Classical Poems By Arab Women [Paperback]

Abdullah al-Udhari (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 1, 2001

This is a collection of poetry by Arab women from the Jahiliyya (pre-Islamic era) to the Andalusian period. The poems are excursions into the women’s vibrant world whose humanity has been suppressed for centuries by religious and political bigotry; an affirmation of the women’s belief in themselves as free spirits who are the equals of men and have the will to lead a life of their own choice. They celebrate the triumph of feminine wit over the arrogance of muscle power. Classical Poems by Arab Women shows, for the first time, the unseen sparks of Arab women’s innermost emotions. This is a bilingual edition in which the English version appears facing the Arabic original.

Editorial Reviews

Review

'Al-Udhari's effort to clarify this subject really does fill a gap and contributes to a more balanced discussion that the works about women in the modern Arab world allow.' Folklore Bulletin, Ohio State University 'The very process of anthologizing the names of so many unfamiliar poets has provided a useful historical survey.' Roger Allen, MESA Bulletin 'An outspoken and controversial book that provides many moments for both enjoyment and reflection.' Denys Johnston-Davies, Al-Ahram 'One of the most exciting books to have come my way this year ... Vividly conveys the richness and diversity of a culture more closely related to our own than we realize.' Prospect 'A unique anthology ... illuminates the unique works of Arab women poets.' Moris Farhi, Mother Tongues

Language Notes

Text: English, Arabic (translation)
Original Language: Arabic --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 250 pages
• Publisher: Saqi Books (February 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0863560474
• ISBN-13: 978-0863560477
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.4 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #855,701 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #74 in Books > Education & Reference > Foreign Language Nonfiction > Arabic

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fine translations of unusually vivid poems, November 3, 2001

By 

R. H. Chandler (London England) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Classical Poems by Arab Women (Hardcover)

Al-Udhari's Classical Poems by Arab Women includes both the original Arabic and his own English translations of poetry as
bold, witty and sensual as the surviving fragments of Sappho. Many of the finest of these poets lived in Arab Andalucia, one of
the most sophisticated and tolerant cultures ever to have existed in Europe. The following lines are taken from poems by
Hafsa, who lived in C12 Granada:
'Ask the lightning when it roarrips the nightcalm if it's seen my man as it makes me think of him.'

'If you were not a star I would be in the dark.'

'I send my earththrilling poems to visit you like a garden that can't go visiting but reaches out with its floating scent.'

Sadly, the poets in this volume are also like Sappho in another respect: very little of their work has survived.

Al-Udhari resists not only the tendency within much of contemporary Islam to deny the creativity of women, but also an equally entrenched tendency to deny the worth of pre-Islamic Arab culture. One of the most powerful poems in this volume was written in the sixth century of the common era, by Jalila bint Murra. Her husband, a tribal king, has been murdered by her brother, and her husband's sister has accused her of complicity in the murder:
'Noble lady, don't be so quick to throw your blame on me, first unhusk the facts, then lash on. (...)

My womenfolk, today time has catastrophed me and encircled me with fire, since crying for a day or two is not like crying for an untomorrowed day. (...)

I am the killer and the killed, may Allah save me from this curse.'

Jalila's courage and depth of perception is remarkable. It is probable that no feud or war -- between families, nations, or cultures - is ever resolved until both parties can bring themselves to say these almost unsayable words: "I am the killer and the killed".

4 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Important New Work, Great Translation, April 6, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Classical Poems by Arab Women (Hardcover)

Brilliant compilation of early Arab women poets. I not only enjoyed the poems, but the layout of the book was ingenious. Readers of ancient women writers must read this book. Professors of early feminist writings must teach these poems instead of starting with medieval European women. Hopefully, more work will be done in this field.

4.0 out of 5 stars A Unique and Worthwhile Volume, February 18, 2012

By 

Media Digest - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Classical Poems By Arab Women (Paperback)

While the work has some faults, they are rendered fairly negligible when considered with its successes. First, the span of time. It starts with a poem from 4000 bc and continues up to 1492. Although only one poem is from bc, that's one more than most anthologies of Arab poetry. Then, the span of poets. 11 poets just from 300ce-622ce (the pre-Islamic Jahiliyya), 11 more from 622-1258 (early Islamic period, Umayyad and Abbasid empires), and a whopping 22 from 711-1492 (Andalusian period). The Arabic text is printed with a lot of the classical diacritics, making reading it easier, with the translations facing. Most poets are represented by a single poem, and most poems are a couplet or quatrain, but there are some poets with multiple poems, just as there are some poems of some length. Included are brief biographical sketches introducing poet and/or poem. The main problem is, the sketches are printed above the translation, but the original always starts at the top of the page, so the original and the translation, while facing, are not flush, which throws the reading off a little bit. Also, in many cases, especially with the longer poems, the translator puts the translation into fewer lines than the original (like a 7 line English translation of a 9 line original). I do have faith in the fidelity of the translation, but it does make it harder for a reader to match the original to the translation when you translate that way. Also, a major fault in this book is that it contains no references: no footnotes, endnotes, sources - not even a bibliography. But it's not as if I can just say that the other bilingual anthology of classical poems by Arab women might be better to get, because there isn't one. As for this one, I feel really good about having it. You will too.