Poems of Arab Andalusia [Paperback]

Cola Franzen (Translator)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1, 2001

These poems, from the astonishing 10th- through 13th-century civilization in Andalusia, are based on the codex of Ibn Sa'id, who wanted poems "whose idea is more subtle than the West Wind, and whose language is more beautiful than a fair face." Spanish readers have long been enchanted by their enduring appeal through the versions by Emilio García Gómez. This poetry of Arab Andalusia made a profound impact on Spain's Generation of ‘27. Rafael Alberti says that it "was a revelation for me and had a great influence on my work, but above all influenced the work of Federico García Lorca.

Editorial Reviews

Review

The Garden by Abd Allah Ibn Al-simak
The Procuress by Abu Jaafar
Fiesta In A Garden by Abu L-qasim Ibn-saqqat
Mourning In Andalusia by Abu-l-hasan Al-husri
To A Person Reed Blown About By The Wind by Abul Hajjaj
Reflection Of Wine by Abul Hasan Of Seville
Rain Over The River by Abul Qasim Of Alcira
The White Stallion by Abus Salt
The Sun by Al-haitham
White Stallion With Black Markings On His Hooves by Al-haitham
The Stork by Ghalib Ibn Ribah Al-hajjam
Night Of Love by Ben Safar Al-marini Of Almeria
Tide In The Guadalquivir by Ben Safar Al-marini Of Almeria
The Valley Of Almeria by Ben Safar Al-marini Of Almeria
Night Of Festivities by Muhammad Ii Al-mu'tamid
The Prisoner In Aghmat Speaks To His Chains by Muhammad Ii Al-mu'tamid
Remembering Silves by Muhammad Ii Al-mu'tamid
Reproach by Abd Al-rahman Al-mustazhir
Slave Boy by Yusuf Ibn Harun Al-ramadi
Absence by Abu Bakr Al-turtushi
White Skin by Ibn Abd Rabbihi
Honey River by Ibn Abi Rawh
Insomnia by Abu Amir Ibn Al-hammarah
Al-mu 'tamid And His Family Go Into Exile by Ibn Al-labbana
In The Battle by Ibn Al-qabturnu
Invitation by Ibn Al-qabturnu
Petition For A Falcon by Ibn Al-qabturnu
Walnut by Ibn Al-qutiya
The Fountain by Ibn Al-ra'i'a
Gift Of A Mirror by Ibn Al-sabuni
The Goblets by Idris Ibn Al-yamani
Scene Of Love by Ibn Baqi
The Rooster by Ibn Billita
Lilies by Ibn Darraj Al-andalusi
Chastity by Ibn Faraj
Blue River by Muhammad Ibn Ghalib Al-rusafi
Serene Evening by Muhammad Ibn Ghalib Al-rusafi
My Beloved Comes by Ibn Hazm
Split My Heart by Ibn Hazm
Grainfield by Ibn Iyad
Leavetaking by Ibn Jakha
The Embroidered Wrap by Abu Ishaq Ibrahim Ibn Ali 'l-fath Ibn Khafaja
The Dancer by Ibn Kharuf
Festival By The River by Ibn Lubbal
The Battle by Ibn Sa'id Al-maghribi
Black Horse With White Chest by Ibn Sa'id Al-maghribi
The Wind by Ibn Sa'id Al-maghribi
Satire by Ibn Sharaf
After The Revels by Ibn Shuhayd
Summer Storm by Ibn Shuhayd
Drinking Poem by Ibn Siraj
Fragments From The 'qasida In The Rhyme Of Nun' by Abu 'l-walid Ahmad Ibn Abd Allah Ibn Zaidun
Written From Al-zahra by Abu 'l-walid Ahmad Ibn Abd Allah Ibn Zaidun
Apology by Ibrahim Ibn Uthman
The Beauty At The Revels by Marwan Ibn Abd Al-rahman
My Beautiful One by Safwan Ibn Idris
Daybreak by Sahl Ben Malik
The Brazier by Ben Sara Of Santaren
Pool With Turtles by Ben Sara Of Santaren
Bubbles by Ubadah Ibn Ma' Al-sama
The Beloved by Umar Ibn Umar
-- Table of Poems from Poem Finder®

Language Notes

Text: English (translation)
Original Language: Spanish, Arabic

Product Details

• Paperback: 96 pages
• Publisher: City Lights Publishers (January 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0872862429
• ISBN-13: 978-0872862425
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.5 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #147,046 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #18 in Books > Literature & Fiction > World Literature > Middle Eastern > Arabic
  • #22 in Books > Literature & Fiction > History & Criticism > African

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Moving Translations, January 12, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Poems of Arab Andalusia (Paperback)

I love poetry and I love the history of al-Andalus, so I raced through this book. The poetry is both beautiful and moving. Franzen's introduction states that this is a translation from a translation (Arabic to Spanish to English) so purists who speak either Arabic or Spanish may want to track down these poems in either the original or the first-remove. I do not speak either Arabic or Spanish and so cannot testify to Franzen's fidelity to the Arabic verse. I preferred Franzen to A.J. Arberry's more direct translation, however. Franzen's translations definitely work as emotionally powerful poetry.

23 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Splendid Find!, June 28, 2001

By 

"exile3" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Poems of Arab Andalusia (Paperback)

So much of the world would relegate Arabs to an intellectual and cultural dustbin, not realizing that at one time Spain's Andalucia -- like Baghdad and Damascus -- were the world's intellectual centers while central Europe wallowed in the Dark Ages. This collection goes a long way in restoring Arab poets to their rightful place in the great literature of the world, providing the lover of poetry with a mesmerizing feast of complex and extended meataphors. Highly recommended to say the least!

19 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Another international poetry gem, May 6, 2000

By 

M. J. Smith (Seattle, WA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Poems of Arab Andalusia (Paperback)

What a wonderful selection of poems - each a gem with its own perfection: "her modesty turns / turns pearl into carnelian" or "The skin of the sky / is as smooth as the pelt / or the river".

Certainly the frequent references to wine and love remind one that the poetry has an Arab origin. But there is also a sense of non-Arab place as in "The Valley of Almeria".

The poems witness Spain as the border - a moving border - between the Arab and European worlds. As such, this too slim volume provides context for both Spanish and Arabic poetry.