Tarafah ‘Amr ibn al-‘Abd is one of the most important
poets of the pre-Islamic Arabic world and
one of the seven celebrated authors of the
Mu‘allaq¯at, (the Golden Odes; see HANGED POEMS).
Born into the Bakr tribe in the Bahrain region of
the Persian Gulf, Tarafah led a life that is a matter
of colorful legend. Traditional accounts claim that
in his youth he developed dissolute habits as well
as a talent for satire, which led to his exile from the
tribe. After gaining recognition for his mu’allaqah,
or ode, he—along with his uncle and fellow poet
Mutalammis—was favored by Amr ibn Hind, who
became king of al-Hirah in 554.
It was said that Tarafah’s sarcastic tongue soon
caused trouble because of a verse in which he declared
he would rather have a bleating sheep than
Amr bin Hind around his tent. Lascivious advances
to the king’s sister, a reported beauty, earned Tarafah
and his uncle a mission to return to Bahrain with a
pair of sealed letters for the governor.Mutalammis
opened his and discovered its contents contained
a death warrant, which he quickly destroyed.
Tarafah, determined to meet his fate, delivered his
letter and was thereupon imprisoned and executed.
His early and avoidable death (tradition
held that he was still in his 20s) earned him the title
“the murdered lad.”
Though other fragments of his poetry survive
in various collections, Tarafah is best known for his
qasidah of about 100 lines. The qasidah was a popular
form of poetry that generally contained two
sections: a glimpse of the beloved and then an enforced
exile involving a dangerous journey
through the desert, where the poet’s only companion
was his camel. Tarafah’s ode contains the traditional
description of the beloved, which according
to translator A. J.Arberry in The Seven Odes translates
to a “young gazelle, dark-lipped, fruit-shaking.”
It also gives a quite detailed and extensive
description of the camel.
Tarafah’s ode incorporates themes that probably
helped fuel the legends about his rebellious and
libertine ways. Historian Reynold Nicholson, in A
Literary History of the Arabs, calls Tarafah’s mu’allaqa
“a spirited portrait of himself.”His ode shows
his appreciation for and generosity with his khamr,
or wine, in these reckless lines (translated by Philip
Kennedy in The Wine Song in Classical Arabic Poetry):
“Whenever you come to me in the morning,
I give you a cup of wine that quenches your thirst;
if you can do without it, then do without it and
more!” Elsewhere Tarafah offers his philosophy on
life, sagely saying, “A noble man satiates himself in
life, for you will know / if we die tomorrow which
of us is thirsty.”Kennedy calls this “the clearest and
most direct expression of CARPE DIEM [seize the
day],”which seems to be the poet’s personal motto.
Tarafah’s ode also incorporates the classic element
of fakhr, or self-glorification. He portrays
himself as important and the center of attention,
claiming, “I am not one that skulks fearfully
among the hilltops . . . / if you look for me in the
circle of the folk you’ll find me there.” The qasidah
frequently ends with a celebration of pleasure and
an image of repatriation into the tribe. The images
in Tarafah’s homecoming involve all three of
his favorite things—wine, boon companions, and
a beautiful woman—indicating, as Nicholson says,
the poet’s “insistence on sensual enjoyment as the
sole business of life.”
In the century following Tarafah’s death, Arabic
poetry changed in significant ways. The first
movement of the qasidah evolved into the ghazal, a
highly influential form of love poetry. In the 600s,
the birth of the prophet MUHAMMAD brought profound
changes to Arabic culture with the introduction
of Islam, and the poetry changed in tone.
The Mu‘allaq¯at was compiled in the mid-eighth
century by Hamm¯ad al-R¯awiyah, who selected
seven poets as the exemplars of pre-Islamic poetry.
IMRU’ AL-QAYS, Zuhayr ibn Abi Sulma, LABID, Antara
ibn Shaddad, ‘AMR IBN KULTHUM (the very king
supposedly responsible for Tarafah’s death), and
al-Harith join Tarafah in this esteemed group.
Mu‘allaq¯at is traditionally interpreted to mean “the
suspended ones,” alluding to a practice where the
prize-winning works of poetry contests would be
written out in letters of gold and suspended, or
hung, for viewing in a public place. Later compilers
added to or changed the Mu‘allaq¯at as they
wished, but Tarafah is customarily included. His
appeal endures not only in his fantastic biography
of a daring rebel killed in his prime, but also in the
evidence of his poetic gifts and his personal resolution
to live life to the fullest.
An English Version of a Work by
Tarafah ‘Amr ibn al-‘Abd
“The Ode of Tarafah.” In The Seven Odes: The First
Chapter in Arabic Literature. Translated by A. J.Arberry.
London: George Allen & Unwin, 1957.
Works about Tarafah ‘Amr ibn al-‘Abd
Kennedy, Philip F. The Wine Song in Classical Arabic
Poetry. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1997.
Nicholson, Reynold A. A Literary History of the Arabs.
New York: Kegan Paul International, 1998.