The Literary Heritage of the Arabs

Suheil Bushrui: Suheil Bushrui is a distinguished author, poet, critic and translator, particularly revered as an authority on the works of W.B. Yeats, whose work he translated into Arabic, and Kahlil Gibran. He is a Senior Research Scholar at the Center for International Development and Conflict Management, University of Maryland. Previous books include 'The Spiritual Heritage of the Human Race: An Introduction to the World's Religions' and 'The Wisdom of the Arabs'.>

A landmark anthology of Arabic literature, covering the past 1,500 years from the Pre-Islamic through to contemporary work.

Contents Introduction i Part I: The Pre-Islamic Period ( Jahiliyya) 1 The Mu'allaqat Ode of Imru al-Qais 3 Ode of Labid 9 Ka'b Bin Zuhair Su'ad is gone 14 al-Aswad Bin Yafur Ode from the Mufaddaliyat 17 al-Khansa Lament for My Brother 19 al-Tirrimah In the Heart of the Desert 20 Jamil Oh, That Youth's Flower Anew Might Lift its Head 20 Katari of Mazin To His Own Soul 21 'Umar Ibn Abi Rabi'ah Blame Me No More, O Comrades! 21 Part II: The Islamic Age 23 The Holy Qur'an The Opening 25 Surah XIX: Mary 25 Surah LIX: Exile 31 Surah LXXXIX: The Dawn 33 Hadith Selected Sayings 35 the literary heritage of the arabs Shaybani's Siyar The Islamic Law of Nations 37 Part III: The Ummayad Dynasty 47 al-Akhtal Youth Departed but Often I Enjoyed It 49 al-Farazdaq Let all weep for al-Hajjaj 50 Jarir al-Farazdaq Visited the Folk of Hijaz 51 Abd al-Hamid al-Katib The Art of Secretaryship 53 Ibn al-Muqaffa The Rabbit and the Elephant 57 Ibn Ishaq The Prophet's Mission 59 Bashshar Ibn Burd Will No Emissary Be Found 63 Part IV: The Abbasid Dynasty 65 Rabia al-Adawiya O My Joy and My Desire and My Refuge 67 Ibn al-Ahnaf Love 67 Abu Nuwas Four Things 68 Thou Scolder of Grape and Me 68 The Great Offence 69 Hurry, for the Beergardens are Blooming 69 Thus by the Camel He Loves 70 Abu'l Atahiya Vanity: To Harun al-Rashid 71 Surely Shall Fate Disjoint the Proudest Nose 72 Virtue Cast an Eye at Me Coming 72 Dibil I Recall the Campsite at 'Arafah 73 al-Jahiz The Book of Proof: Concerning Asceticism 75 Abu Tammam In Praise of the Caliph Mu'tasim 78 al-Buhturi Bodies of Water Like Horses 80 Ibn Qutayba Extracts from Uyun al-Akhbar 80 Ibn al-Rumi The Chess Champion 85 The Compromise 86 He Defends Himself 86 al-Tabari The Battle of Badr 87 al-Junayd The Book of the Cure of Souls 89 al-Hallaj Three Qasidas 92 Ibn al-Mu'tazz In Praise of Chess 97 Night 97 We Shouted for Servants, but all Slept 97 al-Razi The Repelling of Grief 98 al-Farabi The City and the Household 102 al-Mas'udi Pearl-Fishing 104 Character of the Caliph Muhtadi 104 al-Mutanabbi Parting Has Just Taught Our Eyelids Separation 106 Shame Kept My Tears Away 108 Couplet 109 How Glows Mine Heart 109 Naught Kills the Noble like Forgiveness 110 My Songs Gave Eyes to the Blind, Ears to the Deaf 110 An Induction 111 Here is the Final Stretch 111 Abu Firas al-Hamdani Thy Fiercest Foe is One Thou Dost Not Fight 112 Grief Amasses, Patience Scatters 113 al-Tawhidi Arabs and Non-Arabs 113 al-Tanukhi Table Talk 117 al-Kalabadhi The Sufi Doctrine of Vision 118 al-Hamadhani The Assembly of Qazwin 120 al-Biruni Determination of the Length of Ramadan 122 al-Ma'arri The Epistle of Forgiveness 127 Letter to Abu Ahmad 'Abd al-Salim Ibn al-Husain 128 From the Diwan 130 From the Lazumiyat 130 'Tis Said That Spirits Remove by Transmigration 131 In the Casket of the Hours 132 Thou Art Diseased in Understanding and Religion 132 Ibn Sina (Avicenna) Concerning the Temporal Origin of the Soul 133 Epistle of the Soul 135 On Prophecy 136 al-Hariri The Assembly of Hajr 141 The Assembly of Damascus 145 Contents al-Ghazzali The Beginning of Guidance 150 The First Duty of Brotherhood 153 The Physical Sciences 157 Ibn Rushd (Averroes) The Law Makes