Auditory Imagery in the Poetry of Shihab al-Din al-Tilafari (675AH )

The auditory image is a sensory and aesthetic construction that relies on the sense of hearing to create a sensory space through sounds emitted by living beings in the world of existence, natural and astronomical phenomena, or human-made objects and artifacts. Its primary function is to convey emotions and ideas to the recipient through attentive listening, using linguistic contexts and structures that are capable of receiving sounds in different circumstances and varying times. Sound collaborates with imagination in delivering ideas, visions, images, and meanings to the recipient. Poets utilize the sounds of words and their rhythms to paint auditory images that express their emotions and experiences. The strength of the auditory image varies based on the intensity of the sound, its source, and its psychological impact. It is formed through an associative relationship between suggestive words or rhythms that mimic meaning. However, a sound that lacks meaning, value, or indication is not considered an auditory image; rather, it is merely a collection of sounds devoid of objective significance that serve meaning or enhance aesthetic experience.
Poet Shihab al-Din al-Talafari (d. 675 AH) recognized the value of the auditory image as an expression of meaningful sound with humanistic and objective depth. He deliberately employed it in a manner appropriate to the poetic theme. The "I" voice was prominent in his poetry through the first-person pronoun and possessive suffixes, as well as the use of verbs that reinforce auditory presence. He depicted women through their attributes as an articulated and vocal presence, and he personified princes, ministers, and leaders through auditory images, either by representing the sounds they produce, the sounds they listen to, or the environments they move within. He also drew inspiration from the sounds of nature to enhance their sensory effect in his poetry, reflecting his awareness of the value of sound in the aesthetic construction of auditory images. His auditory images varied between loud and quiet, depending on the subject, and were closely linked to the recording of psychological emotions, granting his poetry a vast aesthetic horizon connected to life, nature, and existence