Poetry
ديوان المتنبي
Not translated into English
Al-Mutanabbi · 950
Synopsis
The poems of al-Mutanabbi: pieces of youth and wandering, great panegyrics of the Hamdanid prince Sayf al-Dawla and his campaigns against Byzantium, praise and then virulent satires of Kafur, the master of Egypt. Throughout, the poet's pride, his descriptions of battles and his maxims on glory, fate and life, many of which have become proverbs that are still quoted.
Context
The collection is dominated by the panegyrics of Sayf al-Dawla, prince of Aleppo, at whose side the poet lived for nine years as a favourite, showered with gifts and fighting beside him against Byzantium, and by the satires he wrote against Kafur on leaving Egypt, disappointed at having obtained no office there. His rivalries with the poets of the Aleppo court, Abu Firas al-Hamdani foremost among them, have left their mark on it.
Who it is for
In classical Arabic, to be read in an annotated edition; in French, a selection of poems translated by Hoa Hoï Vuong and Patrick Mégarbané.
Prizes and reception
Its author is regarded as the greatest poet in the Arabic language; many of his verses have become proverbs, and a booksellers' street in Baghdad bears his name.