Jannat al-Wildan fi al-Hisan min al-Ghilman
- Author died
- 875 AH
- Editions
- Jannat al-Wildan fi al-Hisan min al-Ghilman
Jannat al-Wildan fi al-Hisan min al-Ghilman (Arabic: جنة الولدان في الحسان من الغلمان, lit. 'The Paradise of Youths Concerning the Beautiful Young Men') is a poetic treatise by the Egyptian scholar and man of letters al-Shihab al-Hijazi (790–875 AH / 1388–1471 CE) . The work consists of short epigrammatic poems (maqati') describing handsome youths categorized by various professions, trades, and social ranks .
Background and Composition
In his introduction, al-Shihab al-Hijazi explains that he was prompted to compile the collection at the request of refined companions and friends . They asked him to compose short poetic pieces (maqati') dedicated to handsome youths in accordance with the literary taste of the era, stipulating that the collection contain exclusively his own original verse rather than an anthology of transmitted poems by various authors .
In keeping with a recognized convention in this genre, al-Hijazi prefaced the work with an apology in verse, citing the precedent of Ibn al-Wardi . He declared that composing such poetry was merely a response to prevailing literary demand rather than personal desire, stating that poetry of this type was the most widely circulated and commercially rewarded in his time .
Content and Structure
The treatise consists of independent epigrams—often two or three verses each—devoted to youths characterized by their occupations, administrative functions, crafts, and social positions . The poems frequently employ rhetorical devices such as double entendre (tawriya), poetic borrowing (iqtibas), and stylistic embedding (tadmin), drawing puns from the technical vocabulary and tools associated with each profession .
Among the categories and figures featured in the text are:
- Rulers and administrative officials: including the caliph (khalifa), sultan, vizier, confidential secretary (katib al-sirr), inspector of the army (nazir al-jaysh), and inspector of the privy funds (nazir al-khass) .
- Judicial and religious functionaries: such as the market supervisor (muhtasib), judge (qadi), certified witness (shahid 'adl), preacher (khatib), prayer leader (imam), caller to prayer (mu'adhdhin), and astronomical timekeeper (miqati) .
- Scholars and students of various disciplines: including the teacher (mudarris), teaching assistant (mu'id), hadith transmitter (muhaddith), jurist (faqih), grammarian (nahwi), legal theorist (usuli), dialectician and logician (mantiqi and khilafi), rhetorician (bayani), letter mystic (harfi), geometrician (muhandis), astronomer (falaki), and poet (sha'ir) .
- Tradesmen, artisans, and entertainers: including the builder (banna'), lamp lighter (waqqad), merchant (tajir), moneychanger (sayrafi), cupbearer/companion (nadim), tavern-keeper (khammar), dream interpreter (mu'abbir al-manamat), shadow-play artist (khayali), wrestler (musari'), snake charmer (hawi), and archer (rami nushshab) .
Transmission and Publication
Manuscript copies of Jannat al-Wildan are preserved in several international libraries, including the Vatican Library, the Chester Beatty Library in Dublin, the British Museum in London, the Garrett Collection at Princeton University, the Hagia Sophia collection in Istanbul, the Khuda Bakhsh Oriental Public Library in Patna, the al-Qarawiyyin Library in Fez, the National Library of Tunisia, the Alexandria Municipal Library, and the Al-Azhar Library in Cairo .
The treatise was published in Cairo in 1326 AH / 1908 CE by Matba'at al-Sa'adah as part of a three-treatise compendium (Majmu'at Thalath Rasa'il), printed alongside two other short works by al-Shihab al-Hijazi: al-Kunnas al-Jawari fi al-Hisan min al-Jawari and Qala'id al-Nuhor min Jawahir al-Buhur .
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