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Abstract:

The article addresses the need to reassess the nature and dynamics of interactions between Arabic and European poetry in the Middle Ages, as previously asserted by proponents of the “Arabic hypothesis” — the theory of Andalusian poetry’s influence on the troubadour lyric of Provence. Formulated in the 18th century and embraced by Romantics in the 19^th century, this hypothesis faced significant criticism in the late 19^th and early 20^th centuries and was ultimately dismissed by most scholars. However, discoveries in Andalusian strophic poetry (zajal, muwashshah) and the identification of Romanic kharjas have provided new perspectives on the mechanisms of literary contact. Methodologically, the study builds upon Julián Ribera’s concept, which views Andalusian strophic poetry as part of a hybrid “Arab-Romanic” system that emerged in the bilingual environment of the Iberian Peninsula. The author examines the principles governing Andalusian strophic forms and their interaction with Western European traditions. The study of newly uncovered materials, alongside an analysis of medieval Arabic poetological treatises, reveals that cultural exchange between East and West was more complex than previously assumed: interactions occurred not through direct borrowing but via a multi-layered process of adaptation.