Amr ibn Qami'a

Amr ibn Qami'a (d. c. 81 BH / 544 CE) was a pre-Islamic Arab poet from the tribe of Bakr ibn Wa'il, regarded by classical biographers as one of the earliest known composers of Arabic verse Mukhtasar Tarikh Dimashq+1.

Lineage and early life

His full lineage is given as Amr ibn Qami'a ibn Dharih (or directly ibn Sa'd) ibn Malik ibn Dubay'a ibn Qays ibn Tha'laba, tracing back to the northern Arabian confederation of Bakr ibn Wa'il Mukhtasar Tarikh Dimashq+1. He bore the kunya Abu Ka'b al-Mufassal fi Tarikh al-…. Amr belonged to a prominent poetic family: he was the nephew of al-Muraqqish al-Akbar, the maternal uncle of al-Muraqqish al-Asghar, and the maternal grandfather of the celebrated poet Tarafa ibn al-Abd al-Mufassal fi Tarikh al-….

Following the death of his father, Amr was brought up by his uncle Marthad Tarikh al-Turath al-Arabi…. A rift reportedly developed after slanderous rumors accused him of being enamored with his uncle's wife, which compelled Amr to leave his kin Tarikh al-Turath al-Arabi…+1. During his career, he spent time in the service of Hujr, the Kindite ruler and father of the poet Imru' al-Qays, and later resided for a period at the Lakhmid court in al-Hira Tarikh al-Turath al-Arabi…+1. Amr lived to an advanced age, surviving well past his ninetieth year al-Mufassal fi Tarikh al-…+1.

Journey with Imru' al-Qays and death

In his old age, Amr joined Imru' al-Qays on his expedition to the Byzantine Empire to seek military assistance from the Roman emperor (Caesar) following the murder of Imru' al-Qays's father Mukhtasar Tarikh Dimashq+1. As the two travelers reached the mountain passes (al-darb) on the northern frontier, the elderly Amr wept in despair at the unfamiliar terrain and the arduous journey, believing they were bound to perish in foreign lands Mukhtasar Tarikh Dimashq+1. Imru' al-Qays commemorated this moment in his famous lines:

My companion wept when he saw the mountain pass before him,
and became certain that we were joining Caesar.
So I said to him: "Let not your eye weep, for we only
seek a kingdom, or else die and be excused." Mukhtasar Tarikh Dimashq+1

Amr perished during this journey abroad without achieving any personal objective or gain Mukhtasar Tarikh Dimashq+1. Consequently, the Arabs gave him the epithet al-Da'i' ("the Lost One") because of his death in exile Mukhtasar Tarikh Dimashq+1.

Poetic standing

Classical authorities recognized Amr ibn Qami'a as an ancient pre-Islamic master Tarikh al-Turath al-Arabi…+1. His tribe, Bakr, claimed that he was the very first poet to compose structured odes (qasidas) al-Mufassal fi Tarikh al-…. Ibn Makula noted that he was the first poet to introduce verses portraying the phantom of the beloved (al-khayal) visiting the poet by night Mukhtasar Tarikh Dimashq. He was also regarded as one of the earliest poets to lament the burdens of old age and the loss of youth al-Mufassal fi Tarikh al-…. His surviving poetic corpus was collected into a small collection (Diwan Amr ibn Qami'a), consisting of short odes and fragments characterized by concise phrasing, desert imagery, tribal pride, and reflections on aging Diwan Amr ibn Qami'a.