Shairat al-Arab fi al-Jahiliyya wal-Islam
- Author died
- 1348 AH
- Editions
- al-Maktabah al-Ahliyyah
Shairat al-Arab fi al-Jahiliyya wal-Islam (The Poetesses of the Arabs in the Pre-Islamic Era and Islam) is a biographical anthology of Arab women's poetry compiled and arranged by the Lebanese man of letters Bashir Yamut (d. after 1347 AH / 1928 CE).
Structure and Scope
The work is organized chronologically into two primary parts contained in a single volume:
- Part One: Pre-Islamic Poetesses (Shairat al-Arab fi al-Jahiliyya), which opens with the entry on Safiyya bint Tha'laba al-Shaybaniyya (known as al-Hujayja), detailing her lineage, her role in rallying the Banu Shayban and other tribes against the Persians at the Battle of Dhi Qar, and her war verses.
- Part Two: Islamic-Era Poetesses (Shairat al-Arab al-Islamiyyat), which opens with Layla al-Akhyaliyya, highlighting her eloquence, her standing among Umayyad-era poets, her knowledge of Arab genealogies, and her elegies for Tawba ibn al-Humayyir.
Method
For each featured poetess, the author presents a concise biographical profile outlining her lineage, historical background, and personal circumstances. This is followed by selections of her poetry, contextualized by the historical or social occasion (al-munasaba) that prompted its composition, alongside the identification of the poetic meter for the quoted poems.
Publication
The book was published in Beirut in a single volume by al-Maktaba al-Ahliyya, with its first edition appearing in 1352 AH / 1934 CE.
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