al-Hamasa al-Basriya
- Author died
- 659 AH
- Editions
- ‘Ālam al-Kutub
al-Hamasa al-Basriya (The Basran Anthology of Bravery) is an Arabic poetic anthology compiled by Sadr al-Din al-Basri (d. 659 AH / 1261 CE; also cited as d. 656 AH) . It is regarded as the last complete anthology in the traditional ḥamāsa genre to reach modern times .
Composition and Context
The anthology was composed and dedicated in 647 AH (1249 CE) to al-Malik al-Nasir Salah al-Din Yusuf, the Ayyubid ruler of Aleppo . Its title is derived from the compiler's origin in Basra, although he appears to have spent much of his life in Aleppo . In his introduction, al-Basri stated that his aim was to assemble a concise collection containing the finest verses and notable accounts of the Arabs, categorizing the poetry into clearly designated thematic chapters to correct shortcomings he perceived in earlier anthologies and amālī works, where verses had sometimes been misattributed or lacked structured organization .
Scope and Structure
The book is one of the largest classical ḥamāsa collections in volume, containing 1,648 poetic pieces—ranging from single verses to poems of about twenty lines—totaling more than 6,000 verses and drawing upon the work of roughly 500 poets .
Al-Basri closely adopted the structural divisions of the original Hamasa of Abu Tammam, retaining its core thematic sections (such as bravery, elegies, etiquette, love poetry, satire, hospitality, descriptions, travel, humor, and dispraise of women) while adding two new chapters :
- A chapter on repentance and asceticism (al-ināba wa-l-zuhd), drawing predominantly on pre-Islamic poets such as Quss ibn Sa'ida and Hatim al-Ta'i, Mukhadram poets such as Labid and Umayya ibn Abi al-Salt, and a small selection of later poets including Abu al-Atahiya, al-Ittabi, and Abu Firas .
- A chapter dedicated to Arab superstitions and myths (bāb mā jāʾa fī akādhībihim wa-khurāfātihim), featuring selections from ten poets on beliefs such as the ghūl and the spirits believed to ride oxen when cattle refuse water, followed by a nine-piece section on children's nursery rhymes and dances (tarqīṣ) .
Reception and Editions
Modern literary historians have noted that despite its extensive size, the anthology offers relatively little novel material compared to its predecessors, drawing heavily on earlier anthologies by Abu Tammam, al-Buhturi, the Khalidiyyan brothers, al-Mufaddal al-Dabbi, and al-Asma'i, as well as al-Jahiz's Kitab al-Hayawan . Nevertheless, its primary significance lies in preserving rare selections and serving as the final surviving link in the classical Arabic ḥamāsa tradition .
Two manuscript copies of the work are preserved in Dar al-Kutub al-Misriyya . The text has been published in critical editions by Mukhtar al-Din Ahmad (Hyderabad, 1383 AH / 1964 CE; later reprinted in Beirut) and by Adil Sulayman Jamal (Cairo, 1420 AH) .
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