Diwan Ibn Abi Husayna
- Author died
- 457 AH
- Editions
- al-Majma‘ al-‘Ilmī al-‘Arabī
Diwan Ibn Abi Husayna is the collected poetic corpus of the Syrian poet and prince Abu al-Fath al-Hasan ibn Abd Allah ibn Abi Husayna (388–457 AH / 998–1065 CE), accompanied by the commentary and introduction of the philosopher and man of letters Abu al-Ala al-Ma'arri (d. 449 AH / 1057 CE) .
Composition and Commentary
Ibn Abi Husayna requested his fellow townsman Abu al-Ala al-Ma'arri in Ma'arrat al-Nu'man to hear and compile his poetry . After the verses were recited to him, Abu al-Ala dictated an introduction praising the collection and provided an extensive commentary elucidating its obscure vocabulary, grammatical points, and meanings . In his preface, Abu al-Ala stated that although the author was late in time, his poetic diction was sound and unblemished, his themes and meanings were inventive and original, and his standard matched that of the pre-Islamic masters from the era of al-Nu'man .
Abu al-Ala's dictated commentary begins with an ode rhyming in ra' opening with:
هل بعد شيبكَ من عذر لمعتذر ... فارجر عن الغيِّ قلبًا غير منزجرِ
"Is there any excuse for an apologizer after gray hair has appeared? So restrain from error a heart that is not yet deterred."
The commentary concludes with an ode rhyming in dal opening with:
كم تُكُشِرَانِ العذل والتفنيدا ... أفتحسبان المستهام رشيدا؟
"How much will you both persist in blame and reproach? Do you reckon the infatuated lover to be sensible?"
In terms of methodology, Abu al-Ala’s commentary on the work follows the approach he employed in his commentaries on classical and Abbasid poets, such as Mu'jiz Ahmad, al-Lami' al-'Azizi, and 'Abath al-Walid .
Scope, Themes, and Style
The collection centers predominantly on panegyrics (madih) addressed to contemporary rulers, alongside gnomic wisdom (hikma), love lyrics (ghazal), and occasional verse . Its principal recipients include the Mirdasid emirs of Aleppo—such as Salih ibn Mirdas, Thimal Mu'izz al-Dawla, Atiyya Asad al-Dawla, and Nasr ibn Salih—whose patronage secured Ibn Abi Husayna wealth, land, and the rank of amir .
The Diwan also features long poems dedicated to the Fatimid caliph al-Mustansir bi-Allah in Cairo, whom the poet visited as an envoy in 437 AH, addressing him with an ode, and later in 450 AH, which resulted in his formal investiture with the princely title (sijill al-imara) in 451 AH . Stylistically, literary critics aligned Ibn Abi Husayna's fluency, eloquence, and sustained diction with the methodology of al-Buhturi, while noting deliberate emulations of al-Mutanabbi in his heroic and courtly odes .
Transmission and Editions
Beyond Abu al-Ala's transmission and commentary, parts of the Diwan were transmitted by Abu Muhammad al-Hasan ibn Ibrahim al-Tanukhi al-Halabi and by the poet’s grandson, Nasr ibn Mansur ibn al-Hasan ibn Abi Husayna .
The work, containing Abu al-Ala’s commentary along with supplementary poems (mustadrak) composed after the commentary was completed or omitted from it, was edited by Muhammad As'ad Talas and published in two volumes by the Arab Scientific Academy of Damascus in 1375 AH / 1956 CE .
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