FROM TRADITION TO INNOVATION: INTERTEXTUAL TRANSFORMATIONS IN ZAHIRANI ZARA (LAMENT OF LONGING) BY ATTA SHAD

Abstract

This study examines Atta Shad’s Zahirani Zara as a new poetic experiment through the concept of intertextuality. Using a qualitative approach, the study explores how the poet, under the influence of his predecessors Mast Toukali, Jam Durruk and Shaymureed, transforms traditional poetic conventions into innovative expressions. The selected poem challenges exaggerated representations of love and beauty by presenting realistic and humanized portrayals of the beloved. The text demonstrates intertextual relationships through parody, allusion, and transformation of earlier literary traditions. The analysis reveals that Zahirani Zara rejects conventional ideals of beauty and poetic form, establishing new trends in Balochi literary traditions. The study concludes that the poet emerges as a trend maker by reshaping inherited poetic conventions into novel and realistic expressions.