Abstract:

Plagiarism is one of the oldest defects that appeared in poetry, and this phenomenon of plagiarism was not limited to an era or a nation; this research examines Arabic poetry in Vehbi's collection (deceased 1224 AH/1809 AD) to determine its originality and free from plagiarism. The Arabic poetry contained in Vehbi's collection is mostly attributed to contemporary poets, namely doctor Naṣīr al-Dīn al-Iṣfahānī (deceased 1191 AH/1777 AD), the poet Hātef al-Isfahānī (deceased 1198 AH/1784 AD), and the Iraqi poet Kāzim al-Uzrī (1143-1213 AH/ 1730-1798 AD). These poems shared by Vehbi and the doctor Naṣīr al-Dīn al-Iṣfahānī, the poet Hātef al-Isfahānī and the ethnic poet Kāzim al-Uzrī formed most of his Arabic poetry. The number of common verses that we have been able to identify between Vehbi and the mentioned Poets has reached about 248 verses. Some of these verses are completely identical, and some are quite similar. The poems attributed to both Vehbi and Naṣīr al-Dīn al-Iṣfahānī constitute most of these poems, as the number of verses shared between them reached 214 verses, which means more than two-thirds of Vehbi's Arabic poetry. There is a strong possibility that during his embassy to Sultan Karīm Khān Zand, Vehbi met with his doctor Naṣīr al-Dīn al-Iṣfahānī, or saw the doctor's poems and correspondence with the poet Hātef al-Isfahānī, because Vehbi was sent to Sultan Karīm Khān as a messenger from the Ottoman Sultan and stayed in Shiraz for a while. It is natural that he met with senior state dignitaries and palace officials there, including the Sultan's doctor Naṣīr al-Dīn al-Iṣfahānī, who was close to the sultan or saw his poetry. It is also possible that in Baghdad, which he visited after returning from Shiraz, he met the Iraqi poet Kāzim al-Uzrī or got acquainted with his poetry.

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