Classical Poems By Arab Women : A Bilingual Anthology

Rating:
Summary: Fine translations of unusually vivid poems
Review: Al-Udhari's Classical Poems by Arab Women includes both the original Arabic and his own English translations of poetry as
bold, witty and sensual as the surviving fragments of Sappho. Many of the finest of these poets lived in Arab Andalucia, one of
the most sophisticated and tolerant cultures ever to have existed in Europe. The following lines are taken from poems by
Hafsa, who lived in C12 Granada:
'Ask the lightning when it roarrips the nightcalm if it's seen my man as it makes me think of him.'

'If you were not a star I would be in the dark.'

'I send my earththrilling poems to visit you like a garden that can't go visiting but reaches out with its floating scent.'

Sadly, the poets in this volume are also like Sappho in another respect: very little of their work has survived.

Al-Udhari resists not only the tendency within much of contemporary Islam to deny the creativity of women, but also an equally entrenched tendency to deny the worth of pre-Islamic Arab culture. One of the most powerful poems in this volume was written in the sixth century of the common era, by Jalila bint Murra. Her husband, a tribal king, has been murdered by her brother, and her husband's sister has accused her of complicity in the murder:
'Noble lady, don't be so quick to throw your blame on me, first unhusk the facts, then lash on. (...)

My womenfolk, today time has catastrophed me and encircled me with fire, since crying for a day or two is not like crying for an untomorrowed day. (...)

I am the killer and the killed, may Allah save me from this curse.'

Jalila's courage and depth of perception is remarkable. It is probable that no feud or war -- between families, nations, or cultures - is ever resolved until both parties can bring themselves to say these almost unsayable words: "I am the killer and the killed".

Rating:
Summary: Important New Work, Great Translation
Review: Brilliant compilation of early Arab women poets. I not only enjoyed the poems, but the layout of the book was ingenious. Readers of ancient women writers must read this book. Professors of early feminist writings must teach these poems instead of starting with medieval European women. Hopefully, more work will be done in this field.