The Poetics of Transformation and Absence in the Poetry of Laqab Belkhir: Diwan al-Dawawin as a Model

Abstract

This study examines the poetics of transformation and absence in the poetry of ʿAqab Belkhir, taking Diwan al-Dawawin as a representative model, and approaches them as a structural aesthetic and intellectual principle rather than mere thematic motifs. Transformation is foregrounded as an ontological act that affects both language and subjectivity, whereby the poem becomes a space of passage from the sensory to the metaphysical. Absence, in turn, is not conceived as loss, but as a necessary condition for manifestation and unveiling, in accordance with a modern Sufi logic. The study adopts a hermeneutic–semiotic approach that brings classical Sufi thought into dialogue with modern critical theory, particularly the works of Paul Ricoeur and Gilbert Durand. It demonstrates that language in Belkhir’s poetry functions as a living entity that transforms and withdraws in order to generate meaning. Furthermore, it reveals that symbol, rhythm, imagery, and the poetic self are all governed by a continuous movement of annihilation and rebirth. The study concludes that Belkhir’s poetry establishes a modern Sufi poetic experience in which transformation and absence constitute the core of the poetic vision and its aesthetic foundation.