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The Seven Golden Odes of Arabia: The Mu'allaqat
THE SEVEN GOLDEN ODES OF ARABIA The Mu’allaqat Translations, Introduction Paul Smith The Mu’allaqat is the title of a group of seven long Arabic odes or qasidas that have come down from the time before Islam. Each is considered the best work of these pre-Islamic poets. The name means ‘The Suspended Qasidas’ or ‘The Hanging Poems’, the traditional explanation being that these poems were hung on or in the Kaaba at Mecca. These famous ancient Arabic qasidas are formed of three they start, with a nostalgic opening in which the poet reflects on what has passed, known as nasib. A common concept is the pursuit of the poet of the caravan of his love; by the time he reaches their campsite they have already moved on. The second section is rahil (travel section) in which the poet contemplates the harshness of nature and life away from the tribe. Finally there is the message of the poem, which can take several praise of the tribe, fakhr; satire about other tribes, hija; or some moral maxims, hikam. Included with each qasida of each poet is a brief biography plus a list of further reading. The correct rhyme-structure has been kept as well as the beauty and meaning of these powerfull poems. The Introduction… The Mu’allaqat, The Qasida. The Poets… Imra’ul-Qays, Tarafa, Amru, Harith, Antara, Zuhair, Labid. Appendix… Kab’s Qasida of the Mantle. Pages… 147. COMMENTS ON PAUL SMITH’S TRANSLATION OF HAFIZ’S ‘DIVAN’.“It is not a joke... the English version of ALL the ghazals of Hafiz is a great feat and of paramount importance. I am astonished. If he comes to Iran I will kiss the fingertips that wrote such a masterpiece inspired by the Creator of all.” Dr. Mir Mohammad Taghavi (Dr. of Literature) Tehran.“Superb translations. 99% Hafiz 1% Paul Smith.” Ali Akbar Shapurzman, translator of works in English into Persian and knower of Hafiz’s Divan off by heart.“Smith has probably put together the greatest collection of literary facts and history concerning Hafiz.” Daniel Ladinsky (Penguin Books author). Paul Smith is a poet, author and translator of over 80 books of Sufi poets of the Persian, Arabic, Urdu, Turkish, Pashtu and other languages… including Hafiz, Sadi, Nizami, Rumi, ‘Attar, Sana’i, Jahan Khatun, Obeyd Zakani, Nesimi, Kabir, Anvari, Ansari, Jami, Khayyam, Rudaki, Yunus Emre, Lalla Ded, Mu’in and many others, as well as poetry, fiction, plays, biographies and 12 screenplays. Published by New Humanity Books amazon.com/author/smithpa
196 pages, Paperback
First published October 1, 2012
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315 people want to read
About the author
Paul Smith
1,373 books21 followersPaul^^^Smith
Paul Smith (Born 1945) has been translating and writing books and film-scripts and plays for the past 45 years. His Divan of Hafiz is recognised as the closest and most beautiful translation. His other books include… Hafiz: The Oracle, Hafiz of Shiraz (3 volumes), Ruba’iyat of Hafiz, 700 Sayings of Kabir, Ruba’iyat of Sadi, Ruba’iyat of Rumi, Rumi: Selected Poems, Divan of Sadi, Nizami: Layla and Majnun, Nizami: Treasury of the Mysteries, Obeyd Zakani: The Dervish Joker, Obeyd Zakani’s Mouse & Cat, Hafiz’s Friend: Jahan Khatun, Piercing Pearls: The Complete Anthology of Persian Poetry (2 vols.), Princesses, Sufis, Dervishes, Martyrs and Feminists: Seven Great Women Poets of the East, Makhfi: The Princess Sufi Poet Zeb-un-Nissa,The Sufi Ruba’iyat: An Anthology, The Sufi Ghazal: An Anthology, The Ruba’iyat: A World Anthology, The Ghazal: A World Anthology, The Divine Wine: A Treasury of Sufi & Dervish Poetry (2 vols.), The Masnavi: A World Anthology, Unity in Diversity: Anthology of Sufi Poets of Indian Sub-Continent, Tongues on Fire: Anthology of the Poets of Afghanistan, Wine, Blood & Roses: Anthology of Turkish Poets, Love’s Agony & Bliss: Anthology of Urdu Poetry, Hearts With Wings: Anthology of Persian Sufi & Dervish Poetry, Breezes of Truth: Selected Arabic Sufi Poetry, Ibn al-Farid: Wine & The Mystic’s Progress, Anthology of Classical Arabic Poetry, The Qit’a: Anthology of the ‘Fragment’ in Arabic, Persian & Eastern Poetry, Ruba’iyat of Ma’arri, The Qasida: A World Anthology, Huma: Selected Poetry of Meher Baba, Ruba’iyat of Abu Sa’id, The Poets of Shiraz,Ruba’iyat of Mahsati, Ruba’iyat of Khayyam, Ruba’iyat of Sana’i, Ruba’iyat of Jahan Khatun, Ruba’iyat of ‘Attar, ‘Attar: Selected Poetry, Ruba’iyat of Jami, Ruba’iyat of Kamal ad-din, Ruba’iyat of Auhad ud-din, Yunus Emre… Turkish Dervish: Selected Poems, Ruba’iyat of Sarmad, Hafiz: The Ugly Little Boy who became a Great Poet, The Healer and the Emperor, The First Mystery, The Master, the Muse & the Poet: An Autobiography in Poetry, The Greatest Game, Pan of the Never-Never, Pune: The City of God, Compassionate Rose, and others.
