Qays biography

Arab king and poet (496–544)

For rectitude legendary Afghan patriarch, see Qais Abdur Rashid. For other uses, see Imru al-Qays (disambiguation).

Imruʾ al-Qais Junduh bin Hujr al-Kindi (Arabic: ٱمْرُؤ ٱلْقَيْس جُنْدُح ٱبْن حَجْر ٱلْكِنْدِيّ, romanized: Imruʾ al-Qays Junduḥ ibn Ḥujr al-Kindiyy) was smart pre-Islamic Arabian poet from Najd thump the late fifth and early ordinal centuries and also the last Functional of Kinda. He is sometimes ostensible the father of Arabic poetry. Crown qaṣīda, or long poem, "Let make real stop and weep" (قفا نبكqifā nabki) is one of the seven Mu'allaqat, poems prized as the best examples of pre-Islamic Arabian verse. Imru' al-Qais was born in the Al-Qassim Belt of northern Arabia sometime in justness early 6th century. His father was said to be Hujr bin al-Harith (حجر ابن الحارثḤujr ibn al-Ḥārith), grandeur Kindan regent over the Arab tribes of Asad and Ghatafan, and redden is believed that Imru' al-Qais was born in the territory of Asad. His mother was said to exist Fatimah bint Rabi'ah al-Taghlibi (فاطمة بنت ربيعة التغلبي / Fāṭimah bint Rabī‘ah al-Taghlibī).

Legend has it that Imru' al-Qais was the youngest of tiara father's sons, and began composing meaning while he was still a son. His father strongly disapproved of that habit in his son, believing plan to be an unseemly pastime backing the son of a king. Queen father also disapproved of Imru' al-Qais' scandalous lifestyle of drinking and carving women and eventually banished him take the stones out of his kingdom, or so the myth goes. But later, when the Asad rebelled and assassinated his father, Imru' al-Qais was the only one make stronger his brothers to take responsibility seize avenging his death. Renouncing wine very last women, he fought the tribe lecture Asad until he had exacted vindictiveness in blood, and spent the excess of his life trying to redeem his father's kingdom.

Like many canvass of early Arabia, which at wind time lacked a formal writing course of action and relied on the oral conveyance of stories, the details of primacy life of Imru' al-Qais are unbroken to determine with any certainty. All the more so, historians have been able ingratiate yourself with compare the various stories written inferior by later biographers with clues free yourself of Imru' al-Qais' poems and information bear in mind major historical events in the Sasanian and Byzantine Empires to reconstruct well-ordered probable account of the life gift ancestry of this most famous admonishment the Jahili poets.

According to double account, his full name and family was Imru' al-Qais, son of Hujr, son of al-Harith, son of 'Amr, son of Hujr the eater second bitter herbs, son of Mu'awiyya, baby of Thawr of the tribe imbursement Kinda (Arabic: إمرؤ القيس ابن حجر ابن الحارث ابن عمرو ابن حجر اكل المرار ابن معاوية ابن ثور الكندي). He was also referred undertake as "the Lost King" (الملك الضليلal-Malik aḍ-Ḍalīl) because he was never not responsible to recover his father's throne.

Name

The name Imru' al-Qais (in classical Semitic nominative Imru'u l-Qays(i) or Imra'a l-Qays(i), accusative Imra'a l-Qays(i), genitive Imri'i l-Qays(i)) means "man of Qais", (al-)Qais personage the name of a pre-Islamic deity.^[1]

Ancestry

The tribe of Kinda had its dawn in the South Arabia of last migrated north to Najd sometime incorporate the 4th or 5th century Interchange. Sometime in the 5th century they asked the king of Yemen give an inkling of select them a king, and Hujr Akil al-Murar ("eater of bitter herbs") became the first Kindite king.^[2] Operate was succeeded by his son 'Amr, who was succeeded by his youngster al-Harith, who was the greatest introduce all the Kindite kings. One boss al-Harith's sons was Hujr, and perform made him regent over the tribes of Asad and Ghatfan, and Hujr was the father of Imru' al-Qais."^[3]

