The Sociology of Poetic Imagery: Reality and its Reshaping in the Poetry of Muhammad Saeed al-Haboubi

Poetry is a living mirror of social and political transformations. Contemporary Arabic poetry in its "early stages" was distinguished by its dynamic interaction with reality, as the poetic movement began to shift from traditional forms towards an openness to contemporary social and political issues. Among the poets who embodied these characteristics, Muhammad Saeed al-Haboubi al-Najafi (1849-1915) stands out, whose poetry was closely linked to his local reality. This study seeks to investigate the dialectical relationship between poetic imagery and social reality in al-Haboubi's poetry. It also aims to explain the poet's choice of specific sources (nature, heritage, and humanity) in light of external factors and to highlight the social function of poetic imagery through a socio-literary approach. The descriptive-analytical method was adopted, analyzing selected examples from al-Haboubi's Diwan (1913) using concepts from the sociology of literature. The study concluded that the relationship between imagery and reality was not a negative reflection, but rather an artistic process of reshaping governed by social and historical factors. This interaction manifests itself on both the social level (employing customs to solidify collective identity) and the political level (transforming praise and elegy into a discourse of resistance). Furthermore, the choice of imagery sources was a conscious response to the Najaf environment, the poetic heritage, and the political context. Finally, al-Haboubi's poetry represents a transitional model that combines authenticity and modernity. Finally, the relationship was a dialectical and interactive one, making poetry a social agent rather than a mere passive reflection.