Paul Smith (Born 1945) has been translating and writing books and film-scripts and plays for the past 45 years. His Divan of Hafiz is recognised as the closest and most beautiful translation. His other books include… Hafiz: The Oracle, Hafiz of Shiraz (3 volumes), Ruba’iyat of Hafiz, 700 Sayings of Kabir, Ruba’iyat of Sadi, Ruba’iyat of Rumi, Rumi: Selected Poems, Divan of Sadi, Nizami: Layla and Majnun, Nizami: Treasury of the Mysteries, Obeyd Zakani: The Dervish Joker, Obeyd Zakani’s Mouse & Cat, Hafiz’s Friend: Jahan Khatun, Piercing Pearls: The Complete Anthology of Persian Poetry (2 vols.), Princesses, Sufis, Dervishes, Martyrs and Feminists: Seven Great Women Poets of the East, Makhfi: The Princess Sufi Poet Zeb-un-Nissa,The Sufi Ruba’iyat: An Anthology, The Sufi Ghazal: An Anthology, The Ruba’iyat: A World Anthology, The Ghazal: A World Anthology, The Divine Wine: A Treasury of Sufi & Dervish Poetry (2 vols.), The Masnavi: A World Anthology, Unity in Diversity: Anthology of Sufi Poets of Indian Sub-Continent, Tongues on Fire: Anthology of the Poets of Afghanistan, Wine, Blood & Roses: Anthology of Turkish Poets, Love’s Agony & Bliss: Anthology of Urdu Poetry, Hearts With Wings: Anthology of Persian Sufi & Dervish Poetry, Breezes of Truth: Selected Arabic Sufi Poetry, Ibn al-Farid: Wine & The Mystic’s Progress, Anthology of Classical Arabic Poetry, The Qit’a: Anthology of the ‘Fragment’ in Arabic, Persian & Eastern Poetry, Ruba’iyat of Ma’arri, The Qasida: A World Anthology, Huma: Selected Poetry of Meher Baba, Ruba’iyat of Abu Sa’id, The Poets of Shiraz,Ruba’iyat of Mahsati, Ruba’iyat of Khayyam, Ruba’iyat of Sana’i, Ruba’iyat of Jahan Khatun, Ruba’iyat of ‘Attar, ‘Attar: Selected Poetry, Ruba’iyat of Jami, Ruba’iyat of Kamal ad-din, Ruba’iyat of Auhad ud-din, Yunus Emre… Turkish Dervish: Selected Poems, Ruba’iyat of Sarmad, Hafiz: The Ugly Little Boy who became a Great Poet, The Healer and the Emperor, The First Mystery, The Master, the Muse & the Poet: An Autobiography in Poetry, The Greatest Game, Pan of the Never-Never, Pune: The City of God, Compassionate Rose, and others.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
October 13, 2017
These ancient poems cover those universal themes that never get old: sex, war, family, and camels. Ah, but seriously, the translation is accessible without being overly modernized, and there are definitely some great turns of phrase. They’re worth a look.
September 3, 2020
"Have Poets Left a Song Unsong?"
So asked Antarah ibn Shaddad - Antara for short - in the early days of the emergence of Arabic writing. Antara was one of the most celebrated pre-Islamic poets, active during the 6th century Arabian peninsula. What later Muslim scholars termed the "Jahiliyyah," or "time of ignorance," is today seen as the very beginnings of the Arabic literary tradition. But, remarkably, at the moment of this emergence, Antara worried that poetry might actually be drawing to an end, because the Arabic troubadours, who wandered between trading posts reciting their poems, had already said everything worth saying. Antara's comment suggests a long and vibrant oral tradition in Arabia preceding the written word. Of that, we have only fragments.
These seven poems are some of the only surviving examples of literature from pre-Islamic Arabia. We don't know why the 8th century Persian scholar Hammad Ar-Rawiya used the term "hanging" or "suspended" in reference to these works. One theory is that these seven poems were hung from the Kaaba in Mecca.
