al-Fann wa Madhahibuhu fi al-Shi'r al-Arabi
- Author died
- 1426 AH
- Editions
- Dar al-Ma'arif bi-Misr
al-Fann wa Madhahibuhu fi al-Shi'r al-Arabi (Art and Its Trends in Arabic Poetry) is a critical and historical study of Arabic poetic styles by the Egyptian scholar Shawqi Dayf (d. 1426 AH / 2005 CE), completed in Cairo in April 1943 CE. The work establishes an indigenous framework for analyzing the historical evolution of Arabic poetry, classifying its artistic forms from the pre-Islamic period through the Abbasid era and into regional developments in al-Andalus and Egypt.
Theoretical Framework and Method
Dayf formulated his approach to avoid imposing Western critical categories, such as classicism and romanticism, on Arabic literature, noting the absence of shared historical or artistic roots between them. He likewise rejected the traditional Arabic critical dichotomy dividing poets into practitioners of natural disposition (tab') and artifice (san'a), arguing that all poetry is a conscious craft (sina'a) and disciplined artistic labor governed by inherited conventions, rules, and aesthetic standards. Because core poetic themes such as praise, satire, boasting, and love remained constant across eras, Dayf posited that historical change occurred primarily in poetic craft and phrasing rather than thematic material.
To track this stylistic evolution, Dayf identified three successive trends (madhahib):
- Madhhab al-San'a (The School of Craftsmanship): Represented earliest in pre-Islamic verse by Zuhayr ibn Abi Sulma, extending through early Islamic and Abbasid poets such as Bashshar ibn Burd, Abu Nuwas, Abu al-Atahiya, al-Buhturi, and Ibn al-Rumi.
- Madhhab al-Tasni' (The School of Embellishment): Originating in the Abbasid era with Muslim ibn al-Walid and developed by Abu Tammam and Ibn al-Mu'tazz, defined by rhetorical figures (badi'), intricate imagery, and deliberate decorative devices.
- Madhhab al-Tasanu' (The School of Affectation): Emerging from the fourth century AH onward as poetic style grew increasingly complex, characterized by extreme artificiality, scholastic and philosophical phrasing, and contrivance, exemplified by al-Mutanabbi, Mihyar al-Daylami, and Abu al-Ala al-Ma'arri in his Luzumiyyat.
Dayf drew on extensive primary sources, including poetic divans, classical Arabic criticism, and literary, historical, and geographical compendia, alongside works by modern Western scholars and Orientalists.
Structure and Contents
The book is arranged into three principal volumes (kutub):
- Book One: Craftsmanship and Embellishment (al-San'a wa-l-Tasni'): Covers the origins of poetic craft in pre-Islamic poetry and its relationship to song and musical accompaniment from the Hijaz to Damascus and Iraq. It analyzes the sociocultural, linguistic, and intellectual currents of the second and third centuries AH, tracing the maturation of craft alongside the emergence of embellishment in the verse of Muslim ibn al-Walid, al-Buhturi, Ibn al-Rumi, Abu Tammam, and Ibn al-Mu'tazz.
- Book Two: The School of Affectation (Madhhab al-Tasanu'): Investigates the rise of affectation in Arab-Islamic civilization and its manifestation in literary models. It includes specialized studies on cultural borrowings in al-Mutanabbi, the poetry of Abu Firas al-Hamdani and al-Sharif al-Radi, eclecticism in Mihyar al-Daylami, and technical complexity in Abu al-Ala al-Ma'arri.
- Book Three: Artistic Trends in al-Andalus and Egypt (al-Madhahib al-Fanniyya fi al-Andalus wa-Misr): Explores regional literary identities. The first chapter treats Andalusian poetry through figures such as Ibn Hani al-Andalusi, Ibn Darraj al-Qastalli, Ibn Zaydun, and Ibn Khafaja, along with Andalusian singing, muwashshahat, and azjal. The second chapter treats Egyptian poetry under the Fatimids—highlighting al-Sharif al-Uqayli, Ibn Mukannasa, and Ibn Qadus—and under the Ayyubids, examining al-Qadi al-Fadil, Ibn Sana al-Mulk, and Baha al-Din Zuhayr.
Revisions and Editions
In his preface to the fourth edition, Dayf noted that scholarly encouragement led him to expand the work starting from its second printing, incorporating new examples, poetic citations, and extended discussions without altering the fundamental tripartite thesis. He applied the same tripartite paradigm to Arab prose in a companion volume titled al-Fann wa Madhahibuhu fi al-Nathr al-Arabi.
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