Majma al-Bahrayn lil-Yaziji = Maqamat al-Yaziji
- Author died
- 1287 AH
- Editions
- Al-Matba'ah al-Adabiyyah
Majma al-Bahrayn (The Confluence of the Two Seas), also commonly known as Maqamat al-Yaziji, is a literary work in sixty assemblies (maqamat) composed by the Lebanese scholar, philologist, and poet Nasif al-Yaziji (1214–1287 AH / 1800–1871 CE).
Content and Structure
The work comprises sixty distinct assemblies designed to emulate the classical style of al-Hariri's Maqamat. The collection opens with the praise formula: الحمد لله الذي جعل المقامات لأهل الكرامات ("Praise be to God who designated assemblies for the people of nobility"). Each assembly bears an individual title, often associated with a place or a tribe—such as al-Maqama al-Badawiyya (The Bedouin Assembly), al-Maqama al-Baghdadiyya (The Baghdadi Assembly), al-Maqama al-Azhariyya (The Azhar Assembly), al-Maqama al-Dimashqiyya (The Damascene Assembly), al-Maqama al-Tamimiyya (The Tamimi Assembly), al-Maqama al-Khazrajiyya (The Khazraji Assembly), and al-Maqama al-Najdiyya (The Najdi Assembly).
The narrative framework follows the traditional conventions of classical maqama literature: every tale is related by a fictional narrator, Suhayl ibn Abbad, who travels across various regions and repeatedly encounters an elusive, eloquent protagonist named Maymun ibn Khizam. Across their encounters, Maymun displays his rhetorical mastery, poetic wit, and linguistic ingenuity in diverse social and scholarly gatherings.
Style and Significance
Composed in intricate rhymed prose (saj') interspersed with verse, the book serves as a compendium of classical Arabic eloquence, rare vocabulary, proverbs, historical lore, grammatical riddles, and linguistic sciences. While contemporary Egyptian prose was moving toward more accessible forms, Majma al-Bahrayn reflected the continued prestige of classical imitation in the Levant, where mastering the high ornate style of earlier figures like al-Hariri, al-Qadi al-Fadil, and al-Suyuti remained a celebrated mark of literary distinction.
Publication History
The work was funded and printed in 1854 through the efforts of Mikha'il ibn Yusuf Muddawir. It was subsequently published in Beirut in 1856, with a later edition appearing in 1872.
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