Poetry as Spiritual Practice: The Poetics of Adonis and Yves Bonnefoy By Kareem James Abu-Zeid A dissertation submitted in partial satisfation of the requirements for the degree of Doctor in Philosophy in Comparative Literature in the Graduate Division of the University of California, Berkeley Committee in Charge: Professor Niklaus Largier, Chair Professor Margaret Larkin Professor Chana Kronfeld Professor Jacob Dalton Summer 2016 Poetry as Spiritual Practice: The Poetics of Adonis and Yves Bonnefoy Copyright 2016 by Kareem James Abu-Zeid Abstract Poetry as Spiritual Practice: The Poetics of Adonis and Yves Bonnefoy by Kareem James Abu-Zeid Doctor of Philosophy in Comparative Literature University of California, Berkeley Professor Niklaus Largier, Chair My dissertation examines the work of two major poets who wrote in the second half of the twentieth century, Yves Bonnefoy of France and the Syrian-born Adonis (born Ali Ahmed Saïd). In conducting close readings of key moments from their respective poetry, I illustrate how both of these writers, in their own unique ways, construct poetry as a form of spiritual practice, i.e., as a way of transforming both the poet’s and the implied reader’s ontological, perceptual, and creative relationships with their internal and external worlds. This work is divided into four chapters, plus an introduction. In the substantial introduction, I invoke writers from various traditions (Buddhism, Vedanta, Christian mysticism, modern nonduality) to explore the notion of spiritual experience as a whole, in particular as it relates to conceptual language, and invoke the writing of Pierre Hadot to propose poetry as a possible means of spiritual practice. My first and second chapters focus on the work of Yves Bonnefoy. In the first chapter, I trace, in very broad strokes, a spiritual arc across Bonnefoy’s first three collections of poetry, from his Surrealist beginnings to his figurations (and idealization) of death in the 1953 collection Du mouvement et de l’immobilité de Douve, and on to his own “Dark Night of the Soul” as it is poetically expressed in Hier régnant désert. In this chapter, I also examine his views on language and his notion of “poetic presence,” considering it in relation to Heidegger’s own views on “presence” and “Being.” In my second chapter, I provide an in-depth and sustained reading of Bonnefoy’s subsequent collection, Pierre écrite, demonstrating how it represents the turning point of Bonnefoy’s poetry and the inauguration of a certain apophatic spiritual practice through lengthy intratextual work on the concept. In the second half of the dissertation, I turn to the work of Adonis. In the third chapter, I examine some of Adonis’ most important critical writings as a backdrop to his poetry and as a means of introducing several key themes, including that of creativity/innovation, which I link explicitly to the spiritual process of this poetry. This examination entails a critique of Adonis’ often reductionist critical writings, as well as an examination of the spiritually expansive role Sufism plays for Adonis. I also begin my analysis of Adonis’ 1961 collection Songs of Mihyar the Damascene as an intratextual spiritual practice that is intended to enact certain transformations in the implied 1 reader. Here, the more didactic aspect of Adonis’ poetry as spiritual practice is contrasted with the more subjective spiritual practice of Bonnefoy’s poetry. In the fourth and final chapter of this dissertation, I shift my focus of attention from the intratextual to the intertextual and continue my analysis of Adonis’ poetry, focusing on a single poem from this collection to demonstrate how Adonis uses intertextual mechanisms to operate a Nietzschean revaluation on certain key Islamic concepts, thereby opening up a new field for spirituality. I show the ways in which Adonis, through subtle and sustained work on key terms and concepts, attempts to bring about a certain spiritual revolution in his poetry. 2 Table of Contents Acknowledgments List of Abbreviations Introduction: On Mysticism and the Spiritual Path of Poetry Chapter One: Spiritual Turbulence: The Early Phase of Bonnefoy’s Poetry Chapter Two: Coming Back to Earth: The Spiritual Practice of Pierre écrite Chapter Three: The Struggle for Arab Culture: On Adonis’ Critical Thought and Poetry Chapter Four: Shaddad’s Reply: The Intertextual Spritual Practice of Songs of Mihyar the Damascene Conclusion i Acknowledgments First and foremost, I would like to thank Margaret Larkin, who has been my main academic advisor during my many years at Berkeley. Margaret, your breadth of knowledge and rigorous thinking have informed all of my work, and your kind and generous mentorship made this dissertation possible. I would also like to thank