Even in its best translations, most ancient literature strikes our modern ears as stilted, stuffy, or just plain weird. But these early examples of Arabic poetry burst with expression, emotion, beautiful descriptions, similes, metaphors and other poetic devices. In the opening lines of his contribution to the Mu'allaqat, the poet Labid describes a dramatic thunderstorm in the desert:
Sites dung-stained and long abandoned after times of frequentation, with their changing seasons of peace and war,
Fed with spring rains of the stars, hit by the thunder of a heavy rainstorm or fine drizzle,
Falling from every passing cloud, looming dark in the daytime and with thunder resounding at eventide.
He uses the rains as a metaphor for renewal, writing that "the floods have cleared away the dust from the ruins, which shine as clearly as if they were books, the text of which the pens have renewed." This imagery of rain bringing new life to the dry deserts of Arabia permeates the history of Arabic poetry, forming a direct link between living poets and their distant ancestors.
One common motif in pre-Islamic poetry was the image of the male poet mourning his lost love in the ruins of her house. Indeed, we see this repeatedly in the hanging poems. Here's how Antar begins his contribution to the collection:
Have the poets left in the garment a place for a patch to be patched by me;
and did you know the abode of your beloved after reflection?
The vestige of the house, which did not speak, confounded thee,
until it spoke by means of signs, like one deaf and dumb.
Verily, I kept my she-camel there long grumbling,
with a yearning at the blackened stones,
keeping and standing firm in their own places.
It is the abode of a friend, languishing in her glance,
submissive in the embrace, pleasant of smile.
Oh house of 'Ablah situated at Jiwaa,
talk with me about those who resided in you.
Good morning to you, O house of 'Ablah,
and be safe from ruin.
I halted my she-camel in that place;
and it was as though she were a high palace;
in order that I might perform the wont of the lingerer.
Imru-Ul-Quais likewise mourns his lost love among the ruins:
Stop, oh my friends, let us pause to weep over the remembrance of my beloved.
Here was her abode on the edge of the sandy desert between Dakhool and Howmal.
The traces of her encampment are not wholly obliterated even now;
For when the Sonth wind blows the sand over them the North wind sweeps it away.
The courtyards and enclosures of the old home have become desolate;
The dung of the wild deer lies there thick as the seeds of pepper.
On the morning of our separation it was as if I stood in the gardens of our tribe,
Amid the acacia-shrubs where my eyes were blinded with tears by the smart
from the bursting pods of colocynth.
As I lament thus in the place made desolate, my friends stop their camels;
They cry to me "Do not die of grief; bear this sorrow patiently."
Nay, the cure of my sorrow must come from gushing tears.
Yet, is there any hope that this desolation can bring me solace?
Imru-Ul-Quais was the most famous of the pre-Islamic poets, and for good reason. His suspended poem is the star of the collection. Like its counterparts, it shifts imagery and setting frequently and includes its own dramatic thunderstorm in the desert:
But come, my friends, as we stand here mourning, do you see the lightning?
See its glittering, like the flash of two moving hands, amid the thick gathering clouds.
Its glory shines like the lamps of a monk when he has dipped their wicks thick in oil.
I sat down with my companions and watched the lightning and the coming storm.
So wide-spread was the rain that its right end seemed over Quatan,
Yet we could see its left end pouring down on Satar, and beyond that over Yazbul.
So mighty was the storm that it hurled upon their faces the huge kanahbul trees,
The spray of it drove the wild goats down from the hills of Quanan.
In the gardens of Taimaa not a date-tree was left standing,
Nor a building, except those strengthened with heavy stones.
The mountain, at the first downpour of the rain, looked like a giant of our people draped in a striped cloak.
The peak of Mujaimir in the flood and rush of débris looked like a whirling spindle.
The clouds poured forth their gift on the desert of Ghabeet, till it blossomed
As though a Yemani merchant were spreading out all the rich clothes from his trunks,
As though the little birds of the valley of Jiwaa awakened in the morning
And burst forth in song after a morning draught of old, pure, spiced wine.
As though all the wild beasts had been covered with sand and mud, like the onion's root-bulbs.
They were drowned and lost in the depths of the desert at evening.
The hanging poems are often held up as the finest examples of poetry from this ancient era, though they are far from the only samples which survive. They comprise perhaps the best representation of the poetic styles and subject matters of the day, as well as providing valuable insight into daily life in this distant land.
So asked Antarah ibn Shaddad - Antara for short - in the early days of the emergence of Arabic writing. Antara was one of the most celebrated pre-Islamic poets, active during the 6th century Arabian peninsula. What later Muslim scholars termed the "Jahiliyyah," or "time of ignorance," is today seen as the very beginnings of the Arabic literary tradition. But, remarkably, at the moment of this emergence, Antara worried that poetry might actually be drawing to an end, because the Arabic troubadours, who wandered between trading posts reciting their poems, had already said everything worth saying. Antara's comment suggests a long and vibrant oral tradition in Arabia preceding the written word. Of that, we have only fragments.
