Description
Book SynopsisThe heroic deeds and words of a warrior poet of northern Arabia
An epic hero and a poet, the semi-legendary Shayi? al-Amsa? was a prominent ancestor of the Shammar tribal confederation that stretches across the Great Nafud desert in the northern Arabian Peninsula. Shayi?'s corpus of extant poems are preserved in narratives about his chivalrous exploits transmitted orally for centuries. In this volume, Marcel Kurpershoek vividly translates the deeds and verses of this compelling poet, based on recordings of late-twentieth century reciters, a testament to Shayi?'s prominence as an embodiment of Bedouin virtue, courage, wiliness, and generosity.
Born with one eye, Shayi? presents himself as unattractive and unassuming, only to reveal a hero's strength, sagacity, and wiliness. In a number of stories, he is shown hiding his identity, whether in disguise as an impoverished Bedouin or on a camel deliberately made to look mangy and weak. In the oral culture of the Bedouin,
