The Raven and the Falcon: Youth Versus Old Age in Medieval Arabic Literature

440 Pages·2014·3.581 MB·English

by  Hasan Shuraydi

The Raven and the Falcon
Islamic History
and Civilization
Studies and Texts
Editorial Board
Hinrich Biesterfeldt
Sebastian Günther
Wadad Kadi
VOLUME 107
The titles published in this series are listed at brill.com/ihc
The Raven and the Falcon
Youth versus Old Age in Medieval Arabic Literature
By
Hasan Shuraydi
LEIDEN | BOSTON
Cover illustration: Maqāmāt al-Ḥarīrī manuscript (1237), 10th Maqāma: Abū Zayd using his son as a snare to
tempt the governor by his beauty and get compensation. Painting by Yaḥyā ibn Maḥmūd al-Wāsiṭī (13th cen-
tury, Iraq). BnF, ARABE 5847, folio 26. See below, p. 124.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Shuraydi, Hasan.
 The Raven and the falcon : youth versus old age in medieval Arabic literature / by Hasan Shuraydi.
  pages cm. — (Islamic history and civilization ; 107)
 Includes bibliographical references and index.
 ISBN 978-90-04-27160-9 (hardback : alk. paper) — ISBN 978-90-04-27895-0 (e-book) 1. Arabic literature—
750–1258—History and criticism. 2. Arabic literature—1258–1800—History and criticism. 3. Old age in
literature. 4. Aging in literature. 5. Youth in literature. I. Title.
 PJ7519.O43S58 2014
 892.7’090034—dc23
2014018088
This publication has been typeset in the multilingual ‘Brill’ typeface. With over 5,100 characters covering
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issn 0929-2403
isbn 978-90-04-27160-9 (hardback)
isbn 978-90-04-27895-0 (e-book)
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This book is printed on acid-free paper.
I recited this poem at the international conference in commemoration of the
centennial of the birth of Franz Rosenthal, Yale University, April 25–27, 2014.
The book mentioned in the poem is Rosenthal’s Man versus Society in Medieval
Islam, launched at the conference.
تنن ن ش
لا�����و� �ت�����ت��������
�تن�ال�ع �ُن ��ت����ش�����ل�ا �ن�ت�ح �رِّ�ح����ت���ن �نِا����ح�ل� ا رِح�س�� ر�ِت�س��أا � ت�نل���ت� �ِن اك�
�تن�او� ملٍ��عِ رِح��ن � ن��� �نٍ���ت�������ش� لُ���ن��ح� �تن�ا�عد ��تح� دُ��ت�������ت���ل�ا �ت�نع� دِّ�ص�
�نِا��ت����ت�ألا �ِ���او��ن �ن��� ا�سٍ���ا���ن �تن�ا�ع�����ل�ا �نو�ن���ن �ت�ن� ا�ٍِ�ّت��ن�ح�ِن �ِن اك�
�نِا�ت�رس��ل�او �نِا��نو�ت�ل�ا � ِش ار�ت �ن��� �ِت ا����نر�ت�ل�او مِ�ول��ع�ل�ا �ت�ن� اٍد��أا�
�نِار�ِت���ل�ا �ِنود �ُن�ت�ل�أا��ت�ل�ا ا����ُ�ّ�ه� ا�ه�ا�ص��ن�ُت� �ل تٍ� ِ�ّ��ه�ِ � ت�ن� ا�ِتٍ�ّر�ِن�طِ
:�ن ا��نرعُ�ل�ا ت� �ا�ص��ن�ح� �ت�ن� �ْت�ل��عنوأا ت��ل���ت����أا � ٍش وح��ن �ن��� اٍ�ِّ ُد �ت�ع� د��نأا
�تن�ا���أ�لا و ِّل��حُ �ل أا ت ��هِ�ا���ك �ُ�ن �ن��� رْس�ِ�تْ����ِ�و �ٍ ا�ح�ست��نا �ل أا ��شٍ�ت�����ش�ح� �ن���
�نِا��ت��ن�ل�ا رِ�ت���أا اد��ت ���ت�رِّ�ح دٍ��تد�حن �ٍن اك��ت �ت�ن� مِ�و�ت�ل�ا �ُترس�ش�ُت�
�نِا���ك� ل�ا �ِت وص����ك ر ْ�ح�����ْ�ِت� � نٍا����ل���ن ِ���ت�ل��ع �ْت�ِ�ن���شأاو �تش�اك� ُ ���ت���دِّ��ت�
�نِا���رنك��ل� ٍت ��ن�وح�عن�ُأا � �ت��ن�ت� �ِن�وس�� مُ�ار��ك ل�ا ا����ُّ�تأا �ِنو��ر��كُ�ت �ن��� ِ �ّن أا
ن ّ ُُ ت ٍ ن
