Abū al-Ṭayyib Aḥmad ibn al-Ḥusayn al-Mutanabbī al-Kindī[a](c. 915– 965AD), commonly known asAl-Mutanabbi(Arabic:المتنبّي), was anAbbasid-eraArab poet at the court of theHamdanidemirSayf al-DawlainAleppo,and for whom he composed 300 folios of poetry.[1][2][3]His poetic style earned him great popularity in his time and many of his poems are not only still widely read in today's Arab world but are considered to be proverbial.
Al-Mutanabbi المتنبي | |
|---|---|
 1917 drawing of al-Mutanabbi byKhalil Gibran | |
| Born | 915 |
| Died | 23 September 965 (aged approximately 50) |
| Other names | أبو الطيب احمد بن الحسين المتنبّي |
| Era | Islamic Golden Age (Middle Abbasid era) |
| Region | Arab world,Muslim world |
Main interests | Arabic poetry |
He started writing poetry when he was nine years old. He is well known for his sharp intelligence and wittiness. Among the topics he discussed were courage, the philosophy of life, and the description of battles. As one of the greatest, most prominent and influential poets in theArabic language,much of his work has been translated into over 20 languages worldwide.
His great talent brought him very close to many leaders of his time, whom he extolled in return for money and gifts. His political ambitions, however, ultimately soured his relations with his patrons and his egomania may have cost him his life when the subjects of some of his verse attacked him.
Biography
editAl-Mutanabbi was born in the city ofKufa(in modern dayIraq) in 915. His father claimed descent from the South Arabian tribe ofBanu Ju'fa.[4]His last name, Al-Kindī, was attributed to the district he was born.[5]
Owing to his poetic talent and claiming predecession of prophetSalih,al-Mutanabbi received an education inDamascus,Syria.When theQarmatianssacked Kufah in 924, he joined them and lived among theBanu Kalband other Bedouin tribes. Learning their doctrines and dialect, he had many followers, and even claimed to be anabi(نَـبِي,"prophet" —hence thelaqabal-Mutanabbi "The Would-be Prophet".
He led a Qarmatian revolt in Syria in 932. After its suppression and two years of imprisonment by theIkhshidgovernor ofHoms,[6]he recanted in 935 and became a wandering poet. During this period, he began writing his first known poems. Political ambition to be awaliled al-Mutanabbi to the courts ofSayf al-DawlaandAbu al-Misk Kafurbut in this ambition he failed.[citation needed]
Al-Mutanabbi lived at the time when theAbbasid Caliphatestarted coming apart and many of the states in the Islamic world became politically and militarily independent. Chief among those states was theEmirateofAleppo.
He began to writepanegyricsin the tradition established by the poetsAbu Tammamandal-Buhturi.In 948 he joined the court ofSayf al-Dawla,the Hamdanid poet-prince of northern Syria. Sayf al-Dawla was greatly concerned with fighting theByzantine EmpireinAsia minor,where Al-Mutanabbi fought alongside him. During his nine years stay at Sayf al-Dawla's court, Al-Mutanabbi wrote his greatest and most famous poems, panegyrics in praise of his patron that rank as masterpieces ofArabic poetry.
During his stay in Aleppo, Al-Mutanabbi found himself at odds with many scholars and poets in Sayf al-Dawla's court, includingAbu Firas al-Hamdani,a poet and Sayf al-Dawla's cousin. In addition, Al-Mutanabbi lost Sayf al-Dawla's favor because of his political ambition to beWāli.The latter part of this period was clouded with intrigues and jealousies that culminated in al-Mutanabbi's leaving Syria for Egypt, then ruled in name by theIkhshidids.
Al-Mutanabbi in Egypt
editAl-Mutanabbi joined the court ofAbu al-Misk Kafurafter parting ways with Sayf al-Dawla. Kafur mistrusted Al-Mutanabbi's intentions, claiming them to be a threat to his position. Al-Mutanabbi realized that his hopes of becoming astatesmanwere not going to bear fruit and he leftEgyptin c. 960. After he left, he heavily criticized Abu al-Misk Kafur with satirical odes.
Poetry and famous sayings
editThe desert knows me well, the night, the mounted men
The battle and the sword, the paper and the pen![7]
When you honour a noble man, you own him, but if you honour an ignoble man, he rebels.[8]
My deep poetic art the blind have eyes to see,
My verses ring in ears as deaf as deaf can be.[9]
| If you see thelion'scanines | Do not think that the lion is smiling. |
| Not all one hopes achieves | Winds blow counter to what ships desire. |
| If you venture in pursuit of glory | Don't be satisfied with less than the stars.[n 1] |
Death
editIn 957 Mutanabbi leftAleppo,making his way toEgyptand the court of the Abual-Misk Kafur.In 960 the poet leftEgypt,penning several satires about Kafur. He traveled toBaghdadbut was killed resisting thieves before reaching the city.[11]
Legacy
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Ibn Jinnithe grammarian (c. 941/2—1001/2) wrote a commentary on al-Mutanabbi's poetry titledAl-Fasr('The Explanation').[n 2][12]The poet philosopherAbu Al Alaa al-Marrihas also written a book of exegesis on Al-Mutanabbi's poetry.[13]Al Marri, himself an accomplished poet, would usually refer to al-Mutanabbi affectionately as "our poet". Encyclopædia Britannica states: "He gave to the traditional qaṣīdah, or ode, a freer and more personal development, writing in what can be called a neoclassical style that combined some elements of Iraqi and Syrian stylistics with classical features."[14]
Al-Mutanabbi Street
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In 1932, Mutanabbi Street, a bookselling street market ofBaghdad,was named after al-Mutanabbi to honor him who, at the time, was very well known in the region. The narrow car-free street is full of booksellers and book stores and it's one kilometer long. At the entrance of the street is an arch adorned with the poet's quotes and on the end of it is a statue of al-Mutanabbi that overlooks theTigris River.Over time, al-Mutanabbi Street evolved into a symbol of intellectual freedom, attracting writers, artists, and diverse dissenting voices from across the country.
