The Image of the Woman in the Poetry of al-Sharīf al-Raḍī

Abstract

Abstract From pre-Islamic times onwards, the themes of love and the beauty of women occupied a prominent place in Arabic poetry. This article seeks to describe the image of the woman in the poetry of the prominent Abbasid-era poet, al-Sharīf al-Raḍī. It begins with a discussion of love poetry in Arabic in general, from pre-Islamic times until the era of al-Raḍī in the 4th/10th century. Attention is given to the various techniques employed by poets to describe and praise the beloved as well as to the developments witnessed by this genre, especially during the Umayyad and early Abassid eras. Following a biographical sketch of al-Sharīf al-Raḍī, the article proceeds to discuss his relationship to women, in all its different manifestations, with particular attention to his Hijāziyyāt, poems of passion and longing. The article concludes with the opinions of both medieval and modern critics of al-Raḍī’s poetry. Al-Raḍī is seen as an accomplished poet who successfully combined the beauty of the nomadic world with the refinement of civilization.