THE PRE-ROMANTICS 92tive attitude towards versification, these poets, unlike the romantics,
especially those of al-Mahjar, occupy a position similar to that of Mutran
between the neoclassicists and the romantics. It is true that the language of
their poetry is no longer the language of pure statement, but it has not at-
tained the full power of suggestion that the language of the romantics was
later to develop.Shukri
Of the three poets, Shukri, much of whose poetry reminds one of Edward
Young's Night Thoughts, is certainly the greatest: in spite of their many inter-
esting poems the genius of Mazini and 'Aqqad reveals itself more clearly in
the sphere of prose. Shukri is perhaps one of the most fascinating and
complex personalities in the history of modem Arabic poetry. The clue to his
personality probably lies in his hypersensitivity, a quality which 'Aqqad
justly noted in his obituary of the poet.^38 This is the impression one amply
receives from his clearly autobiographical book The Book of Confessions
(1916).*^9 It is because of Shukri's hypersensitivity, which borders on the
abnormal and pathological, that Mazini accused him of madness in the
unkind attack he launched on him in the critical work al-Diwan, which was
provoked by Shukri's strictures on his many obvious borrowings (or plagiar-
isms) from western writings. In an interesting attempt to universalize his
problem, Shukri claims in the introduction to the Confessions that the author
of the book is typical of Egyptian youth at that juncture in the history of
Egypt, in alternating between excessive hope and utter despair (as a result of
the state of Egyptian society which inspired both extremes) and being
exceedingly suspicious (and this is the product of ages of despotic rule), weak
of resolve, given to day-dreaming and to entertaining wild hopes and ambi-
tions which they can never realize because of their inactivity. They are
capable only of spasmodic acts of courage and are generally timid. They are
excitable but without profundity, vain and exceedingly sensitive, impatient
and fond of complaining. Despite their vanity they are confused, perplexed
and full of doubts, not certain which of their outworn beliefs and traditions
are harmful superstition and which of their newly acquired modern ideas
and attitudes are true and useful, with the result that they are harmed both
by the old and the new. In his further description of the author he says that
despite the sardonic expression on his face he was a very kind and compas-
sionate man. He was in rum proud and humble, but generally melancholic
because he was misunderstood and mistrusted by his society whom he in his
turn misunderstood and mistrusted.
This sketch of the author and his cultural background shows that Shukri