Notes
edit- ^NASAmentioned this saying, as they congratulated theUnited Arab Emiratesfor theEmirates Mars Mission.[10]
- ^Only in the MS ofAl-Fihristin theChester Beatty Library.
References
edit- ^Nadīm (al-) 1970,p. 373.
- ^Nadīm (al-) 1970,p. 1066.
- ^Khallikān (Ibn) 1843,pp. 102–110, I.
- ^Hámori, András P."al-Mutanabbī".Encyclopaedia of Islam, THREE.
- ^al-Mutanabī. (2005).Diwān al-Mutanabī.Bayrūt: Dār al-Jīl.ISBN9953-78-127-3.OCLC225423623.
- ^Khallikān (Ibn) 1843,p. 104, I.
- ^Translation of R. A. Nicholson, as quoted inPoems Of Al-Mutanabbi. A Selection With Introductions, Translations, And Notes,1967, A.J. Arberry
- ^Poems Of Al-Mutanabbi. A Selection With Introductions, Translations, And Notes,1967, A.J. Arberry
- ^Three Great Abbasid Poets: Abu Nuwas, al-Mutanabbi & al-Ma'arri, Lives & Poems,Paul Smith
- ^@NASAPersevere (9 February 2021)."Dear @HopeMarsMission, congratulations on arriving at Mars! In the words of the poet Al Mutanabbi"(Tweet) – viaTwitter.
- ^Arberry, Arthur (1967).Poems of Al-Mutanabbi: A Selection with Introduction, Translations and Notes(1st ed.). London: Cambridge University Press. pp.54–116.ISBN978-0521108485.
- ^Nadīm (al-) 1970,p. 189.
- ^""معجز أحمد": كيف نظر المعري إلى المتنبي ".alaraby.co.uk.
- ^"Al-Mutanabbī | Muslim poet | Britannica".
- ^Travers, Alannah."Mutanabbi Street: An intellectual haven overcomes Iraq's pain".aljazeera.Retrieved16 June2023.
- ^"Baghdad rediscovers Al-Mutanabbi Street after renovation |".AW.Retrieved16 June2023.
Bibliography
edit- Owles, Eric (18 December 2008)."Then and Now: A New Chapter for Baghdad Book Market".The New York Times.Retrieved19 May2010.
- Al-Khalil, S. and Makiya, K.,The Monument: Art, Vulgarity, and Responsibility in Iraq,University of California Press, 1991, p. 74.
- Al-Mutanabbî,Le Livre des Sabres,choix de poèmes, présentation et traduction de Hoa Hoï Vuong & Patrick Mégarbané, Actes Sud, Sindbad, novembre 2012.
- Arberry, A. J. (trans.),Poems of al-Mutanabbi: A Selection with Introduction, Translations and Notes(London: Cambridge University Press, 1967).
- Khallikān (Ibn), Aḥmad ibn Muḥammad(1843).Wafayāt al-A'yān wa-Anbā' Abnā' al-Zamān (The Obituaries of Eminent Men).Vol. I. Translated byMcGuckin de Slane,William. Paris: Oriental Translation Fund of Great Britain and Ireland. pp.102–110.
- Nadīm (al-), Abū al-Faraj Muḥammad ibn Isḥāq Abū Ya'qūb al-Warrāq(1970).Dodge,Bayard (ed.).The Fihrist of al-Nadim; a tenth-century survey of Muslim culture.New York & London: Columbia University Press. pp. 189, 373, 1066.
- Nadīm (al-), Abū al-Faraj Muḥammad ibn Isḥāq(1872).Flügel,Gustav (ed.).Kitāb al-Fihrist(in Arabic).Leipzig:F.C.W. Vogel. p. 552 (169).
- Thaʻālibī, ʻAbd al-Mālik b. Muḥ.(1847).Dieterici, Friedrich(ed.).Mutanabbi und Seifuddaula aus der Edelperle [Yatîmat al-dahr] des Tsaâlibi(in German and Arabic).Leipzig:Fr. Chr. Wilh. Vogel.
- Warren, James (trans.),The Complete Poems of Al-Mutanabbi,(Cultural Books, 2022) ISBN 9798218064082
- Wormhoudt, Arthur (trans.),The Diwan of Abu Tayyib Ahmad Ibn Al-Husayn Al-Mutanabbi(Kazi 2002)ISBN9781930637382
See also
editExternal links
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- Al-Mutanabbi The Greatest Arabic Poet
- Mutanabbi's poetry recited by Samar Traboulsi
- Almotanabbi - the complete collection of Mutanabbi's poems along with explanation
- .Encyclopædia Britannica.Vol. 18 (11th ed.). 1911. pp.904–905.
- Works by Al-MutanabbiatLibriVox(public domain audiobooks)
