ELEGY AND MARSIYA IN EASTERN AND WESTERN LITERARY TRADITIONS: A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF THE POETICS OF MOURNING

Abstract

Genres associated with mourning rituals occupy an important place in both Eastern and Western literary traditions. Mourning genres are among the most ancient literary forms that artistically express humanity’s perceptions and experiences of death, loss, separation, and suffering. However, the ritual roots and poetic genesis of such genres as marsiya and elegy have not been sufficiently studied from the perspective of comparative literary studies. This article aims to conduct a comparative analysis of the marsiya in Eastern literature and the elegy in Western literature based on their ritual foundations, poetic structure, and eschatological perspectives. The study employs comparative-typological analysis, genre theory, intertextual analysis, and a historical-literary approach. The results demonstrate that the marsiya genre was formed in connection with Islamic mourning rituals, particularly the events of Karbala. The elegy, on the other hand, developed on the basis of ancient Greek lament songs and the funeral traditions of Christianity. While collective grief and the concept of martyrdom dominate in the marsiya, individuality and philosophical consolation are more prominent in the elegy. Although these two genres emerged within different religious and cultural paradigms, they share a common archetype of mourning inherent to humanity. Both genres arose from a universal human need to express grief. The transformation from ritual practice to artistic form appears as a crucial factor shaping the poetic system of these genres.