Adept adaptation and intelligent employment of ancient Arabic heritage: A reading in the poetry of Muhammad al‐Thubayti, a modern Saudi poet

Abstract This research attempts to analyze Arabic heritage elements employed in Muhammad al‐Thubayti's poetry as his poetry highlights modern issues. Heritage becomes a cornerstone in al‐Thubayti's poetry for it produces new meanings and contexts. It is used in visionary and creative ways enabling him to shape his poetic experiences. Heritage is no longer sacred or static, but it is manipulated in a way that serves the poet's messages. Thus, this paper shows how al‐Thubayti explores the present frustrations and failures at individual and national levels by employing heritage and symbols balancing between his belonging to this heritage and his creative and experimental poetic experience. Through the intelligent adaptation of heritage, he makes connections between the past and modern life to reveal the dilemmas of the present and the glory of the past. The research's main contribution is to shed a new light into the race, milieu, and experience of al‐Thubayti's poetry through utilizing Arabic heritage. This research examines four poems taken from al‐Thubayti's diwan (poetry collection), Tahjit hulman, tahjit wahman [ I Spell out a Dream, I Spell out an Illusion ]. As a theoretical framework, the analysis of the poems is based on historical theory and formalism.