Signs and symbols in the muallaka of Tarafe Bin 'Abd

Poetry during the pre-Islamic period has a very important place in Arab culture and literature. Because literature during that period was conveyed mostly through poetry because it was easy to memorize and remember. Pre-Islamic Arabic poems show that eloquence and fluency were natural characteristics of the poets of the period. Pre-Islamic Arab poets frequently used symbols, that is, signs and symbols, in their poems. One of them is Tarafe b. el-ʻAbd. His nickname Tarafe, his real name is 'Amr'. He was killed in his twenties and achieved fame that the long-lived people of his tribe could not reach. The poet, who lost his father at a young age, opposed the injustice his uncles did to his mother in the distribution of inheritance. He was expelled from his tribe because of the philosophy of taste that he defended and lived, and he was left alone, and in response to this, he made symbols with a tar-coated camel and a gazelle that was left alone. It is stated that Tarafe came second after Imru'l-Qays in terms of the quality of his poetry among the pre-Islamic poets. It is known that he had a clear view in his poetry and life and was an advocate of play and pleasure. Tarafe's muallaka is longer than other muallakas as it has 103 couplets. The poet, who has a strong and solid style, describes his lover in the ten-couplet prose section of his muallaka and his camel in the next thirty couplets. Then he talks about himself, his tribe, drinking parties, flirtatious people, death, stingy and generous people, his uncle's son Malik's bad behavior towards him and finally his agility, boldness and bravery. The general signs and symbols in Arafe's muallaka are as follows: Camel, woman, etlal, color, similes, allusions, metaphors, similes, etc. many signs and symbols. The most obvious symbols in Tarafe's muallaka are the symbols of etlal and woman. Namely; the etlal and woman with which he begins his muallaka do not exist in reality, but are entirely the poet's imagination. He alludes to his life with the woman, and with etlal, his property is destroyed, he is separated from his homeland, and his past is destroyed. Tarafe manages to attract the attention of the listeners by talking about the land of the woman he loves and her camel in an interesting way in his muallaka, and directs attention to the subjects he really wants to tell. After giving brief information about the muallaqa in this study, the signs and symbols in Tarafe's muallaqa, some points and symbols that are important in terms of rhetoric are emphasized. The study aims to provide information about the social life of that period, the subtleties of literature and rhetoric through this muallaqa, which covers almost all aspects of life in the period of ignorance. Keywords: Arabic Language and Rhetoric, muallaqa, Tarafe b. el-ʻabd, symbol, sign.