TY - JOUR
TI - The History of the Poem, the History in the Poem. Analysis and Probable History of al-Ḥayquṭān’s Work from the Treatise of al-Ğāḥiẓ Kitāb Faḫr al-Sūdān calā al-Biḍān
AU - Ostafin, Barbara
TI - The History of the Poem, the History in the Poem. Analysis and Probable History of al-Ḥayquṭān’s Work from the Treatise of al-Ğāḥiẓ Kitāb Faḫr al-Sūdān calā al-Biḍān
AB - In al-Ğāḥiẓ’s treatise Kitāb Faḫr al-Sūdān calā al-Biḍān, the title of which in the already classic Polish study on Arabic literature was translated as The Superiority of Blacks over Whites, or Treatise on the Superiority of Blacks over Whites, the author of the work lists the characters of black inhabitants of the caliphate; among them he evokes al-Ḥayquṭān, whom he presents as a poet and a preacher of Abyssinian origin. He also quotes al-Ḥayquṭān’s poem, which is a paean to the courage and valor of the Abyssinians, referring to important events that took place in the Arabian Peninsula just before the birth of the Prophet Muḥammad.
In modern times, al-Ḥayquṭān’s poem is used in popular publications and online forums as a historical example of a reaction to racism and a reason to be proud of the bravery of the poem’s dark-skinned characters, as well as the example of literary achievement of the inhabitants of the caliphate of African descent.
The purpose of this article is to refer to the historical events mentioned in the work of the black poet, present him in the context of the few surviving Arabic sources, explore the potential circumstances of the creation of the work and reflect on the actual circumstances of its creation as described by al-Ğāḥiẓ.
VL - 2023
IS - Volume 18, Issue 2
PY - 2023
SN - 1897-3035
C1 - 2084-3933
SP - 163
EP - 178
DO - 10.4467/20843933ST.23.016.18186
UR - https://ejournals.eu/en/journal/studia-litteraria-uic/article/historia-wiersza-historia-w-wierszu-analiza-i-prawdopodobne-losy-utworu-al-hayqutana-z-traktaktu-al-gahiza-kitab-fahr-as-sudan-cala-al-bidan
KW - al-Ḥayquṭān
KW - al-Ğāḥiẓ
KW - Kitāb Faḫr al-Sūdān calā al-Biḍān
KW - dark-skinned inhabitants of medieval caliphate