Imru' al-Qais: Life and Poetry Imru' al-Qais was born in the Najd region of northern Arabia sometime in the early 6th century AD. He was an Arabian poet in the 6th century. He was the son of Hujr bin al-Harith who was a king that ruled over the tribes of Asad and Ghatfan. Many scholars believe that Imru’ al-Qais was born in the Asad territory and his mother was said to be Fatimah bin Rabi'ah al-Taghlibi. He is considered by many Arabic poetry scholars to be the father of Arabic poetry. His Qasidah, “Let us stop and weep” is one of the seven Mu’allaqat or Golden Odes that were hung on the walls of the Kabah. Imru' al-Qais was the first poet to receive the Mu’allaqat and his poems are prized as the best examples of pre-Islamic Arabian verse
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In his poem, he talks about how his father and brothers were slain in the territory of the enemy which made it difficult for his father’s army to collect their dead bodies in order for them to give them an appropriate burial. Even though Imru’ al-Qais was not able to see the sight of his father and brother’s dead bodies, he is very descriptive in his poem as to how their bodies were being devoured by birds of prey. These descriptions allow us to understand Imru’ al-Qais’s reaction to the rebellion tribe of Asad, who did not bother to even return the bodies of the King and his sons.
Imru’ al-Qais is famously known to compose erotic poems that relate to his actual lifestyle: he was nicknamed, “the playboy” for his multiple sexual encounters with several different women that he has mentioned about in his poems.
Imru’ al-Qais was said to be a kind-hearted person. He always hoped for the best not only for himself but also for everyone else around him. He used his poems to express his demands on allowing sexual relations between men and women. He did not compose poems for his own benefit but for the benefit for all of mankind and so he received the title of the Poet of Freedom from the Iraqi writer Madhhar al-Samarra'i (Mazhar, 1993).
Word Count: 794
In his poem, he talks about how his father and brothers were slain in the territory of the enemy which made it difficult for his father’s army to collect their dead bodies in order for them to give them an appropriate burial. Even though Imru’ al-Qais was not able to see the sight of his father and brother’s dead bodies, he is very descriptive in his poem as to how their bodies were being devoured by birds of prey. These descriptions allow us to understand Imru’ al-Qais’s reaction to the rebellion tribe of Asad, who did not bother to even return the bodies of the King and his sons.
Imru’ al-Qais is famously known to compose erotic poems that relate to his actual lifestyle: he was nicknamed, “the playboy” for his multiple sexual encounters with several different women that he has mentioned about in his poems.
Imru’ al-Qais was said to be a kind-hearted person. He always hoped for the best not only for himself but also for everyone else around him. He used his poems to express his demands on allowing sexual relations between men and women. He did not compose poems for his own benefit but for the benefit for all of mankind and so he received the title of the Poet of Freedom from the Iraqi writer Madhhar al-Samarra'i (Mazhar, 1993).
Word Count: 794