Symbolism is a relatively new school of poetry. We would like to know its features and the first poets who initiated this school.
As opposed to Impressionism, in which the emphasis was on the reality of the created paint surface itself, Symbolism was both an artistic and a literary movement that suggested ideas through symbols and emphasized the meaning behind the forms, lines, shapes, and colors. The works of some of its proponents exemplify the ending of the tradition of representational art coming from Classical times. Symbolism can also be seen as being at the forefront of modernism, in that it developed new and often abstract means to express psychological truth and the idea that behind the physical world lay a spiritual reality. Symbolists could take the ineffable, such as dreams and visions, and give it form.
Many poets used symbolism to deepen the meaning of their poems. Here is an excerpt from William Blake's “Ah Sunflower.” In it, Blake refers to life cycle and uses sunflowers to represent humankind and that they desire everlasting life.
“Ah Sunflower, weary of time, Who countest the steps of the sun; Seeking after that sweet golden clime Where the traveler’s journey is done;”
In Iraq, Badr Shakir al Sayyab, Nazik al-Malaika, and the contemporary poet Dunya Mikhail In her The Iraqi Nights (2014).
Marwa, thanks a lot for your detailed excellent answer. Best regards. Hazim.
Thank you very much, Ivo Carneiro de Sousa for your interesting answer. Hazim.
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