Medieval Arabic Praise Poetry: Ibn Al-rumi And The Patron's Redemption (routledgecurzon Studies In Arabic And Middle Eastern Literature)

This Book Gives An Insight Into Panegyrics (madih), A Genre Central To Understanding Medieval Near Eastern Society. Poets In This Arabophone Multi-ethnic Society Would Address The Majority Of Their Verse To Rulers, Generals, Officials And The Urban Upper Classes, Its Tone Ranging From Celebration To Reprimand And Even To Threat. Beatrice Gruendler Discusses This Panegyric Genre As Represented By Ibn Al-rumi, Who Dedicated Many Of His Poems To The Last Tahirid Governor Of Baghdad. Ibn Al-rumi's Work Is Ideally Suited To This Study, As It Addresses The Issue Of Literary Patronage And Provides A Self-portrait Of The Artist And His Social Position. This Book Will Be Of Interest To Scholars Of Comparative Literature, Anthropology, Linguistics, Medieval Studies And Near Eastern Studies.--jacket. Pt. I. Setting In Stage -- 1. The Background: Poetry And Poets In Early Abbasid Society -- 2. The Form: The Abbasid Praise Qasida -- 3. The Approach: Madih And Pragmatics -- 4. The Protagonists: Ibn Al-rumi And His Patron 'ubaydallah B. 'abdallah -- 5. The Madih Exchanged Between Ibn Al-rumi And 'ubaydallah -- Pt. Ii. Speech And Characterization -- 6. Speech As Action -- 7. The Dramatis Personae -- Pt. Iii. The Dramaturgy -- 8. The Scene -- 9. The Episode And Its Witnesses -- 10. 'the Passion Of Him Whose Parting Has Grayed Is Affectation' (l191) -- 11. 'they Aimed At My Heart From The Gaps Of Veils' (l1042) -- Pt. Iv. Verbal Ornament -- 12. Supporting Figures Of Speech -- 13. Phantasmagoria -- Pt. V. Ibn Al-rumi's Ethics Of Patronage -- 14. In The Mirror Of Madih -- 15. Mutual Duties And Rights Of Benefactor And Protege -- 16. Acts And Words Between Panegyrist And Model -- Conclusion: Dramaturgy As A Rhetoric Of Ethics -- App. A. Themes Of The Qasa'id. App. B. Speech Acts In The Qasa'id -- App. C. Witnesses In The Episodes -- App. D. Poetry Dedicated To 'ubaydallah B. 'abdallah -- App. E. Concordance With Boustany. Beatrice Gruendler. Originally Presented As The Author's Thesis (ph. D.)--harvard University. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 316-326) And Indexes. Cover Half Title Title Page Copyright Page Table of Contents Preface Acknowledgments Abbreviations Note on quotes and translations Note on transliteration and dating Glossary Part I: Setting the stage 1. The background: Poetry and poets in early Abbasid society The audience The patrons The poets 2. The form: The Abbasid praise qaṣīda History of research The textual approach The intertextual approach The contextual approach Constraint and variety 3. The approach: Madīḥ and pragmatics Literary speech situation (context) and genre The criteria and types of poetic dialogue Excursus into the theory of speech acts Characterization, dramaturgy, poetic argument, and ethics 4. The protagonists: Ibn al-Rūmī and his patron 'Ubaydallāh b. 'Abdallāh 5. The madīḥ exchanged between Ibn al-Rūmī and 'Ubaydallāh The practice of praise A note on the textual sources Themes of the Qaṣā ̓id The strophe The antistrophe The metastrophe The speech acts of praise Part II: Speech and characterization 6. Speech as action Speech of humans Speech figuratively attributed to inanimate objects and abstract concepts Figurative reinterpretation of verbal acts 7. The dramatis personae Fictional personae The accuser White hair Youth Minor fictional personae Historical personae The patron The poet Part III: The dramaturgy 8. The scene The dialogue scene The extended dialogue scene The unintroduced dialogue The address The evocation The monologue The implicit and impersonal speaker 9. The episode and its witnesses Witnesses speaking or addressed in the episode Witnesses quoted in the episode 10. 'The passion of him whose parting has grayed is affectation' (L191) 11. 'They aimed at my heart from the gaps of veils' (L1042) Part IV: Verbal ornament 12. Supporting figures of speech Syntactic figures Anaphora Reprise Semantic figures Sententia and analogy The recurring motif 13. Phantasmagoria Part V: Ibn al-Rūmī's ethics of patronage 14. In the mirror of madīḥ The scenes between poet and patron The historical relationship The function of the poem 15. Mutual duties and rights of benefactor and protégé Examples of scenes: A1160, F1243, and A1510 First example Second example Third example 16. Acts and words between panegyrist and model Acts and words, their order and congruity The praise matches the acts The praise cannot live up to the acts The acts themselves compose praise through causal hyperbole The acts claim ancient praise and re-attribute it to the patron Praise precedes the acts Examples of scenes: A694, F1373', A464/F1373', and A1171/A212/L215 The acts precede the praise, and the praise matches them The praise cannot live up to the acts The acts themselves compose praise through causal hyperbole The acts claim ancient praise and re-attribute it to 'Ubaydallāh Praise preceding acts and not yet redeemed Recapitulation Conclusion: Dramaturgy as a rhetoric of ethics Appendices A. Themes of the qaṣā ̓id B. Speech acts in the qaṣā ̓id C. Witnesses in the episodes D. Poetry dedicated to 'Ubaydallāh b. 'Abdallāh E. Concordance with Boustany Notes Bibliography Index of verses General index Annotation This book gives an insight into panegyrics, a genre central to understanding medieval Near Eastern Society. Poets in this multi-ethnic society would address the majority of their verse to rulers, generals, officials, and the urban upper classes, its tone ranging from celebration to reprimand and even to threat.