Province
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Nabati Poetry
| Anyone can be a Nabati poet - a tribal sheik, a desert warrior, a daring marauder, a poor farmer or a member of the urban elite. All it requires is a love of words, a sense of rhythm, and a talent for telling a story |
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Hail, rider travelling through grey mirages on a fawn camel not weakened by a rear rider:
She started cantering sprightly in the early morning; by the end of the day she began to shed her fat.
Beautiful are her saddle trappings and the small water bag newly made by the cobbler.
You, rider, will alight by the chief's tent, large as a black hill, dismount, and loose your camel to graze.
Before you are questioned, you will be offered a cup of coffee to refresh you, and a fat sheep will be slaughtered for you.
Say to the chief: How is your leg? O defender of the retreating horsemen when the battle rages,
As on the day when you and Ibn Haddal fought like eagles in the sky, while cowards scurried like rabbits to the their burrows. Would that your wound were inflicted upon worthless braggarts, so that you might arise and your pains go away.
By Mwedi al-Braziyyih: 1936H (1976)
Nabati poetry is one of the many popular topics for discussion and presentation at the Cultural Club. Nabati poetry is known by many names: 'badawi, qaysi, hawrani or asma'iyat, and what defines it most is that it is the popular spoken poetry of Arabia. This poetic tradition relates to the great mobility of the Bedouin, for whom it was necessary to transmit information over vast amounts of space and time. Love letters, political entreaties and information about battles have all been relayed by poets.
The frequent droughts, famines and political instability of Arabia's past forced whole tribes and settlements to migrate to the north and east, carrying with them their Nabati poetic tradition. It has now spread to the entire Arabian peninsular and throughout Asia, but the home of Nabati poetry is Najd - the vast territory that includes the central Arabian plateau and the areas around it. All the renowned Nabati poets come from here, and the diction of this poetry conforms to the colloquial speech of the region.
The Cultural Club in Al-Qassim is mainly concerned with literary matters, but also has a small handicraft production operation. At present the men only club meets weekly at the Cultural House in Unayzah and attracts a considerable number of local performers and observers. Outside visitors are welcome |
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