Al-Badi fi Wasf al-Rabi
- Author died
- 440 AH
- Editions
- Al-Badi fi Wasf al-Rabi
Al-Badi fi Wasf al-Rabi (The Novel in Describing Spring) is an Andalusian literary anthology of spring and floral poetry and prose compiled by the Sevillian writer and poet Abu al-Walid al-Himyari (d. c. 440 AH / 1048 CE) .
Background and Purpose
The anthology was composed during the early Taifa period in al-Andalus . In his introduction, Abu al-Walid al-Himyari noted that while spring is the most delightful and cherished of seasons, earlier authors had neglected it and none had dedicated an independent work exclusively to its description . The work was also motivated by a desire to preserve Andalusian nature poetry, which locals had often neglected to record, and to demonstrate that Andalusian poets excelled in poetic analogies, metaphors, and vivid descriptions of flowers and natural scenery .
In some biographical and historical works, such as the Dhakhira of Ibn Bassam, the work is referred to as Al-Badi fi Fasl al-Rabi .
Structure and Content
The book is arranged into three thematic chapters:
- Description of spring and aromatic herbs: General descriptions of the arrival of spring, meadows, weather, and greenery .
- Collective descriptions of flowers: Selections where multiple blooms are depicted together, including poetic rivalries and debates regarding the superiority of certain flowers over others .
- Descriptions of individual flowers: Sections dedicated to particular varieties, such as the rose, narcissus, gillyflower, and pomegranate blossom (julnar) .
Literary Method
The word badi' in the title does not refer to the formal rhetorical discipline of badi', but rather indicates the wondrous, refined, and inventive nature of the gathered poetry and prose . The anthology focuses exclusively on Andalusian writers, drawing from earlier generations as well as contemporaries of the author . Abu al-Walid introduces selected passages using stylized critical phrases such as "from rare phrasing in marvelous description" (min gharib al-rasf fi 'ajib al-wasf) and "from fine analogy and beautiful comparison" (min jayyid al-tashbih wa-husn al-tamthil) . He also occasionally includes his own poetry to illustrate particular descriptive motifs .
In the epilogue, the compiler remarks that he gathered the rare and exceptional output of Andalusians so that minor shortcomings might be overlooked, noting that he included pieces by contemporary writers whenever their work closely approached the standard of novel description .
Manuscripts and Editions
Manuscript copies of the work are preserved in European and North African collections, including the Escorial library (MS 353) and the Ahmadiyya collection at the Ez-Zitouna Mosque in Tunis (MS 4721) .
The work was edited by the French orientalist Henri Pérès and published in Rabat in 1940, accompanied by indices of names, places, and rhymes . A later edition was prepared by Abd Allah 'Usaylan .
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