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About this book
Baghdad: The City in Verse captures the essence of life lived in one of the world's great enduring metropolises. In this unusual anthology, Reuven Snir offers original translations of more than 170 Arabic poemsâmost of them appearing for the first time in Englishâwhich represent a cross-section of genres and styles from the time of Baghdad's founding in the eighth century to the present day. The diversity of the fabled city is reflected in the Bedouin, Muslim, Christian, Kurdish, and Jewish poets featured here, including writers of great renown and others whose work has survived but whose names are lost to history.
Through the prism of these poems, readers glimpse many different Baghdads: the city built on ancient Sumerian ruins, the epicenter of Arab culture and Islam's Golden Age under the enlightened rule of Harun al-Rashid, the bombed-out capital of Saddam Hussein's fallen regime, the American occupation, and life in a new but unstable Iraq. With poets as our guides, we visit bazaars, gardens, wine parties, love scenes (worldly and mystical), brothels, prisons, and palaces. Startling contrasts emerge as the day-to-day cacophony of urban life is juxtaposed with eternal cycles of the Tigris, and hellish winds, mosquitoes, rain, floods, snow, and earthquakes are accompanied by somber reflections on invasions and other catastrophes.
Documenting the city's 1,250-year history, Baghdad: The City in Verse shows why poetry has been aptly called the public register of the Arabs.
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Information
Table of contents
- Cover
- Half Title
- Title Page
- Copyright
- Dedication
- Contents
- Foreword by Roger Allen
- Preface
- Translatorâs Note
- Introduction
- Mutiâ ibn Iyas
- âAbd Allah ibn al-Mubarak
- Anon.
- Anon.
- Anon.
- Anon.
- Anon.
- Anon.
- Anon.
- Anon.
- al-âAbbas ibn al-Ahnaf
- Harun al-Rashid
- Shamsa
- Anon.
- Anon.
- Mansur al-Namari
- Ashjaâ al-Sulami
- Abu Nuwas (al-Hasan ibn Hani al-Hakami)
- âInan
- âAmr ibn âAbd al-Malik al-Warraq
- Tahir ibn al-Husayn al-Khuzaâi
- âAli ibn Jabala al-Ansari (known as al-âAkawwak)
- Ishaq al-Khuraymi
- Ishaq al-Mawsili
- Al-Husayn ibn al-Dahhak
- âAbd Allah ibn Tahir
- âUmara ibn âAqil
- âAli ibn al-Jahm
- âAbd Allah ibn Muhammad al-Bafi
- Ibn Dust
- Abu Muhammad al-Hasan ibn Ahmad al-Brujardi
- al-Walid ibn âUbayd Allah al-Buhturi
- Ibn al-Rumi
- Adam ibn âAbd al-âAziz al-Umawi
- Abu al-âAliya
- âAli ibn Abi Hashim
- âAbd Allah ibn al-Muâtazz
- Muhammad ibn Dawud al-Isfahani
- âUbayd Allah ibn âAbd Allah ibn Tahir
- âAli ibn al-Husayn al-Wasiti
- al-Husayn ibn Mansur al-Hallaj
- Abu âAbd Allah Ibrahim ibn Muhammad Niftawayhi
- Anon.
- Anon.
- Ibn al-Tammar al-Wasiti
- âAli ibn Muhammad al-Tanukhi
- Mansur ibn Kayaghlagh
- Abu Ishaq al-Sabi
- Abu al-Hasan âAli ibn âAbd al-âAziz al-Jurjani
- al-Sharif al-Radi
- al-Tahir ibn al-Muzaffar ibn Tahir al-Khazin
- âAli ibn al-Faraj al-Shafiâi
- Muhammad ibn âAbd Allah al-Salami
- Maâdan al-Taghlibi
- Abu Saâd Muhmmad ibn âAli ibn Khalaf al-Nayramani
- âAli ibn Zurayq Abu al-Hasan al-Baghdadi
- Abu Muhammad âAbd al-Wahhab al-Maliki
- al-Sharif al-Murtada
- Abu al-âAlaâ al-Maâarri
- Abu al-Maâali
- Abu al-Fadl ibn Muhammad al-Khazin al-Katib
- Usama ibn Munqidh
- Muhammad ibn Ahmad ibn Shumayâa al-Baghdadi
- Muhyi al-Din ibn al-âArabi
- Majd al-Din Husayn ibn al-Dawami
- al-Majd al-Nashabi
- Taqi al-Din ibn Abi al-Yusr
- Saâdi Shirazi
- Shams al-Din Muhammad ibn âAbd Allah al-Kufi
- Shams al-Din Mahmud ibn Ahmad al-Hashimi al-Hanafi
- Abu al-Khayr âAbd al-Rahman Zayn al-Din al-Suwaydi
- âAbd al-Ghani al-Jamil
- Shihab al-Din Abu al-Thanaâ Mahmud al-Alusi
- âAbd al-Ghaffar al-Akhras al-Mawsili
- Radi al-Qazwini
- âAbd al-Hamid al-Shawi
- Ahmad al-Shawi
- Jamil Sidqi al-Zahawi
- Ahmad Shawqi
- Hafiz Ibrahim
- Maâruf al-Rusafi
- Iliyya Abu Madi
- Anwar Shaâul
- Murad Michael
- Mir Basri
- Mishil Haddad
- Nizar Qabbani
- Nazik al-Malaâika
- Ibrahim Ovadia
- âAli Sidqi âAbd al-Qadir
- Badr Shakir al-Sayyab
- Buland al-Haydari
- âAbd al-Wahhab al-Bayyati
- Shadhil Taqa
- Adonis
- Muhammad Jamil Shalash
- Salah âAbd al-Sabur
- Saâdi Yusuf
- Ahmad âAbd al-Muâti Hijazi
- Sadiq al-Saâigh
- Samih al-Qasim
- Fadil al-âAzzawi
- Sami Mahdi
- May Muzaffar
- Mahmud Darwish
- Suâad al-Sabah
- Sharif al-Rubayâi
- Sargon Boulus
- Abdul Kader El Janabi
- Faruq Juwayda
- âAli Jaâfar al-âAllaq
- âAbd al-Rahman Touhmazi
- Bushra al-Bustani
- Ronny Someck
- Wafaâ âAbd al-Razzaq
- Ahlam Mustaghanimi
- Ibrahim Zaydan and Qays Majid al-Mawla
- âAbid âAli al-Rammahi
- Sinan Antoon
- Dalya Riyad
- Manal al-Shaykh
- Afterword by Abdul Kader El Janabi
- References
- Index of Poets
- Index of Titles