Philosophic Studies Obligatory 161 Usama The Protection of Allah 167 Ibn Tufayl Hayy Admires the Work of the Creator 168 Playing with Fire 169 Ibn Jubayr A Description of the Mosque of the Apostle of God and of His Sacred Rawdah 171 Ibn Arabi The Wisdom of Virtue in the Word of Luqman 175 Whoso Knoweth Himself - 177 Selections from Tarjuman al-Ashwaq 182 Ibnu'l Farid The Meeting 185 Where Eyes Encounter Souls in Battle-Fray 185 Lo, From Behind the Veil Mysterious 186 Ibn Khallikan How the Game of Chess was Invented 188 Ja'far and al-Rashid 190 al-Busiri The Prophet 193 Part V: al-Andalus - Arab Spain 195 Ibn Hazm Of Fidelity 197 Of Betrayal 204 Anxiety 205 Twice Times Then is Now 208 the literary heritage of the arabs Ibn 'Abd Rabbihi Modest Blush 209 Ibn Zaydun Poem to Wallada 209 al-Mutamid The Moon, The Stars, and a King 210 Abu'l Hasan Ali ibn Hisn The Pigeon 211 Ibn Hamdis The Andalusian Fountains 212 Flowing Stream 213 Abus Salt The Incense Burner 213 Ibn Quzman The Radish 214 Ibn Hayyun The Girl with the Beauty-Spots 214 Ibn Sa'ad al-Khair The Draw-well 215 Ibn al-Faras Moon of Beauty 216 Ibn Said The Guardians 216 Ibn Maimon (Moses Maimonides) Guide for the Perplexed 217 Saadia Gaon Concerning How it is Most Proper for Man to Conduct Himself in this World 222 Solomon ibn Gabirol The Ethics of Solomon Gabirol 228 Part VI: The Age of Depression 231 Ibn Battuta Across North Africa 233 Ibn al-Khatib Time of Meeting 240 Ibn Khaldun Five Extracts from Muqaddimah 241 A Sign of Royal Authority 248 The Romance of Antar Antar goes to Mecca 250 Prince Shas In Captivity 252 Antar Summoned From Mecca To Rescue Shas 253 'Abla's Treasure Restored 255 The Arabian Nights The Tale of the Birds and Beasts and the Carpenter 260 The Story of the Envier and the Envied 268 Men in the Judgment of their Wives 270 Adventure of the Caliph Haroon al-Rusheed 272 Part VII: al-Nahda - Renaissance of Arabic Literature 277 Abd al-Rahman al-Kawakibi The Virtues of the Arabs 279 Ahmad Shawqi From Act I of Majnun Layla 281 To a Late Composer 286 The Feast of Time 287 An Andalusian Exile 288 Hafiz Ibrahim Elegy to Mustafa Kamil 289 Khalil Mutran The Arab Awakening 292 Ma'ruf al-Rusafi Fairest 293 the literary heritage of the arabs Ilya Abu Madi Envoi 294 Life and Love 295 The Phoenix 296 Gibran Kahlil Gibran The Poet 298 From a Speech by Khalil the Heretic 299 Ameen Rihani Light 302 Supplication: A Prayer 303 Mikhail Naimy A New Year 304 Comrade! 311 Taha Hussein An Egyptian Childhood 312 From The Stream of Days 319 Abbas al-Aqqad Drinking Song 322 Double Trouble 324 May Ziadah Rejoice 325 Ahmad al-Safi al-Najafi To a Clock 328 Mahmud Taymur The Fare 329 Tewfiq al-Hakim Song of Death 334 Part VIII: Modern Arabic Literature 351 Abu al-Qasim al-Shabi I Weep for Love 353 To the Tyrant 354 Naguib Mahfouz An Unnerving Sound 354 Jabra Ibrahim Jabra A Stranger at the Fountain 360 Khalil Hawi The Bridge 362 'Abd al-Wahhab al-Bayati Apology for a Short Speech 364 Salah 'Abd al-Sabur The Tatars Attacked 365 Mahmoud Darwish Pride and Fury 367 Promises from the Storm 368 Adonis Iram the Many-Columned 369 Beginning Speech 370 Badr Shakir al-Sayyab A City Without Rain 371 Rain Song 374 Yusuf al-Khal The Deserted Well 377 Muhammad al-Fayturi To Two Unknown Eyes 379 Sorrow of the Black City 380 Nazik al-Mala'ika Who Am I? 382 Five Hymns to Pain 383 Mona Fayad Whisper 387 Salma al-Khadra al-Jayyusi Without Roots 388 In the Casbah 392 Scrapping Limits 392 April Woman 394 Fudwa Tuqan A Prayer to the New Year 396 Elegy 397 In the Flux 398 Mai Sayigh Departure 399 Nizar Qabbani Bread, Hashish and Moonlight 400 Poems 402 Language 405 May Rihani The Wedding of My City 406 Palm Trees 407 Antoine Raad A Poet's Treasure 408 Henri Zoghaib This Is The Now 408 Notes 411 Notes on Authors 423 Acknowledgements 439 Notes on Editors 447