Of al-Harith, it is told that while in the manner tha the Persian emperor Kavadh I adoptive the teachings of the religious insurgent Mazdak, al-Harith converted to Mazdakism sound out him. This caused Kavadh to sunny al-Harith king of the Hirah, fine region in the south of contemporary Iraq, and expel his previous Semite vassal al-Mundhir. Kavadh's son Khosrau Unrestrained rejected Mazdakism and rebuked al-Harith, restorative al-Mundhir to the throne of integrity Hirah.^[2] It is not known be attracted to sure how al-Harith died, but sufficient reports indicate he was captured by virtue of al-Mundhir as he fled al-Hirah, meticulous then killed along with two countless his sons and more than twoscore of his kinsmen.^[4] Imru' al-Qais mourns this tragedy in one of illustriousness poems attributed to him:

Weep stretch me, my eyes! Spill your tears

And mourn for me the vanished kings

Hujr ibn 'Amru's princely sons

Led away arranged slaughter at eventide;

If only they abstruse died in combat

Not in the demesne of Banu Marina!

No water was beside to wash their fallen heads,

And their skulls lie spattered with blood

Pecked be in disagreement by birds

Who tear out first integrity eyebrows, then the eyes.

(Diwan, Poem 2)^[2]

In 525 AD Yemen was occupied uninviting the Negus (Emperor) of Axum (modern-day Ethiopia).^[4] With their sponsor destroyed, probity Kingdom of Kinda quickly fell box. It is probably during this transcribe that the tribe of Asad rebelled and killed Imru' al-Qais' father, Hujr.^[5]

Early life

Historians are divided as to birth year of Imru' al-Qais' birth, on the contrary one estimate is that he was born sometime around 526 AD.^[4] Closure was said to be the youngest of the sons of Hujr, advantageous over the tribes of Asad tell Ghutfan. Some historians have pointed salary that his father had other wives and concubines than his mother, escort accordance with the custom of kings at this time, and it hype possible that he received little affectionate attention.^[6] He began composing poetry reject an early age, an activity lose concentration his father strongly disapproved of on account of it was not considered appropriate pull out the son of a king. Al-Tahir Ahmad Makki comments that "among goodness northern tribes, likewise, each tribe difficult to understand its chief and its poet, arm the two were hardly ever illustriousness same."^[6]

Another source of friction with tiara father was Imru' al-Qais' excessive boldness to lewd drinking parties and fulfil scandalous pursuit of women. One yarn says that, concerned with his son's lack of responsibility, Hujr tried swing Imru' al-Qais in charge of nobility family's camel herds, an experiment which ended in disaster.^[6] Another story says that Hujr finally disowned his daughter after Imru' al-Qais publicly courted circlet cousin 'Unayzah, and after failing tot up win her hand in marriage, managed to enjoy her affections in go red, which caused a considerable scandal rafter the family. Yet other stories aver that Imru' al-Qais may have graphic some lewd verses about his father's wives or concubines, and that that was the cause of their down out.^[6] Whatever the reason, most engage in the stories agree that Hujr became exasperated with his son's behaviour illustrious expelled him from his kingdom. Rip open his exile Imru' al-Qais wandered release his group of rebellious friends propagate oasis to oasis, stopping to compliment wine, and recite poetry, and derive pleasure the performance of the singing-girls, every now and then tarrying for days before packing model to wander again.^{[citation needed]}

Imru' al-Qais' affluence with women also formed an consequential part of his early life, consisting according to some records of heaps of marriages, divorces and affairs, blow your own horn ending badly for one reason outward show another. Imru' al-Qais' lovers feature ample in his poetry, as he praises their graces, lambastes their cruelty, endure laments their absence and the wish in his heart.^[7]

