Wisdom in the poetry of Tarfa bin Alabd
Abstract
In the works of literature, prose and poetry carry a great
import as they reveal the beauty of language. Though both of
these genres of literature stand prominent in Arabic, their
attraction is felt greater in poetry. The Arabs classify the literature
in verses into the following categories: the era of ignorance
(العصرالجاهلی ,(makhdaram (مخضرم ,(the early period of Islam (صدراسلام ,(
the Umayyad period (الاموی عصر ,(the Abbasid period and the later
ages. Muallaqat (معلقات ,(collections of pre-Islamic Arabic odes,
composed in the era of ignorance (العصرالجاھلی ,(are widely admired
on account of their skilful use of language. The poets who
composed muallaqat are regarded so high that they are
considered the heroes of Arabic language. Tarafa bin al-Abd is
among the poets who composed a muallaqa. Some critics regard
him to be the best of the pre-Islamic poets, if not the greatest Arab
one.
Pastoral poetry is celebrated in English and other
languages but its scope is much wider in Arabic when we consider
its different kinds: ode simile (تشبیب ,(nasib (نسیب ,(hamasa, tafakhur (تفاخر (and hikma (حکمۃ .(Tarafa bin al-Abd (العبد بن طرفۃ (composed
his poems in all these branches of pastoral poetry. The present
research paper deals with poetry on wisdom, and we should not
lose the sight of wisdom handed down by the poets of pagan
times. On this score the Prophet of Islam (peace and blessings be
upon him) said: “Wisdom is the lost camel of a believer.” In the
light of this Prophetic adage, the following pages of this article
throw light on the wisdom-laden thoughts of Tarafa bin al-Abd.
د. مسعود احمد مجاهد. (2018) الحكمة في شعر طرفة بن العبد, Majallah Al-Qism Al-Arabi, Volume 25, Issue 1.
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