Fadl Ashsha'ira
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Fadl Ashsha'ira (died 871) was one of 'three early ‘Abbasid singing girls ... particularly famous for their poetry' and is one of the pre-eminent medieval Arabic female poets whose work survives.[1]
Life
Born in Yamama, Bahrain, Fadl was brought up in Basra, Iraq. Her brothers sold her to a leading officer of the caliphate, and he gave her to Caliph Al-Mutawakkil (r. 847-61). Fadl became a prominent figure in the court. According to Ibn Annadim, a bibliographer (died 1047), Fadl's diwan extended to twenty pages.[2]
Poetry
An example of Fadl's work, in the translation of Abdullah al-Udhari, is:
- The following poem was written in response to the poet Abu Dulaf (d. 840) who hinted in a poem that she was not a virgin and he preferred virgins, whom he compared to unpierced pearls.
-
- Riding beasts are no joy to ride until they're bridled and mounted.
- So pearls are useless unless they're pierced and threaded.[3]
References
- ↑ Tahera Qutbuddin, 'Women Poets', in Medieval Islamic Civilisation: An Encyclopedia, ed. by Josef W. Meri, 2 vols (New York: Routledge, 2006), II 866, http://nelc.uchicago.edu/sites/nelc.uchicago.edu/files/2006%20Women%20Poets%20(Med.%20Islamic.%20Civ.%20Enc.).pdf.
- ↑ Classical Poems by Arab Women: A Bilingual Anthology, ed. and trans. by Abdullah al-Udhari (London: Saqi Books, 1999), p. 132 ISBN 086356-047-4; books.google.co.uk/books/about/Classical_poems_by_Arab_women.html?id=WniBAAAAIAAJ&.
- ↑ Classical Poems by Arab Women: A Bilingual Anthology, ed. and trans. by Abdullah al-Udhari (London: Saqi Books, 1999), p. 132 ISBN 086356-047-4; books.google.co.uk/books/about/Classical_poems_by_Arab_women.html?id=WniBAAAAIAAJ&.
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