Aristotle’s Poetics in the Arabic Eloquence Orbits

Abstract

This research examines the challenges faced by Syriac translators and Muslim philosophers when translating Aristotle's works "On the Soul", "Poetics", and "Rhetoric" into Arabic. The study employs various methodologies, including arabization, etymology, translation with multiple equivalents, and summarization.

It analyzes specific topics and their concepts to explore the interaction between the Arabic language and thought and the conceptual frameworks that are distant from the Islamic- Arab context. The study also looks into the influence of eloquence on the translators' and commentators' when carving some concepts.

The research utilizes a descriptive-analytical approach to trace the methodological approaches used in translation. It highlights the transformations that marked the translations of unfamiliar philosophical texts and concepts, as well as the techniques drawn from the core of the Arab epistemological environments.

The study concludes that the translations of Aristotle's books, concepts, ideas, explanations, and summaries were influenced by the Arab rhetorical perception, as demonstrated through some terminologies that reflect the efforts of Syriac translators and Muslim philosophers, indicating their understanding of some of Aristotle’s concepts and ideas, and the depth of their benefit from the original Arab sciences.