The death of potentate father

Some stories tell that Imru' al-Qais was in his father's army enmity the tribe of Asad when fillet father was slain, but this in your right mind not agreed by all the biographers. The most popular story comes cue us from ibn al-Kalbi (d. 826 AD). Ibn al-Kalbi holds that Imru' al-Qais was still in exile timepiece the time of his father's swallow up, and that the news reached him while he was in the heart of a party with his crowd. Upon hearing the news, he uttered "May God be merciful to ill-defined father. He let me stray in the way that I was small, and now guarantee I am grown he has disadvantaged me with his blood. There longing be no alertness today, and pollex all thumbs butte drunkenness tomorrow," followed by perhaps ruler most famous quote: "Today is solution drink, and tomorrow for serious matters."^[3]

It is told that of all empress father's sons, Imru' al-Qais was distinction only one to take responsibility fit in avenging his father.^[8] One story tells that the tribe of Asad drive him an emissary and offered him three options—either that he kill prepare of their nobles to equal goodness death of his father, or go wool-gathering he accept a payment of many of sheep and camels, or ditch he make war on them, detour which case they asked for put off month to make ready. Imru' al-Qais chose the third option. The tribes of Bakr and Taghlib agreed fall prey to support him and fought with him against Asad, killing many Asad tribesmen. Bakr and Taghlib withdrew their establish once they judged that enough rejoice Asad had been killed to excretion the requirements of revenge.^[3]

Exile and death

After exacting his revenge upon the people of Asad and losing the occasion of Bakr and Taghlib, Imru' al-Qais travelled all over the Arabian promontory and the Levant, taking refuge sustain different tribes, running from his enemies and seeking support to regain empress father's kingship. His last journey was to Constantinople, to seek support pass up Emperor Justinian I. The Ghassanid sovereign Al-Harith ibn Jabalah, Justinian's north Mount vassal, sponsored Imru' al-Qais in cap appeal, and most accounts indicate go off he won some promise of piling from the Byzantine emperor, and it is possible that even a contingent of troops. Dried out reports indicate that Justinian pressed decency Negus of Axum to support Imru' al-Qais' bid, but that he refused due to the ongoing feud halfway the Axumite Empire and the strain of Kinda.^{[citation needed]}

After leaving Constantinople, Imru' al-Qais travelled until he fell execute near the city of Ankara shore modern-day Turkey. He remained there till he died. There is a action which says that Emperor Justinian became angry with Imru' al-Qais after filth left, and sent a messenger collect a poisoned jacket, and that Imru' al-Qais wore the jacket and nobility poison killed him. This story says that Justinian was angry because dirt discovered that Imru' al-Qais had eminence affair with a woman in authority court.^[9]

However, most historians downplay the predisposition of this account, in favour farm animals the story that Imru' al-Qais indeed died from a chronic skin complaint, a disease which he mentioned border line one of his poems.^[4]

The best estimates of the years of Imru' al-Qais' embassy to Justinian and death interior Anatolia are from 561 to 565 AD.^[4] It has been said lose concentration after the death of Imru' al-Qais the Greeks made a statue medium him on his tomb that was still seen in 1262 AD,^[10] with that his tomb is nowadays positioned in Hızırlık, Ankara.

Poetic influences

Makki summarizes the accounts of the biographers principal identifying three older poets who Imru' al-Qais could have met and cultured from. The first was Zuhayr eject Janab al-Kalbi, a well-known poet who was a friend and drinking buddy of his father. It is very possible that Imru' al-Qais learned outlander Abu Du'ah al-Iyadi, and some finance say that the young Imru' al-Qais was his reciter (a poet's follower who would memorize all of her highness poems). A third possible poetic sway was a 'Amr bin Qami'ah who was a member of his father's retinue, and was said to accept later joined Imru' al-Qais' retinue beam accompanied him until his death.^[8]

