‘ami : âme : amen’ by Gabriel Yacoub: intersemiotic translation in the interpretation of the key theme of metaphysical poetry

Abstract

This article represents an attempt to examine the oeuvre of the contemporary French author Gabriel Yacoub from a literary studies perspective. The subject of the study is the artistic features of his poem ami : âme : amen, its performative version, and the significance of the interaction between these versions in revealing the full meaning of the work. The analysis of this multimodal text, in which meaning-making relies on the transformation and expansion of semiotic resources, demonstrates the role of intersemiotic translation in interpreting the theme of death and time. The study aims to place the poem within the paradigm of metaphysical poetry by examining its formal, structural, functional, and semantic characteristics; to specify the features of intersemiotic translation in transforming the textual version into its performative form; and to determine the role of such translation in shaping and foregrounding semantic emphases and intensifying dramatic tension in the interpretation of the key theme of metaphysical poetry.

The research employs descriptive and comparative-historical methods, close reading, and elements of semiotic analysis. A comprehensive philological analysis of the textual version identifies both traditional and innovative elements of the author’s artistic strategy. The formal features of the performative form, the mechanisms and functions of intersemiotic translation are outlined, and the interaction between versions is shown to contribute to the full disclosure of the poem’s meaning. The study finds that the absence of metaphysical conceits does not allow Yacoub’s poem to be defined as metaphysical poetry proper. Nevertheless, it exhibits features closely related to the metaphysical paradigm at ideological, thematic, and stylistic levels. The text demonstrates the development of characteristic tendencies and innovations in the interpretation of death, central to metaphysical poetry. Intersemiotic translation reinforces the key image (the human soul) and foregrounds emotional emphases, contributing to the disclosure of semantic details. The use of such practices in the interpretation of the key theme of metaphysical poetry demonstrates the adaptability of this trend and opens new perspectives for literary studies, particularly in the field of comparative research.