Nafh al-Azhar fi Muntakhabat al-Ashar
- Author died
- 1314 AH
- Editions
- Al-Matba'ah al-Adabiyyah
Nafh al-Azhar fi Muntakhabat al-Ashar (lit. 'The Diffusing Fragrance of Flowers in Selected Poems') is an anthology of Arabic poetry compiled by the Lebanese man of letters Shakir al-Batluni (also identified as Shakir Shuqayr, d. 1314 AH / 1896 CE).
Authorship and Attribution
The compiler, Shakir al-Batluni al-Hasbani, settled in Beirut and authored several works on literature and rhetoric. Sources give varying dates regarding his life: while biographical entries for Shakir Shuqayr record his birth in 1266 AH (1850 CE) and his death in 1314 AH (1896 CE) in al-Shuwayfat, other entries for al-Batluni note that he was alive in 1293 AH (1876 CE) or lived past 1331 AH (1913 CE).
In early bio-bibliographical works, such as Ismail Pasha al-Babani's Hadiyyat al-Arifin and Idah al-Maknun, the anthology was attributed directly to the scholar and philologist Ibrahim al-Yaziji. Later bibliographical corrections established that the book was compiled by al-Batluni, while al-Yaziji served as its editor and proofreader.
Content and Structure
The work is an anthology of selected Arabic poetry organized thematically into designated chapters (abwab). It features verse from both earlier and nineteenth-century poets. For instance, the seventh chapter is devoted to poetry describing flowers and nature (al-zahr), containing verses by poets such as Nasif al-Yaziji and Ibn al-Nabih. The book also includes panegyric and occasional verse, such as a poem composed in 1291 AH by Khalil al-Yaziji in praise of Sultan Abdülaziz.
Publication History
The anthology was published in Beirut in multiple printings, beginning with an edition in 1876. A third edition, reviewed and edited by Ibrahim al-Yaziji, was issued by al-Matba'a al-Adabiyya in Beirut in 1886, and further editions appeared through 1913.
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