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

410 Pages·2007·63.567 MB·English

by  Elise W. Crosby

The History, Poetry, and
Genealogy of the Yemen
Gorgias Islamic Studies
3
Gorgias Islamic Studies spans a wide range of subject areas, seeking to
understand Islam as a complete cultural and religious unity. This
series draws together political, socio-cultural, textual, and historical
approaches from across disciplines. Containing monographs, edited
collections of essays, and primary source texts in translation, this
series seeks to present a comprehensive, critical, and constructive
picture of this centuries- and continent-spanning religion.
The History, Poetry, and
Genealogy of the Yemen
The Akhbar of Abid b. Sharya Al-Jurhumi
Elise W. Crosby
9
34
2013
Gorgias Press LLC, 954 River Road, Piscataway, NJ, 08854, USA
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2013 ܘ 9
ISBN 978-1-59333-394-2
Second Printing
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication
Data
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from the Library of Congress.
Printed in the United States of America
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Acknowledgments vii
Abbreviations ix
Part I:Introduction
The Akhb(cid:262)r al-Yaman 1
1 (cid:551)Ab(cid:297)d b. Sharya and His Akhb(cid:262)r 5
2 The Contents of Akhb(cid:262)r 15
3 The Poems 45
4 Authenticity and Dating 51
5 The Manuscripts and Editions of Akhb(cid:262)r 61
Part II: The Complete & Perfect History of (cid:551)Ab(cid:297)d b. Sharya al-Jurhum(cid:297)
on the History, Poetry, and Genealogy of the Yemen
Remarks on the Preparation of the Translation 67
6 The Introduction of Akhb(cid:262)r
and the Cycle of the Dispersion of S(cid:262)m’s Descendants 69
7 The Story of the Destruction of the (cid:551)(cid:261)d 87
8 The Story of the Last (cid:551)(cid:261)d 137
9 The Story of the Tham(cid:351)d 141
Part III: Comparative Register of Poems
Introduction 177
10 Poems Occurring in Akhb(cid:262)r and T(cid:297)j(cid:262)n 179
11 Poems of Well-Known Poets Quoted in Akhb(cid:262)r 191
Part IV: The Arabic Text of (cid:551)Ab(cid:297)d’s Akhb(cid:194)r
Pages 311–496 of the Hyderabad edition 203
Bibliography 385
Index of References 393
v

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
In 1980, the late Professor Franz Rosenthal of Yale University first sug-
gested to me the topic of (cid:551)Ab(cid:297)d’s History, Poetry, and Genealogy of the Yemen. I
acknowledge my indebtedness for his comments, advice, and instruction
during the preparation of this translation and express my gratitude to him
for everything he has taught me. I also owe thanks to my teachers and the
readers of my dissertation at Yale, Professor Dimitri Gutas and the late
Professor Marvin Pope. As well, I also gratefully acknowledge the education
and inspiration from all my teachers and colleagues at the following institu-
tions: Stanford University; the Department of Near Eastern Languages and
Cultures at UCLA; the Department of Near Eastern Languages and Litera-
tures at Yale University; the American Institute of Yemeni Studies, which
supported my research in the Yemen Arab Republic 1980–1982; and the
Fulbright Scholarship Committee. Among the other scholars who gener-
ously gave time and attention to this translation, and whom I acknowledge,
are Qadi Isma(cid:551)il al-Akwa(cid:551), Professor Yusuf (cid:551)Abd Allah, Professor Ibrahim
al-Silawi, and Father Albert Jamme. I also thank Mr. Peter T. Daniels for
his incisive editing and high professional standards. Of course, any errors of
interpretation, fact, or translation remain entirely my own. Finally, I thank
Taylor, Benjamin, Isabel, and Louisa for their support, love, and encour-
agement through the years.
Elise Werner Crosby
vii

ABBREVIATIONS
Full references for the works listed here are given in the Bibliography.
Akhb(cid:262)r (cid:551)Ab(cid:297)d b. Sharya al-Jurhum(cid:297),Akhb(cid:262)r al Yaman …
B British Library ms. Or. 2901 (see Rieu, Supplemen-
tary Catalogue …, 365)
Bad’ al-Maqdisi,Kit(cid:262)b al-bad’ wa-’t-ta’r(cid:297)kh
Buld(cid:262)n Y(cid:262)q(cid:351)t,Mu’jam al-buld(cid:262)n
EI2 Encyclopaedia of Islam, 2nd edition
ESA Epigraphic South Arabian
GAL Brockelmann, Geschichte der arabischen Litteratur
GAS Sezgin, Geschichte des arabischen Schrifttums
Ikl(cid:297)l al-Hamd(cid:262)n(cid:297),al-Ikl(cid:297)l
Jamhara al-Qurash(cid:297),Jamharat ash(cid:551)(cid:262)r al-(cid:551)arab
K(cid:262)mil Ibn al-Ath(cid:297)r,al-K(cid:262)mil f(cid:297) t-ta’r(cid:297)kh
Ma(cid:551)(cid:262)rif Ibn Qutayba, Kit(cid:262)b al ma(cid:551)(cid:262)rif
Mu(cid:551)ammar(cid:297)n Ab(cid:351)(cid:663)(cid:262)tim as-Sijist(cid:262)n(cid:297),Kit(cid:262)b al-mu(cid:551)ammar(cid:297)n
Mul(cid:351)k Nashw(cid:262)n al-(cid:663)imyar(cid:297),Mul(cid:351)k(cid:665)imyar wa-aqy(cid:262)l al-
Yaman
Muntakhab(cid:262)t Nashw(cid:262)n al-(cid:663)imyar(cid:297),Muntakhab(cid:262)t f(cid:297) akhb(cid:262)r al-
Yaman …
Mur(cid:351)j al-Mas(cid:551)(cid:351)d(cid:297),Mur(cid:351)j adh-Dhahab wa-ma(cid:551)(cid:262)din al-jawhar
Nashwa Ibn Sa(cid:551)(cid:297)d al-Maghrib(cid:297), “Die Geschichte der
‘Reinen Araber’ …”
Qur’(cid:263)n citations after Arberry, Koran Interpreted
(cid:669)ab.,Tafs(cid:297)r a(cid:668)-(cid:669)abar(cid:297),Tafs(cid:297)r al-Qur’(cid:262)n
Ta’r(cid:297)kh a(cid:668)-(cid:669)abar(cid:297),Ta’r(cid:297)kh ar-rusul wa-’l-mul(cid:351)k
Tanb(cid:297)h al-Mas(cid:551)(cid:351)d(cid:297),Kit(cid:262)b at-tanb(cid:297)h wa-’l-ishr(cid:262)f
T(cid:297)j(cid:262)n Ibn Hish(cid:262)m, Kit(cid:262)b at-t(cid:297)j(cid:262)n
ix