas Mahmoud al-Aqqad and the School of al-Diwan