War Songs
Kay Hardy Campbell
`Antarah ibn Shaddad. James E. Montgomery with Richard Sieburth, tr. Peter Cole, fwd.
2018, New York UP, 978-1-47985-8-798, $14 pb.
Najd-born `Antarah ibn Shaddad, (525–608 CE) is considered one of the greatest pre-Islamic Arabian poets. His verses glorified battle and his love for Ablah, a noblewoman he could never marry because he was a slave and the son of a slave. Four hundred years after his death, storytellers embellished `Antarah’s exploits and his love for Ablah in new epic poems inspired by the original verses. This book features translations of `Antarah’s poems and selections from the later epic verses. Presented in modern form, the translations are as clear and unexpected as `Antarah’s original verse. The volume’s comprehensive introduction to the life, poetry and lore of `Antarah, along with scholarly accounts of him and his and works, provide an insightful portrayal of an enduring literary legend.
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