Diwan Umara ibn Aqil
- Author died
- 239 AH
- Editions
- Assisted in publication by the Ministry of Information
Diwan Umara ibn Aqil is the collection of poetry by the Abbasid poet and Bedouin linguistic authority Umara ibn Aqil (182–239 AH / 798–853 CE) .
Author and Context
Umara ibn Aqil ibn Bilal ibn Jarir al-Kulaybi al-Yarbu'i al-Tamimi was born in al-Yamama and was a descendant of the famous Umayyad poet Jarir . He resided in the desert bordering Basra and traveled repeatedly to Baghdad, where he frequented the Abbasid court, praising caliphs including al-Ma'mun and al-Wathiq, as well as viziers, military commanders, and notables . In late life, after losing his sight, he also sought the patronage of al-Mutawakkil .
Content and Themes
The collection brings together Umara's output across classical Arabic poetic genres, particularly encomium (madih), satire (hija'), and poetic flytings (naqa'id) . Emulating his great-grandfather Jarir, whose own diwan he transmitted, Umara considered his lampoons and flytings to be among his finest verse . His verse documents long-running poetic rivalries, including his extensive exchange with Farwah ibn Humaydah al-Asadi .
Literary and Linguistic Reception
Early philologists and grammarians regarded Umara's poetry as a standard of Bedouin eloquence. Leading scholars of Basra and Baghdad, including Ibn al-A'rabi, Ibn al-Sikkit, al-Mubarrad, and Abu al-Ayna', studied with him and transcribed his verse and linguistic usages . Al-Mubarrad remarked that Bedouin purity and eloquence among the later generation of poets (al-muhdathun) ended with Umara . Salm ibn Khalid, the grandson of Abu Amr ibn al-Ala, judged Umara's verse to be even more even and consistent in quality than that of Jarir, noting that critics could not identify a single flaw in his compositions .
Modern Edition
The surviving corpus of Umara ibn Aqil's poetry was assembled and critically edited by Shakir al-Ashur and published in 1973 .
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