al-Tabarri min Maarrat al-Maarri
- Author died
- 911 AH
- Editions
- al-Tabarri min Maarrat al-Maarri
al-Tabarri min Maarrat al-Maarri (Arabic: التبري من معرة المعري, lit. 'Clearing Oneself from the Reproach of al-Ma'arri') is a short didactic poem in the rajaz meter (urjūzah) by the Shafi'i scholar al-Jalal al-Suyuti (d. 911 AH / 1505 CE), enumerating the Arabic names, epithets, and synonyms for the dog.
Background and Purpose
The composition of the poem was prompted by a well-known literary anecdote regarding the blind poet Abu al-Ala al-Maarri. According to the account recorded by al-Suyuti in both his prose introduction and the opening verses, al-Ma'arri once entered the assembly of al-Sharif al-Murtada and accidentally stumbled over a man, who angrily asked, "Who is this dog?" Al-Ma'arri retorted: "The dog is he who does not know seventy names for the dog."
Motivated by this exchange, al-Suyuti consulted various Arabic lexicographical sources to collect these designations, ultimately gathering more than sixty names and versifying them so that readers could acquire the knowledge demanded by al-Ma'arri's retort. Within linguistic studies, the work falls under the Arabic semantic classification of lexical synonymy (al-tarāduf).
Structure and Contents
The poem comprises thirty-seven verses in total:
- Introduction (lines 1–8): Opens with praise of God and blessings upon the Prophet Muhammad, followed by the narration of al-Ma'arri's encounter with al-Sharif al-Murtada and the author's intention in composing the work.
- Lexical Enumeration (lines 9–35): Versifies the various names, proper nouns, and descriptors of dogs. These include generic and descriptive epithets (such as al-bāqi‘, al-wāzi‘, al-zarikh, al-khayṭal, al-dirbās, and al-‘amallas), proper names for male and female dogs (Kusayb, Kasāb, Kasbah), names for pups (al-dirṣ, al-jarw), crossbreeds with wolves or foxes (‘usbūrah, daysam), designations for water dogs or otters (al-hirākilah, al-qundus, al-qiḍā‘ah), and terms for related canines such as jackals (ibn āwā). Al-Suyuti also cites lexical authorities including al-Suli, Ibn Dihyah, and the author of al-‘Ubāb.
- Conclusion (lines 36–37): Closes by stating that these were the names gathered from books, noting that any further additions would be appended, and concluding with praise of God and peace upon His Prophet.
Transmission and Publication
The bibliographer Hajji Khalifa recorded the work under its title in Kashf al-Zunun, noting that al-Suyuti cited it in his Diwan al-Hayawan. Two manuscript copies are preserved in the Egyptian National Library (Dar al-Kutub al-Misriyyah), one within manuscript collection no. 1657 Adab and the other in collection no. 32 Ma‘arif ‘Ammah. The text was published in Cairo within the compilation Ta‘rif al-Qudama’ bi-Abi al-‘Ala’ (1385 AH / 1965 CE).
Answer updated