al-Hamasa al-Maghribiya
- Author died
- 609 AH
- Editions
- دار الفكر المعاصر
al-Hamasa al-Maghribiya (The Moroccan Hamasa) is a poetic anthology compiled by the Moroccan poet and scholar Abu al-Abbas al-Jarawi (d. 609 AH / 1212 CE; another report gives 608 AH / 1211 CE) . Modeled upon the Hamasa of Abu Tammam, the collection anthologizes Arabic poetry across multiple genres and incorporates verse from the western Islamic lands .
Title and Conception
The original title given to the anthology by its author is Safwat al-Adab wa-Diwan al-Arab (The Choice Selection of Literature and Register of the Arabs) , or Safwat al-Adab wa-Nukhbat Kalam al-Arab , though it became widely known as al-Hamasa al-Maghribiya . Al-Jarawi structured the work according to the arrangement and model of Abu Tammam's Hamasa, reflecting his close study and emulation of Abu Tammam's literary style and output .
Structure and Content
The compilation contains selections of Arabic poetry divided into various thematic chapters and categories . A distinguishing feature of the work compared to Abu Tammam's Hamasa is the inclusion of verse composed by Andalusian and North African (Ifriqiyan) poets alongside the broader Arabic tradition . An abridgment (mukhtasar) of the anthology has survived, demonstrating the breadth of al-Jarawi's memorization of both classical and post-classical poetry .
Reception and Standing
The anthology achieved widespread circulation and was frequently copied and kept in the hands of readers . The biographer Ibn Khallikan noted that among the people of the Maghrib, Safwat al-Adab occupied the same esteemed standing that Abu Tammam's Hamasa held among the people of the Mashriq . It became a standard literary reference across the Maghrib, fulfilling the role that Abu Tammam's collection held in the east .
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