Classical and Medieval Literature Criticism


al-Mutanabbi | J. Derek Latham (essay date 1979)

J. Derek Latham (essay date 1979)

SOURCE: Latham, J. Derek. “Toward a Better Understanding of al-Mutanabbi's Poem on the Battle of al-Hadath.” Journal of Arabic Literature 10 (1979): 1-22.

[In the following essay, Latham provides historical context for a celebrated poem by al-Mutanabbi and analyzes its style and symbolism.]

1. ‘Alā qadr-i ahl-i l-‘azm-i ta'tī l-‘azā'im-u wa-ta'tī ‘alā qadr-i l-kirām-i l-makārim-u

2. wa-ta‘zumu fī ‘ayn-i l-ṣaghīr-i ṣighār-u-hā wa-taṣghuru fī ‘ayn-i l-‘azīm-i l-‘azā'im-u

With the worth of men of resolve are resolutions in accordance, and in accordance with the worth of the generous are generous deeds.1

Great in the eye of the small are small deeds, and small in the eye of the great are great deeds.

It is with...

[The entire page is 10773 words long]

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