Qasida Poetry in Islamic Asia and Africa (2 vols.): 1. Classical Traditions & Modern Meanings / 2. Eulogy's Bounty, Meaning's Abundance. An Anthology

by Stefan Sperl (Editor), Professor of Modern Languages of South Asia School of Oriental and African Studies (Soas) Christophe (Editor)

This publication deals with the qasida, a poetic genre of Arabic origin which has become a major vehicle for the expression of societal and religious ideals in many languages of Asia and Africa. Volume One is a collection of papers by international specialists dealing with classical and modern qasida traditions that range from those in Arabic, Persian and Turkish in the Islamic heartland to languages further afield such as Urdu, Indonesian and Hausa. The papers focus upon selected poems which are published, together with an English translation, in Volume Two. This anthology contains fifty poems in fourteen languages dating from the seventh to the twentieth centuries. In their unprecedented scope, these volumes make a unique contribution to the comparative study of poetry and literary history in the Islamic world.

532 pages, Leather Bound

First published January 1, 1996

Reviews

[Tatyana · Rating 5 out of 5]

"In union with her a year to me is but an instant,
An hour’s separation like a year."
- Omar ibn Al-Farid (1118-1234), from “Pass round the remembrance of my love“

"Pass round the remembrance of my love, even in reproach,
For tales about the loved are my wine !"
- Omar ibn Al-Farid (1118-1234), from “Pass round the remembrance of my love“

"And committing sins are sweet to me now because of her."
- Omar ibn Al-Farid (1118-1234)