Rhetoric of the Margins: A Study of the Poetic Discourse of Yazīd ibn Mufarrigh al-Ḥimyarī

Abstract

This research is concerned with exploring the rhetorical structure that shaped the poetic discourse of Yazīd ibn Mufarrigh al-Ḥimyarī as an oppositional voice representing the margin in confrontation with the political and social center of the Umayyad era. The study proceeds from a central hypothesis: that the poetry of Yazīd ibn Mufarrigh does not fall within the framework of traditional satire; rather, it establishes a conscious rhetoric of protest that employs language as a tool of resistance and as a means of exposing the falsity of authority. Through this rhetoric, it reshapes the relationship between utterance and power, and between rhetoric and reality.

The study adopts a rhetorical-pragmatic method with a cultural dimension in order to reveal the mechanisms of poetic discourse that granted the margin the ability to represent itself in the face of official discourse. The research is structured around four levels. The first is the rhetoric of irony and sarcasm, manifested in the use of diminutive forms, paradox, exaggeration, and the inversion of standards as tools for undermining the symbols of authority. The second is the rhetoric of challenge and confrontation, which appears in transforming the poem into a space of direct confrontation with the ruler, stripping him of the awe of authoritative discourse through explicit address and deliberate mockery. In the section on the rhetoric of poetic imagery, the study reveals the transformation of the image from an aesthetic device into a symbolic means of dismantling prestige and breaking the center, relying on deviation and derogatory simile as two mechanisms for expressing the consciousness of the margin. As for the argumentative structure, it highlights the rational character of the discourse, as the poet employs question-and-answer techniques, analogy, and reasoning based on reality to justify his position and persuade his audience.

The study concludes that the rhetoric of the margins in the poetry of Yazīd ibn Mufarrigh al-Ḥimyarī represents an integrated rhetorical project that goes beyond the limits of linguistic ornamentation into the sphere of consciousness and resistance. The poet was able to transform the word into a symbolic authority parallel to the sword and to make poetry a tool of protest against social and political hierarchy. Accordingly, the experience of Yazīd ibn Mufarrigh constitutes a turning point in the development of Arabic rhetoric, as it moved discourse from ornamental eloquence to positional rhetoric that establishes a new critical and cultural awareness within classical Arabic poetry.