Darair al-Shi'r
- Author died
- 669 AH
- Editions
- Dar Al-Andalus for Printing, Publishing and Distribution
Darair al-Shi’r (Poetic Licenses) is a grammatical treatise by the Andalusian grammarian Ibn ‘Usfur al-Ishbili (d. 669 AH / 1270 CE) dedicated to the study of poetic necessity (darurat al-shi'r) and the linguistic licenses permitted in Arabic verse .
Subject and Method
The work investigates the various morphological, syntactic, and phonological irregularities that poets resort to in verse to maintain meter and rhyme . On the theoretical definition of poetic license, Ibn 'Usfur adopted an expansive stance shared with Ibn Jinni, maintaining that composition in verse is inherently an environment where licenses are customary, so that such allowances are permitted in poetry generally, even when the poet could have avoided them through alternative phrasing . This contrasted with the stricter position associated with Ibn Malik, who restricted poetic necessity strictly to cases where the poet has no other viable phrasing available .
Reception and Editions
The book served as an authoritative reference on poetic licenses for later grammarians and commentators, including Abu Hayyan al-Andalusi, al-Isnawee, and al-Suyuti, who cited Ibn 'Usfur's positions when discussing exceptions to standard grammatical rules . In Khizanat al-Adab, Abd al-Qadir al-Baghdadi noted that Ibn 'Usfur followed Ibn al-Shajari in treating certain linguistic phenomena—such as using singular forms for paired bodily organs—as poetic necessities, though al-Baghdadi maintained that such usage was not exclusive to poetry .
The text was edited by al-Sayyid Ibrahim Muhammad and published in Beirut in 1980 CE .
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