The Semiotics of Emotions: A Reading of the Poem "Sīrat al-Ashwāq" by the Poet Maha Al-Otaibi

Abstract

This study examines the semiotics of emotions in the poem "Sīrat al-Ashwāq" (The Tale of Longing) by the poet Maha Al-Otaibi, tracing the linguistic and symbolic signs that generate emotional intensity within the text. The significance of this topic lies in the fact that emotion constitutes the core of the poetic experience; its semiotic analysis reveals the deep structure of discourse and demonstrates how scattered feelings are transformed into a coherent emotional system. The study is distinguished by its application of the semiotics of emotions to a contemporary poem by a Saudi poet, an area that has rarely been discussed in critical studies. The research problem centers on understanding how the central emotion—love and longing—is constructed within the text and how various secondary emotions branch from it. The study is guided by several key questions: What signs construct emotion in the poem? How are patterns of affect formed and transformed across the poetic segments? What role do language and imagery play in shaping emotional resonance?. Adopting an analytical semiotic approach, the study focuses on uncovering the emotional structure through verbal signs, poetic imagery, and rhythmic tensions. The findings reveal that the poem is structured around a central, blazing emotion—love—from which secondary emotions emerge, including nostalgia, yearning, hope, pain, and delight. These emotions intertwine within a unified emotional network. The study also identifies a clear emotional transformation that progresses from invocation to merging, from individual longing to universal yearning, and from moments of pain to emotional reconciliation.