�ِا����ل� لِ���ك �ن ���������ا �ت�ر�حن���ت��������و �تل ا�ع�����ل�ا �ِت�رط �ل��ع ا�ا�����و
My Shaykh Rosenthal
My heart, a captive of beautiful women’s magic, was set free when gray
hair descended upon me.
Poetry had turned away from me until I was invited to a celebration for a
teacher who led me to gulp from his sea of knowledge.
He was a jinni in the art of ideas, a knight of perfection,
A pioneer in the sciences and translations from Greek and Syriac
heritage,
And like Ṭabari in having peerless ambition, preoccupied with writing
rather than marriage,
Creating pearls of original studies that penetrate deeply into Arab
civilization:
From hashish to suicide and gambling; from humor to sweet hope.
These shine today in a new book, edited by the hands of the prince of
eloquence,
Presented and commended by Kathy, whose voice captivates like the
sound of the violin.
The man you’re honoring, noble participants, will remain a miracle of
time,
A lighthouse on the road to high distinction, and his name will be on all
tongues.
Contents
Preface  xi
List of Illustrations  xiii
Introduction  1
1 Arab vs. Western Tradition  1
2 Scope  23
3 Sources  25
1 Toward a Definition of the Ages of Man  33
1 Medical Authors  34
2 Non-Medical Authors  37
3 A Sample of Longevity  48
2 The Age of Beauty  51
1 Color  51
2 Youth = Spring  67
3 Beauty  69
4 Health and Vigor  77
5 al-Dahr (Time, Fate)  79
6 Reflections by a Nonagenarian Warrior on His Old Age  84
3 Youthful Pleasures and Repentance  87
1 Pre-Islamic Pleasures  87
2 What is Pleasure?  91
3 Ḥijāzī and Umayyad Pleasure  95
a Two Amatory Poets  95
b Singers  98
4 ʿAbbāsid Joie de Vivre  103
a Singing Slave Girls  108
b Two Amatory Poets  110
c Pederasty  119
5 Repentance  134
4 Lament for Lost Youth  141
1 Death of Youth  141
2 Reminiscences  150
3 The Ride of Abū Nuwās  166
4 Lamentable Changes  171
viii contents
5 Intellectual Pursuits  177
1 Inexperience vs. Experience  177
2 Ignorance vs. Wisdom  182
3 Ambition  185
4 Quest for Knowledge  193
5 Education  199
6 Instructions for Tutors  209
6 Code of Conduct  217
1 Folly and Intoxication  217
2 Promised Recompenses for Behavior  226
3 Honoring Age  230
4 Recalcitrance (ʿuqūq)  240
7 Marriage and Sexuality  246
1 Fasting: An Alternative to Marriage  247
2 The Dowry  248
3 Onanism  250
4 Self-Castration and the Sexual Urge  251
5 Criteria for Choosing a Wife  256
6 The Cult of Virginity  260
7 Remarriage  266
8 Disparity in Age: Old Husband—Young Wife  276
9 Celibate Scholars  289
8 Religio-Political Leadership and the Promise of Paradise  292
1 Leadership  292
2 Combat  307
3 Wish for Martyrdom  312
4 Paradise: A Bargaining Chip  320
5 Jihad vs. Filial Piety  321
6 Bulūgh (Majority, Puberty)  324
9 Rejuvenation and Paradisiacal Youth  331
1 Rejuvenation  331
2 Camouflaging Age: Hair Dyeing  338
3 al-Khaḍir—Drinking the Water of Life  346
4 Paradisiacal Youth  349
contents ix
Concluding Remarks  357
Appendix A: Rhetorical Devices  365
Appendix B: Monographs Apparently Lost  371
Bibliography  373
General Index  400