The Influence of Percy Bysshe Shelley’s Poetry on Badr Shakir Al- Sayyab “The Blind Prostitute”

Badr Shakir Al-Sayyab displays new techniques in “The Blind Prostitute,” a poem which incorporates different myths and symbols for illustrating a people's suffering, especially the doubly-oppressed women.  In this essay we argue that Al-Sayyab derives some literary materials from Shelley’s poetry, especially his translation into poetical English of Goethe’s lyrical play Faust as well as his “On the Medusa of Leonardo Da Vinci.” What substantiates the idea that Al-Sayyab is influenced by these two works by Shelley is his inspiration by Shelley’s poetry and character generally. The significance of this argument comes from a comparative studies’ approach and the importance of national consciousness. Besides, it sets the boundaries of cultural heritage. Moreover, finding the sources of these influences helps the reader to grasp the profound connotations of the words.   The theoretical framework of the essay is comparative studies. Drawing on insights from the French school of comparative studies, we describe and analyze the themes, images, mythological figurations and symbols in “The Blind Prostitute.” We concluded that though Al-Sayyab has used various literary elements from Shelley’s works, he has created a new poem which is pertinent to the environment and the problems existing at the time in Iraq.