These seven poems are some of the only surviving examples of literature from pre-Islamic Arabia. We don't know why the 8th century Persian scholar Hammad Ar-Rawiya used the term "hanging" or "suspended" in reference to these works. One theory is that these seven poems were hung from the Kaaba in Mecca.
Even in its best translations, most ancient literature strikes our modern ears as stilted, stuffy, or just plain weird. But these early examples of Arabic poetry burst with expression, emotion, beautiful descriptions, similes, metaphors and other poetic devices. In the opening lines of his contribution to the Mu'allaqat, the poet Labid describes a dramatic thunderstorm in the desert:
Sites dung-stained and long abandoned after times of frequentation, with their changing seasons of peace and war,
Fed with spring rains of the stars, hit by the thunder of a heavy rainstorm or fine drizzle,
Falling from every passing cloud, looming dark in the daytime and with thunder resounding at eventide.
He uses the rains as a metaphor for renewal, writing that "the floods have cleared away the dust from the ruins, which shine as clearly as if they were books, the text of which the pens have renewed." This imagery of rain bringing new life to the dry deserts of Arabia permeates the history of Arabic poetry, forming a direct link between living poets and their distant ancestors.
One common motif in pre-Islamic poetry was the image of the male poet mourning his lost love in the ruins of her house. Indeed, we see this repeatedly in the hanging poems. Here's how Antar begins his contribution to the collection:
Have the poets left in the garment a place for a patch to be patched by me;
and did you know the abode of your beloved after reflection?
The vestige of the house, which did not speak, confounded thee,
until it spoke by means of signs, like one deaf and dumb.
Verily, I kept my she-camel there long grumbling,
with a yearning at the blackened stones,
keeping and standing firm in their own places.
It is the abode of a friend, languishing in her glance,
submissive in the embrace, pleasant of smile.
Oh house of 'Ablah situated at Jiwaa,
talk with me about those who resided in you.
Good morning to you, O house of 'Ablah,
and be safe from ruin.
I halted my she-camel in that place;
and it was as though she were a high palace;
in order that I might perform the wont of the lingerer.
Imru-Ul-Quais likewise mourns his lost love among the ruins:
Stop, oh my friends, let us pause to weep over the remembrance of my beloved.
Here was her abode on the edge of the sandy desert between Dakhool and Howmal.
The traces of her encampment are not wholly obliterated even now;
For when the Sonth wind blows the sand over them the North wind sweeps it away.
The courtyards and enclosures of the old home have become desolate;
The dung of the wild deer lies there thick as the seeds of pepper.
On the morning of our separation it was as if I stood in the gardens of our tribe,
Amid the acacia-shrubs where my eyes were blinded with tears by the smart
from the bursting pods of colocynth.
As I lament thus in the place made desolate, my friends stop their camels;
They cry to me "Do not die of grief; bear this sorrow patiently."
Nay, the cure of my sorrow must come from gushing tears.
Yet, is there any hope that this desolation can bring me solace?
Imru-Ul-Quais was the most famous of the pre-Islamic poets, and for good reason. His suspended poem is the star of the collection. Like its counterparts, it shifts imagery and setting frequently and includes its own dramatic thunderstorm in the desert:
But come, my friends, as we stand here mourning, do you see the lightning?
See its glittering, like the flash of two moving hands, amid the thick gathering clouds.
Its glory shines like the lamps of a monk when he has dipped their wicks thick in oil.
I sat down with my companions and watched the lightning and the coming storm.
So wide-spread was the rain that its right end seemed over Quatan,
Yet we could see its left end pouring down on Satar, and beyond that over Yazbul.
So mighty was the storm that it hurled upon their faces the huge kanahbul trees,
The spray of it drove the wild goats down from the hills of Quanan.
In the gardens of Taimaa not a date-tree was left standing,
Nor a building, except those strengthened with heavy stones.
The mountain, at the first downpour of the rain, looked like a giant of our people draped in a striped cloak.
The peak of Mujaimir in the flood and rush of débris looked like a whirling spindle.
The clouds poured forth their gift on the desert of Ghabeet, till it blossomed
As though a Yemani merchant were spreading out all the rich clothes from his trunks,
As though the little birds of the valley of Jiwaa awakened in the morning
And burst forth in song after a morning draught of old, pure, spiced wine.
As though all the wild beasts had been covered with sand and mud, like the onion's root-bulbs.
They were drowned and lost in the depths of the desert at evening.
The hanging poems are often held up as the finest examples of poetry from this ancient era, though they are far from the only samples which survive. They comprise perhaps the best representation of the poetic styles and subject matters of the day, as well as providing valuable insight into daily life in this distant land.
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September 15, 2024quintessential 6th century pre-islamic poetry. Favourites: Labīd, al-A'sha, Imru' al-Qais.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews