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Book/Printed Material The Most Poetical of Poetry.

About this Item

Title

  • The Most Poetical of Poetry.

Summary

  • Like many of his contemporaries, Rizq Allah Hassun (1825-80) set out to transcribe the classics into a refreshed Arabic idiom. In Ashʻar al-shiʻr (The most poetical of poetry), he chooses to recast selected Old Testament texts in an accessible poetic form. The book of Job is prominently featured in the collection because, as the author says in his foreword, it ranks with Homer and Shakespeare as a monument of world literature. Hassun's translation of the story of Job into Arabic poetry is not intended as a Bible reading for the devout, but rather as a demonstration of the richness and adaptability of the Arabic language. Hassun based his poems on the Arabic translation of Cornelius Van Dyck (1818-95), which Hassun termed "the best Arabic translation of the Bible I've seen," and on the English Bible of 1811, with notes by John Styles. The work also contains poetic renditions from the books of Exodus, Deuteronomy, the Song of Solomon, Ecclesiastes, and Lamentations. Rizq Allah Hassun took an active part in the cultural and political life of his times. He founded one of the first Arabic newspapers and took part in the anti-Ottoman opposition in the Levant and in the imperial capital, Constantinople (present-day Istanbul), for which he was forced to go into exile in Russia and England. Ash'ar al-shi'r conforms to the pattern of Hassun's other publications in its emphasis on literary style as a quality to be cultivated for its own sake, rather than as a vehicle for proselytizing or personal piety. There is no colophon giving publication details, but occasional notes mention that he completed drafts in 1869 while residing in England. The book was printed in 1870 at the American Press in Beirut.

Names

  • Ḥassūn, Rizq Allāh ibn Niʻmat Allāh, author.

Created / Published

  • Beirut : American Press, 1870.

Headings

  • -  Lebanon--Beirut
  • -  1870
  • -  Arabic language
  • -  Arabic poetry
  • -  Bible--Criticism, interpretation, etc
  • -  Bible. New Testament
  • -  Poetry

Notes

  • -  Title devised, in English, by Library staff.
  • -  Original resource extent: 136 pages ; 22 centimeters.
  • -  Reference extracted from World Digital Library: "Ḥassūn, Rizq Allah (1825-80)" in Julie Scott Meisami and Paul Starkey, editors, Encyclopedia of Arabic Literature (London: Routledge, 1998).
  • -  Original resource at: Qatar National Library.
  • -  Content in Arabic.
  • -  Description based on data extracted from World Digital Library, which may be extracted from partner institutions.

Medium

  • 1 online resource.

Digital Id

Library of Congress Control Number

  • 2021666249

Online Format

  • compressed data
  • pdf
  • image

Additional Metadata Formats

IIIF Presentation Manifest

Rights & Access

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Credit Line: [Original Source citation], World Digital Library

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Cite This Item

Citations are generated automatically from bibliographic data as a convenience, and may not be complete or accurate.

Chicago citation style:

Ḥassūn, Rizq Allāh Ibn NiʻMat Allāh, Author. The Most Poetical of Poetry. Beirut: American Press, 1870. Pdf. https://www.loc.gov/item/2021666249/.

APA citation style:

Ḥassūn, R. A. I. N. A. (1870) The Most Poetical of Poetry. Beirut: American Press. [Pdf] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/2021666249/.

MLA citation style:

Ḥassūn, Rizq Allāh Ibn NiʻMat Allāh, Author. The Most Poetical of Poetry. Beirut: American Press, 1870. Pdf. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, <www.loc.gov/item/2021666249/>.