Famous Arabian writers and poets

 Poetry has always been at the heart of Arabic

culture, not least as the oldest means for its earliest
speakers to record their beliefs and wisdom, oral
narratives and philosophy.
 Contemporary Arab poets may write in more
varied forms and styles then ever before, but they
still capture the essence of our age, using Arabic
lyricism, metaphors and images in conjunction
with twists and astonishment .
 Arabic poets writes in a variety of forms and
styles, including the classic ode, the modern ode
and free prose. There is also room for works and
recitals in colloquial Arabic, especially in Egypt,
Iraq, Lebanon, Morocco and Jordan, where it
finds a broad audience.
C Imru’ al- Qais (501-565)
L - Heir to the throne of the Kinda tribe, which was
A based in the Arabian Peninsula, Al- Qais chose a
S life of travelling, drinking, fighting and poetry.
S - Al- Qais is considered by many to be superior
I because of his astonishing metaphors and beautiful
verses, which echo his desire to be a worthy lover,
C wise man, warrior and master.
- May You Be Happy This Morning, Worn Traces
P is one of his poem
O - His masterpiece is the Mu’allaqa, an ode so
E revered that is written in gold on sheets of
T paper which are then hung on the walls of
Kaabah in Mecca, Islam’s most revered shrine
S (its name translates as “hung ode”
The Kaabah in Mecca, Islam’s most holy site
C Al- Khansa (575-645)
- Tamadir bint Amr, better
L known as Al Khansa, is one of
A the world’s famous female poets,
S converting to Islam during the
lifetime of the Prophet
S Mohammed.
I
C - Her masterpiece is her eulogies
to her brother Sakhr, a tribal
chief who severely wounded and
P later died after a raid against the
O rival Bani Assad tribe.
E
T
S - Elegy for Sakhr
- Her verses are full of fine metaphors about
loss, life, love and departure. Yet while four of
her children were killed during Muslim battles
against the Romans and Persians.
C Al – Mutanabbi (915-965)
L
A - The life of Al-Matunabbi is perhaps
S best described as an epic journey to
glory, money and power.
S
I - Many of his verses are used today
as proverbs to reflect on life
C experiences of friendship, love,
departure, war and death.
P - Born in Kufa, Iraq, as Ahmed bin
O al- Hussein al- Kindi, his nickname
E translates as ‘”he who would be a
prophet’”.
T
S - He was killed by Bandits while travelling from
Ahvaz in modern – day Iran.
C Abu Nuwas ( 756- 814)
L
A - The reputation of Abu Nuwas in the Arab
world is built on his adoration of wine and as the
S poet of gay love.
S
I - Around 1,500 of his verses survive, including
several masterpieces which reflect his
C experience of cosmopolitan life in Baghdad
where nations gathered in taverns, libraries,
P bazaars, mosques and bath houses.
O - His works is punchy, spontaneous and full
E sharp twists as he vocally celebrated pleasure,
male lovers, wine, music and good company,
T while despising war and the clash of swords.
S
M Mahmoud Darwish (1941- 2008)
O
- Considered the leading light of
D his generation, Darwish has been
E translated more than any other
modern poet into English.
R
- He was born in the Palestinian
N village of al- Birwa under the
British mandate but fled as the
Israeli authorities took control
P and displaced thousands of
O Arabs.
E - Published more than 30 volumes of
T poetry and 8 books of prose.
S - He also wrote a poem “ Excerpt from the eternity of Cactus”
 Iman Mersal (1966- present)
M
O - Mersal is an Egyptian poet and
currently a professor of Arabic
D Literature at the University of
E Alberta, Canada
R
N - His poems delve into the
personal and banal but then
P morph into metaphors about life,
travel and motherhood.
O
E
T - She writes free prose, a style of poetry which is not
S metered by the Arabic rhythm: These Are Not Oranges,
My Love, a selection of her works, was published in 2018.
THANK YOU!
AND
GOOD DAY