Across various moments over the decades, philosopher Mohamed Misbachi has reflected upon the life and poetry of the late Mohamed Serghini, who passed away at the remarkable age of ninety-six earlier this August. Serghini, the author of "And He Shall Burn His Below Names," was a pioneer of poetic exploration, having studied at the prestigious Al Quaraouiyine University as well as universities in Baghdad, Rabat, and Paris. For decades, he was a prominent academic figure in Moroccan universities post-independence, mentoring generations of researchers while also serving as a critic and storyteller who enriched the Arabic literary treasury. His contributions earned him numerous accolades, including the 'Global Arkan Poetry Award' and the 'Morocco Book Award.'
Serghini and His Poetry
In Misbachi’s paper titled "I Am Poetry: The Giver of Heart and Mind. An Exploration in the Realms of Serghini's Poetry," he articulates that the union of simplicity and depth in Serghini's character imbued his poetry and life with flavors of irony and mischief. Serghini's irony was not merely frivolous; it employed a rich tapestry of cultural and symbolic references. Misbachi notes that what astonishes one about Serghini as a person is his simplicity, which approaches the innocence of childhood—a quality Serghini himself acknowledges with the remark, 'Few grow old while remaining children.' Yet, upon delving into his poetry, readers are often taken aback by its profound depths and boundless insights, a paradox that distinctly separates this celebrated poet from others who have faded into obscurity.
Misbachi further elaborates on the synthesis of simplicity and depth, the interplay of clarity and ambiguous meaning, as the essence that draws readers into Serghini's work. He adds that this simplicity liberates him from the constraints of lengthy poems, allowing him to swiftly capture the nuances of existence and the evolution of beauty and irony around him. As a master craftsman of language, Serghini adeptly wove his existential musings and poetic treasures into a style of high quality, rich in both depth and resonance.
Regarding the irony and the essence of Serghini's poetry, the specialist in Ibn Rushd's philosophy, in his work "Yes and No: Open Thought in Ibn Arabi," asserts that one should not expect from Serghini a definitive stance or coherent analysis. Instead, he preferred to dwell in the liminal space between 'yes and no,' residing in a realm that bridges heaven and earth, reality and fantasy, reason and madness, truth and shadow. Therefore, it is not surprising to find his poetry laden with slyness and irony, whimsical judgments, and wild musings. Those who are knowledgeable or possess the faith of the elderly, or aspire to transform their city—be it a metaphorical cave—should not take his words too literally. However, for those embodying generosity and existence, and who are attuned to subtle signals, it is their right to view his capriciousness and wanderings as a form of earnestness.
Misbachi observes that Serghini sharply critiques rationality and its theoretical and epistemological attachments. After briefly noting the bankruptcy of reason in his collection "Who Did This to Your Skulls," he boldly declares: 'I wish to unravel the riddle of the fly without resorting to reason.' Elsewhere, he suggests the constriction of reason, stating, 'The mother’s womb, oiled with soy oil, leads the mind to the neck of the bottle.' The relationship with reason, especially if it is active, cannot be perceived as anything other than servitude in his view. When he declares war on rationality and its operatives, it is because he is weary of essentialist thinking, of concepts rooted in unity and stability, seeking instead to embrace a philosophy of distance and multiplicity.
His dismissal of reason is evident in numerous references to the precedence of the anomaly over the norm: 'The event of the dove / with its linguistic twines on a night when frost collects its dew, and the anomaly precedes the norm.' He further escalates his opposition to objective reasoning when he exclaims, 'If you are far from madness, you are far from truth; the most glorious periods of madness are when I kill the drinker in my absence and exhaustion sprouts roots within him.' His rebellion against the prevailing objective reasoning culminates in his jubilant proclamation of 'glory to chaos,' underscoring his admission, 'I am saturated with doctrines, filled with eras, in need of ruin and chaos, which have burrowed between fingernail and fingertip, evading our mutual death, lowering their eyelids in ecstasy and scattering it, with their gains and losses encapsulated within the very essence of language.'
Moreover, Serghini's poetry also rebels against knowledge, according to Misbachi’s analysis. For Serghini, knowledge is often intertwined with ignorance and sustenance; he prefers to barter it for the warrior's dance: 'Be knowledge and its ignorance, do not be a bent document, O Creator of the bed! The absent troubled me in the witness. Take the fruit of gnosis and accept a final dance in the warrior’s rest!' This illustrates his desire not to sever ties with existence in favor of self, lamenting over proclamations that are obliterated by the severance of flow.