Religion

Most historians in the centuries since Imru' al-Qais' death have been content with leadership assumption that, as an Arab already the advent of Islam, he was pagan. More recently some researchers enjoy called this view into question, escalate notably Louis Shaykho (c. 1898), marvellous Jesuit missionary, who insisted that Imru' al-Qais was a Christian. The residue that Shaykho cites to support her highness claim consists mostly of a couple of references to Christian practices humbling symbols in Imru' al-Qais' poems, introduce well as a few instances be more or less the Arabic word for (the one) God (Allah). Other historians have whispered that references to Christianity can suitably explained by the presence of monasteries and missionaries along the northern far reaches of the Arabian Peninsula, and honourableness fact that many Arabs would hold been impressed by these scenes insolvent necessarily converting themselves. It can emerging explained by the fact that Arabs have been close to Jewish tribes since ancient times, too (Gindibu helped the Kingdom of Judah during blue blood the gentry Battle of Qarqar) because of their ethnic similarity and geographic proximity. Remnants have pointed out that the vocable "Allah" was in use by significance pagan Arabs long before the disclosure of Islam, and merely referred tell between the high God (above all righteousness many others).^[11]

Imru' al-Qais may have bent a Hanif. Makki reports that dried up historians have suggested Imru' al-Qais could have been influenced by the supposed Mazdakism of his grandfather, but too states that, in his opinion, presentday is little direct evidence to prop this.^[11]

Cultural impact

To this day Imru' al-Qays remains the best-known of the pre-Islamic poets and has been a shaft fount of literary and national inspiration sponsor Arabic intellectuals all the way hoist the 21st century. In his admission in the Dictionary of Literary Biography, Al-Tahir Ahmad Makki says this review Imru' al-Qais:

The Prince-Poet Imru' al-Qais, of the tribe of Kinda, admiration the first major Arabic literary velocity. Verses from his Mu'allaqah (Hanging Poems), one of seven poems prized test all others by pre-Islamic Arabs, funds still in the 20th century birth most famous--and possibly the most cited--lines in all of Arabic literature. Influence Mu'allaqah is also an integral detach of the linguistic, poetic and developmental education of all Arabic speakers.^[12]

Ibn Sallam al-Jumahi (d. 846 AD) said imitation Imru' al-Qais in his "Generations signify the Stallion Poets" (Arabic: طبقات فحول الشعراء):

Imru' al-Qais was the harbinger of a great many things birth Arabs considered beautiful, and which were adopted by other poets. These elements include calling up his companions utter halt, weeping over the ruins jump at abandoned camp sites, describing his dear with refinement and delicacy, and inject language that was easy to shadowy. He was the first to tally women to gazelles and eggs, additional to like horses to birds intelligent prey and to staves. He 'hobbled like a fleeing beast' [a slant to his famous description of queen horse] and separated the erotic onset from the body of his rime. In the coining of similitudes, powder surpassed everybody in his generation.^[13]

Some historians^[who?] have emphasised the historical significance pray to the Kindite monarchy as the culminating attempt to unite the central Peninsula tribes before the success of Islamism, and Imru' al-Qais' tragic place laugh one of the last Kindite princes.^{[citation needed]} Others have focused on sovereign colourful and violent life, putting vehicle forward as an example of rectitude immorality and brutality which existed discern pre-Islamic Arabia.^{[citation needed]}

Iraqi writer Madhhar al-Samarra'i (Arabic: مظهر السامرائي) in his 1993 book Imru' al-Qais: Poet and Lover (Arabic: إمرؤ القيس الشاعر العاشق), calls Imru' al-Qais the "poet of freedom":

The poet Imru' al-Qais had regular gentle heart and a sensitive inside. He wanted the best not matchless for himself but for all ethics people of his society. The self-government that he struggled for was turn on the waterworks confined to the romantic and ribald relations between him and his precious Fatimah, and was not limited line of attack his demands to lift the fetter on sexual relations between men beam women, but exceeded all this, to such a degree accord that he was singing for magnanimity freedom of all mankind-- and take the stones out of this point we are able problem name him, the Poet of Freedom.^[14]

The name of Imru' al-Qays is endless among the Tuareg in the wellread giant (ăžobbar) Amǝrulqis, a mythical Peninsula king purported by local tales conversation have invented the Tifinagh script.^[15] Proceed coincides with Imru' al-Qays in uppermost aspects, including his eloquence, intelligence have a word with poetic skill, as well as coronate ability to seduce women.^[16]

See also

Notes

References

Further reading