Arabian Satire
eBook - ePub

Arabian Satire

Poetry from 18th-Century Najd

  1. 208 pages
  2. English
  3. ePUB (mobile friendly)
  4. Available on iOS & Android
eBook - ePub

Arabian Satire

Poetry from 18th-Century Najd

About this book

This lively volume collects poems by Hmedan al-Shwe'ir, who lived in Najd in the Arabian Peninsula shortly before the hegemony of the Wahhabi movement in the early eighteenth century.

A master of satire known for his ribald humor, self-deprecation, and invective verse (hija'), Hmedan was acerbic in his criticisms of society and its morals, voiced in in a poetic idiom that is widely referred to as "Nabati," here a mix of Najdi vernacular and archaic vocabulary and images dating back to the origins of Arabic poetry. In Arabian Satire, Hmedan is mostly concerned with worldly matters, and addresses these in different guises: as the patriarch at the helm of the family boat and its unruly crew; as a picaresque anti-hero who revels in taking potshots at the established order, its hypocrisy, and its moral failings; as a peasant who labors over his palm trees, often to no avail and with no guarantee of success; and as a poet recording in verse how he thinks things ought to be.

The poems in Arabian Satire reveal a plucky, headstrong, yet intensely socially committed figure—representative of the traditional Najdi ethos—who infuses his verse with proverbs, maxims, and words of wisdom expressed plainly and conversationally. Hmedan is accordingly quoted by historians of the Gulf region and in anthologies of popular sayings. This is the first full translation of this remarkable poet.

A bilingual Arabic-English edition.

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Yes, you can access Arabian Satire by Ḥmēdān al-Shwēʿir, Marcel Kurpershoek, Hmedan al-Shwe'ir, Marcel Kurpershoek in PDF and/or ePUB format, as well as other popular books in Literature & Middle Eastern Literary Collections. We have over one million books available in our catalogue for you to explore.
ديوان حميدان الشويعر
Arabian Satire

Poem 1

١،١
لاح المِشيب وبان في عَرْضائي
ونعَيت من بعد المِشيب صْبائي
ونعَيت خِلٍ كان في ماضٍ مِضى
لاحتْ عليه نَوازح البَعْداءِ
و مَرْةٍ جَهالتها عليّ كبيره
تَحْسِبني أخْرِج من نِقا الدَهْناءِ
تقول حِطّ وقِطّ والا ففارِق
مالي بشَوف الشَيبة الشَمْطاءِ
٥،١
قِلت ايّها الشَوق الذي من قَبِل ذا
ما هوب شَرْهٍ يوم عَصْر صْبائي
واليوم خالفْت الطبوع وكْثَرني
مِنْك الكلام وزادت البَغْضاءِ
هو ذا فطمْعٍ بي فهاك دراهم
وان كان بغْضٍ ما لِقَيت دْوائي
البِغْض نفْسٍ ما تِطيب جْروحه
وحْشٍ جِفولٍ فاتن الفَرْقاءِ
ذي عادةٍ حِبّ المحِبّ وعاده
ما قطّ رافَق صاحب البَغْضاءِ
١٠،١
وان كان تَبْغي فيّ هِمّات الصِبا
تَراي عنها قِد طِوَيت رْشائي
وان كان هو بِغْضٍ وصَيدك طامح
فِخْذي ثلاثٍ واضْرِبي البَيداءِ
قَلّتْ دَنانيري وعِدْت بهَمّه
جَذّتْ حبالي عن جمام الماءِ
العام انا لي كِدِّةٍ ماشومه
هَبّت عليها الجانح اليَمْناءِ
اسْلَفْت فيها يوم ثمٍّ جَذّت
عنها العْصَيرالى انّها بَيضاءِ
١٥،١
وادْلجْت راسي مرّتَين تِوِجِّد
وِصْفَقت بالوُسْطا على الطَرْفاءِ
وارْكَبْت من غالي النِشيد بكاعَب
غَرّا تشادى السابق الخَضْراءِ
حَيرانة الدِمْلوج ضامِرْة الحَشا
ما مَسّها خُبْثٍ ولا سَقْواءِ
مَصْرية الالوان ناعمْة الصِبا
قامت برِدْفٍ كِنَّها عَجْزاءِ
هركولةٍ ياما اتْلِفَتْ من جاهل
حَقّت على ديرانها الانواءِ
٢٠،١
سْكَنَتْ قصور الوَشْم شرقي النقا
ما لاوذت من بارح الجَوزاءِ
وانْذَرْتها عن شَيخ قومٍ ناقص
تِرْثة حضورٍ شَذّ من حَوّاءِ
ما شاخ جَدّه قَبِل ابوه ولا لْهم
حَقٍ ولا عِدَّوا من القِدْماءِ
اَمْسَى يِسيد بْدار حَيٍّ قِد غَدوا
يِشْبِه لثَورٍ خار في قَصْباءِ
يَمّمْتها ابن نْحَيط كسّاب الثَنا
وَرْث الشيوخ من اوّل الدِنْياءِ
٢٥،١
وِلْد الحدَيثي الذي من لابه
تِرْثة تميم وفرعها العَل...

Table of contents

  1. Table of Contents
  2. Letter from the General Editor
  3. Introduction
  4. Map of Northeastern Arabia
  5. Map of Central Najd Around Sudayr and Al-Washm
  6. Note on the Text
  7. Notes to the Introduction
  8. Arabian Satire
  9. Notes
  10. Glossary
  11. Bibliography
  12. Further Reading
  13. Index of Poems, Editions, and Manuscripts Used for this Edition
  14. Index
  15. About the NYU Abu Dhabi Institute
  16. About this E-book
  17. Titles Published by the Library of Arabic Literature
  18. About the Editor–Translator