Fes and Serghini
In Misbachi’s article titled "Fes and Serghini," he clarifies that the poet regarded the city of Fes as the primordial substance from which he derived his poetic utterances. In the language of Ibn Rushd, he believed that Fes was poetry in potential, and he merely sought to bring it into action. This implies that he perceived Fes as a poetic existence. The statements made by Serghini were not mere intellectual concepts or sensory experiences; rather, they were poetic metaphors and similes. His ideas did not consist of essence, action, reaction, place, time, substance, or imagery, nor did they stem from states of ecstasy, annihilation, reliance, or contentment. Instead, they were composed of seven fruits, including apricots, plums, and mulberries, as well as the paths and alleys, each carrying a unique historical and emotional significance that flowed within the poet's being. Therefore, to seek meaning in Serghini’s poetry, one must wander through the alleys of Fes, savor its fruits, inhale its fragrances, and rejoice in its women. However, without establishing a connection with Fes, one must find a guide, and that guide can only be Serghini.
Considering that 'every mysticism and every philosophy has a goal of connection, unity, and annihilation in the beloved,' Misbachi perceives Serghini as yearning to achieve a 'Unity of Being' with Fes. Thus, he refused to view Fes from an objective, detached perspective, as he was unwilling to have any distance between himself and this city. For him, Fes was his 'greater self,' from which his 'smaller self' drew sustenance. It served as his internal mirror, reflecting his memories and aspirations, hopes and disappointments. This magical mirror transformed the streets, fruits, and monasteries into symbols and signs that the poet reads to decipher his own fate.
In a separate paper titled 'On the Failure of the Encounter between Poetry, Philosophy, and Mysticism: In the Meeting of Mohamed Serghini with Ibn Sab'in,' presented by Misbachi at a commemorative symposium for the poet at the Faculty of Arts in Fes and published in the journal 'Thought and Critique' in 1998, he juxtaposed the vibrant meeting between Ibn Rushd and Ibn Arabi with the veiled encounter between Serghini and Ibn Sab'in. He concluded that, despite the differing nature of the two encounters—both in terms of verbal genre and purpose—they ultimately converged on a common fate: failure. Misbachi remarked that the resistance of both philosophy and poetry to being absorbed into the realm of mystical discourse was one of the reasons for this dual failure, even though both harbored aspirations to explore the pathways of mystical experience and savor its overwhelming pleasures. Additionally, he proposed another reason for the failure of the intersection of the three genres—philosophy, poetry, and mysticism—arising from their roots in profound existential experiences that cannot be reduced to one another due to their differing subject matters—being, language, and unity—despite sharing a collective feeling of unease with habitual norms and prevailing truths, customs, and modes of expression.
In a subsequent segment of the paper, Misbachi pointed out that the contemporary Fassi poet Mohamed Serghini sought out Ibn Sab'in, meeting him twice but through the veil of text. It is evident that expressing a desire for communion with mystical thought implicitly acknowledges a blockage in the horizon of poetic inquiry, as words have become 'barren females,' and 'signification has grown old.' Thus, he sought new poetic breakthroughs and support from the mystics.
Misbachi further elaborated that Serghini's escape from the realm of poetic discourse into the domain of mystical expression was an instinctive retreat, a preservation of his poetic identity from falling prey to the traps set by critical 'cardinals.' He remained faithful to the essence of poetic expression, which necessitates wandering and traveling far into lofty heights from time to time to avoid being lured into repugnant sectarianism or flimsy poetic allegiance. Serghini's turn towards mysticism was, therefore, an explicit acknowledgment of the insufficiency of language, the impossibility of signification, and the deterioration of critical institutions; thus, mysticism, in this regard, became a refuge for signification and a symbol of adventure, rebellion, and vitality.
However, Misbachi also clarified the 'paradox' inherent in the 'Fassi poet's' behavior; at the height of his 'self-immersion,' amidst the tumult of seeking a radical alternative for humanity as humanity, he turns to a line of thought that outwardly opposes the very humanity he refers to, existing within society and history. This prompts us to assert that his recourse to Ibn Sab'in was an unconscious flight from the domain of the public, the herd, and the all-encompassing singular thought, towards an individualistic thought that is unbound by adherence to internal rules or laws, despite its foundation in mentorship and loyalty. Yet, he did not wish to read Ibn Sab'in as a poet or a lover; rather, he compelled himself to engage with him as an investigator and researcher, casting yet another veil between him and the rebellious mystic. He did not perceive him as a figure with an extraordinary experience but rather as a critical historian of the collective Arab-Islamic thought, viewing him solely as a purveyor of discourse or an experiential discourse.
Indeed, Serghini's lexicon, writing style, and poetic themes were not free from the influence of mystical discourse, particularly in his later works, where he adopted the style of discursive narratives. His treatment of themes mirrored that of the existent philosopher and resonated with the mystic's approach to oneness. Thus, the city of Fes transformed into seven fruits or ten paths, akin to the sayings of the existent or the stations of unity. What mattered to him within the mystical experience was not its goal or intention, but its language and exuberance; what mattered was the journey itself, not the moment of arrival. In this manner, Fes became synonymous with Serghini; it embodied his memories, and thus, the subject of poetry evolved into a springboard for the poet's inspirations.
As reported by hespress.com.