Niklaus Largier, for generously offering to be the Chair of this dissertation back when I switched away from an exclusive focus on Arabic literature—your insightful guidance and words of encouragement were invaluable. I would like to thank Chana Kronfeld, for your warmth, insight, generosity, and kindness throughout my years at Berkeley, and for the stunning example of scholarship you always set with your own writing. And I would like to thank Jake Dalton, for agreeing to step onto my committee on such short notice, and for providing valuable feedback. Finally, I would like to thank all of my committee members, and especially Margaret, for being so flexible, supportive, and accommodating of my decision not to pursue the tenure-track path: although that was several years ago now, it was a moment of great vulnerability for me, and I remain very grateful for how smooth the transition has been, largely thanks to your encouragement and support; I am also extremely grateful that all of you encouraged me to finish the PhD, which I often considered letting go of. I would also like to thank both Erica Roberts and Sandy Richmond for helping with all the “nuts and bolts” of navigating a PhD program, and the often confusing bureaucracy that goes with it. Both of you made my time at Berkeley much more pleasant. There are far too many grad-student friends to thank individually here, so I will just say: Thanks to all of you for the inspiring conversations we’ve had over the years, and for all your support and help. Similarly, I would like to say a blanket “thank-you” to all of the many wonderful faculty I have been lucky enough to cross paths with here at Berkeley. In particular, I would like to thank Sonia Shiri, who acted, alongside Margaret, as my pedagogical mentor during the many years I taught Arabic at Berkeley: Sonia, your rigorous style of teaching helped me become a much better educator, and a much more informed student of the Arabic language. I would also like to thank Asad Ahmed, for reading and critiquing part of the Adonis section of this dissertation; and Ann Smock, for guiding me through the thickets of French poetry; and Judith Butler, for her guidance and help over the first few years of my time at Berkeley in particular. I would also like to thank Suzanne Nash, emeritus at Princeton, for fostering my love of French poetry so many years ago now. I would also like to thank the late CK Williams, who encouraged me to explore and translate Adonis’ difficult poetry back in 2003, and who remained a mentor of mine until he passed away recently. I would like to thank both Adonis and Yves Bonnefoy, for their inspiring poetry and reflections on spirituality in general. Although it was many years ago now, I have been fortunate enough to meet with both in person, and I am grateful for their generosity at those times. ii I would also like to thank Adyashanti, Khentrul Lodro Thaye Rinpoche, and the many other spiritual teachers I have been lucky enough to sit in silent meditation with over these past few years: the presence that shines through you has informed this dissertation in both subtle and direct ways. I would also like to thank the many friends who were there for me in different ways throughout various parts of my life as a PhD student. There are too many to list here, but particular thanks go to Trang Cao, Indy Roberts, Kevin Liau, Michael Waeger, and David Julian. I would also like to thank my friends in Germany, who supported and encouraged me throughout the first two and a half years of my life as a PhD student, and in particular: Gregor Sand, Tobias Gläser, Roland Voborillo, Dirk Werner, Angelika Buse-Hahn, and Tsambika Hahn, as well as my dear friend and former partner Alexandra (Sani) Vázquez Custodio (Palmer), who encouraged me to come to Berkeley for the PhD—a decision that opened many doors for me, on both the material and more spiritual planes. I would also like to thank my parents, for encouraging me to finish the dissertation, and for supporting me even after I stepped into the unknown a bit more forcefully by moving away from the stability of the tenured life. Finally, I would like to thank my wonderful life partner Shauna, who supported me and encouraged me through the final stages of writing this dissertation (which is when the vast majority of the actual writing happened). More than anyone else over the past year and a half, you have helped me at least somewhat gracefully navigate my own spiritual journey—including the writing of this dissertation, which dredged up many things from the past for me—and provided love and support at times when I needed it most. I’m not sure which paths life will take me on now that “the PhD chapter” is closed, but I am extremely grateful that you are with me on this journey.