Arabian Satire: Poetry from 18th-Century Najd

This Lively Volume Collects Poems By Hmedan Al-shwe'ir, Who Lived In Najd In The Arabian Peninsula Shortly Before The Hegemony Of The Wahhabi Movement In The Early 18th Century.a Master Of Satire Known For His Ribald Humor, Self-deprecation, And Invective Verse (hija), Hmedan Was Acerbic In His Criticisms Of Society And Its Morals, Voiced In In A Poetic Idiom That Is Widely Referred To As “nabati,” Here A Mix Of Najdi Vernacular And Archaic Vocabulary And Images Dating Back To The Origins Of Arabic Poetry. In Arabian Satire, Hmedan Is Mostly Concerned With Worldly Matters, And Addresses These In Different Guises: As The Patriarch At The Helm Of The Family Boat And Its Unruly Crew; As A Picaresque Anti-hero Who Revels In Taking Potshots At The Established Order, Its Hypocrisy, And Its Moral Failings; As A Peasant Who Labors Over His Palm Trees, Often To No Avail And With No Guarantee Of Success; And As A Poet Recording In Verse How He Thinks Things Ought To Be.the Poems In Arabian Satire Reveal A Plucky, Headstrong, Yet Intensely Socially Committed Figure—representative Of The Traditional Najdi Ethos—who Infuses His Verse With Proverbs, Maxims, And Words Of Wisdom Expressed Plainly And Conversationally. Hmedan Is Accordingly Ed By Historians Of The Gulf Region And In Anthologies Of Popular Sayings. This Is The First Full Translation Of This Remarkable Poet. Frontmatter -- Letter From The General Editor -- Table Of Contents -- Introduction -- Map: Northeastern Arabia -- Map: Central Najd Around Sudayr And Al-washm -- Note On The Text -- Notes To The Introduction -- Arabian Satire -- Notes -- Glossary -- Bibliography -- Further Reading -- Index Of Poems, Editions, And Manuscripts Used For This Edition -- Index -- About The Nyu Abu Dhabi Institute -- About The Typefaces -- Titles Published By The Library Of Arabic Literature -- About The Editor–translator Ḥmēdān Al-shwēʿir; Marcel Kurpershoek. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. In English And Arabic.