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A major translation achievement, this anthology presents a rich assortment of classical Arabic poems and literary prose, from pre-Islamic times until the 18th century, with short introductions to guide non-specialist students and informative endnotes and bibliography for advanced scholars. Both entertaining and informative, Classical Arabic Literature ranges from the early Bedouin poems with their evocation of desert life to refined urban lyrical verse, from tender love poetry to sonorous eulogy and vicious lampoon, and from the heights of mystical rapture to the frivolity of comic verse. Prose selections include anecdotes, entertaining or edifying tales and parables, a fairy-tale, a bawdy story, samples of literary criticism, and much more. With this anthology, distinguished Arabist Geert Jan van Gelder brings together well-known texts as well as less familiar pieces new even to scholars. Classical Arabic Literature reveals the rich variety of pre-modern Arabic social and cultural life, where secular texts flourished alongside religious ones. This masterful anthology introduces this vibrant literary heritage—including pieces translated into English for the first time—to a wide spectrum of new readers.
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Classical Arabic Literature Library of Arabic Literature Editorial Board General Editor Philip F. Kennedy, New York University Executive Editors James E. Montgomery, University of Cambridge Shawkat M. Toorawa, Cornell University Editors Julia Bray, University of Oxford Michael Cooperson, University of California, Los Angeles Joseph E. Lowry, University of Pennsylvania Tahera Qutbuddin, University of Chicago Devin J. Stewart, Emory University Managing Editor Chip Rossetti Volume Editor Philip F. Kennedy Letter from the General Editor The Library of Arabic Literature is a new series offering Arabic editions and English translations of key works of classical and premodern Arabic literature, as well as anthologies and thematic readers. Books in the series are edited and translated by distinguished scholars of Arabic and Islamic studies, and are published in parallel-text format with Arabic and English on facing pages. The Library of Arabic Literature includes texts from the pre-Islamic era to the cusp of the modern period, and will encompass a wide range of genres, including poetry, poetics, fiction, religion, philosophy, law, science, history, and historiography. Supported by a grant from the New York University Abu Dhabi Institute, and established in partnership with NYU Press, the Library of Arabic Literature produces authoritative Arabic editions and modern, lucid English translations, with the goal of introducing the Arabic literary heritage to scholars and students, as well as to a general audience of readers. Philip F. Kennedy General Editor, Library of Arabic Literature iii ال��من ظ� ���� � � ال��منث �و م و � ��و�ر Classical Arabic Literature A Library of Arabic Literature Anthology selected and translated by Geert Jan van Gelder New York University Press New York and London NEW YORK UNIVERSITY PRESS New York and London Copyright © 2013 by New York University All rights reserved Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Classical Arabic literature : a library of Arabic literature anthology / selected and translated by Geert Jan van Gelder. p. cm. — (Library of Arabic Literature) Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978-0-8147-7027-6 (cl : alk. paper) — ISBN 978-0-8147-3826-9 (pb : alk. paper) — ISBN 978-0-8147-4511-3 (e-book) — ISBN 978-0-8147-7120-4 (e-book) 1. Arabic literature—Translations into English. I. Gelder, G. J. H. van PJ7694.E1C53 2012 892.7’08—dc23 2012030086 CIP New York University Press books are printed on acid-free paper, and their binding materials are chosen for strength and du