The History, Poetry, and Genealogy of the Yemen: The Akhbar of Abid B. Sharya Al-Jurhumi (Gorgias Dissertations)

The history, poetry, and genealogy of the Yemen is the earliest known history of pre-Islamic Yemen. Attributed to the South Arabian historian 'Abid b. Sharya al-Jurhumi d. 680 A.D.), it recounts in prose and poetry six saga cycles of ancient personages and events of the Yemen. Here, two sagas, the dispersion of Sam's descendants from Babel to the Yemen, and the destruction of the tribes of 'Ad and Thamud, are translated with complete annotation. The tales of Luqman b. 'Ad and his seven vultures, Sulayman and Bilqis, the Himyarite kings, and Tasm and Jadis are given in full synopses. Akhbar al-Yaman wa-Ash'a-ruha wa-Ansabuha [The history, poetry, and genealogy of the Yemen] is the earliest known history of pre-Islamic Yemen. Attributed to the South Arabian historian'Abid b. Sharya al-Jurhumi, a court historian to the caliph Mu'awiya (d. 680 CE), it recounts in prose and poetry six saga cycles of ancient personages and events of the Yemen. Here, two sagas, the dispersion of Sam's descendants from Babel to the Yemen, and the destruction of the tribes of'Ad and Thamud, are translated in their entirety with complete philological and historical annotation. The tales of Luqman b.'Ad and his seven vultures, Sulayman and Bilqis, the Himyarite kings, and Tasm and Jadis are given in full synopses. Neither the attribution of the work to its purported author,'Abid b. Sharya, nor its contents can be definitively authenticated. Moreover, its dating and transmission cannot be positively determined. Nonetheless, it is argued that'Abid b. Sharya was, in fact, the author, and that his Akhbar reflects the history of the pre-Islamic Arabs as he reported it, even if its preserved form contains some later additions that cannot be considered originals. In a paean to the superiority of South Arabian civilization,'Abid glorifies the accomplishments of Qahtan's descendants during the Jahiliyya. This translation, annotation, and synopsis will be useful to scholars of early Islamic historiography and literature. The Akhbār Al-yaman -- ʻabīd B. Sharya And His Akhbār -- The Contents Of Akhbār -- The Poems -- Authenticity And Dating -- The Manuscripts And Editions Of Akhbār -- The Complete & Perfect History Of ʻabīd B. Sharya Al-jurhumī -- On The History, Poetry, And Genealogy Of The Yemen -- Remarks On The Preparation Of The Translation -- The Introduction Of Akhbār -- And The Cycle Of The Dispersion Of Sām's Descendants -- The Story Of The Destruction Of The ʻĀd -- The Story Of The Last ʻĀd -- The Story Of The Thamūd -- Comparative Register Of Poems -- Introduction -- Poems Occurring In Akhbār And Tījān -- Poems Of Well-known Poets Quoted In Akhbār -- The Arabic Text Of ʻabīd's Akhbār -- Pages 311-496 Of The Hyderabad Edition -- Bibliography -- Index Of References. Elise W. Crosby. Second Printing--title Page Verso. First Gorgia Press Ed. Published 2007 As V.1 In The Series Gorgias Dissertations. Arabic And Islamic Studies And V. 24 In The Series Gorgias Dissertations. Originally Presented As The Author's Dissertation (doctoral)--yale University, 1985. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. Text In English And Arabic.