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Uva-DARE (Digital Academic Repository) UvA-DARE (Digital Academic Repository) The Compunctuous Poet, Cultural Ambiguity and Hebrew Poetry in Muslim Spain [Review of: R. Brann (1995) -] Schippers, A. Publication date 1995 Document Version Final published version Published in Unknown Link to publication Citation for published version (APA): Schippers, A. (1995). The Compunctuous Poet, Cultural Ambiguity and Hebrew Poetry in Muslim Spain [Review of: R. Brann (1995) -]. In R. Brann (Ed.), Unknown The John Hopkins University Press. General rights It is not permitted to download or to forward/distribute the text or part of it without the consent of the author(s) and/or copyright holder(s), other than for strictly personal, individual use, unless the work is under an open content license (like Creative Commons). Disclaimer/Complaints regulations If you believe that digital publication of certain material infringes any of your rights or (privacy) interests, please let the Library know, stating your reasons. In case of a legitimate complaint, the Library will make the material inaccessible and/or remove it from the website. Please Ask the Library: https://uba.uva.nl/en/contact, or a letter to: Library of the University of Amsterdam, Secretariat, Singel 425, 1012 WP Amsterdam, The Netherlands. You will be contacted as soon as possible. UvA-DARE is a service provided by the library of the University of Amsterdam (https://dare.uva.nl) Download date:07 Oct 2021 201 BOEKBESPREKINGEN — ARABICA-ISLAM 202 muwassah as an universal artistic phenoumenon, comparing a means of correspondence in courtly circles and among it with related phenoumena in other literatures and daily life. friends. One of the first poets, who made a living out of Jacque"Hoe Bismuth investigates the influence of the Italian poetry, by travelling around and singing the praise of Jewish dolce stil novo poets, such as Dante Alighieri, in contrast viziers and Maecenates, was the poet Ibn Khalfun (ca. 970- with that of the Arabic and Hebrew Andalusian tradition, on ca. 1020). The Hebrew Andalusian poets wanted to demon­ the Medieval Italo-Hebrew poet Immanuel of Rome [ 1270- strate that Classical Hebrew had the same possibilities as 1328]. This poet was well versed in composing Hebrew Classical Arabic for writing secular poetry. The Golden Age poetry in the Andalusian manner, as well as Hebrew sonnets of Hebrew Andalusian poetry did not last very long. It with Italian endecasillahi. He participated in the Italian started under the caliphate in the tenth century, and reached poetic climate, and also wrote sonnets in Italian. its peak during the period of the party kings in the eleventh All in all, the book is a very useful and rewarding study century, when Muslim Spain was divided into several Mus­ of Arabic poetics. The subtitle "Studies in Medieval Arabic lim kingdoms lead by ethnic Arabs, Berbers, Slavs, or and Hebrew Poetics" is somewhat misleading, since only Negroes. The eleventh century had a rich cultural life at the the last article deals with Medieval Hebrew literature. courts, whose inhabitants competed with each other in wine drinking and poetry parties. Hebrew Andalusian poetry took Amsterdam/Leiden, February 1994 ARIE SCHIPPERS over the main themes of Arabic poetry such as poetry dedi­ cated to wine, love, nature descriptions, war descriptions and praise of the patron or king. Among the themes were * also elegiac themes around Death and Perdition. After the twelfth century, not only did Hebrew Andalu­ BRANN, Ross - The Compunctuous Poet. Cultural Ambi­ sian poetry decline, but also its model. Arabic poetry does guity and Hebrew Poetiy in Muslim Spain, Baltimore, not develop as much as in earlier times. However, as far as The John Hopkins University Press, 1991 (24 cm, xiv + Hebrew Andalusian poetry is concerned, this decay is some­ 228) = John Hopkins Jewish Studies. ISBN 0-8018- times denied, because in later ages, poets like Todros Abul- 4073-2. $ 42.00. 'Afiyah (1247-after 1298), and a metrical theorist-poet Hebrew Andulasian secular poetry appears from the tenth Sa'adyah Ibn Dannan (d. after 1505) still have a poetic pro­ century onwards as a new phenomenon in Hebrew literature. duction of high quality, not consisting merely of imitations. Literature until then was confined to religious topics. The But they were exceptions: the successive arrival of the "emancipation" of Hebrew literature in Muslim Spain (al- Berber dynasties from Morocco, of The Almoravids and Andalus) was largely due to the positions certain Jews then Almohads had been disastrous for the cultural climate, espe­ occupied, which made the community rich and prosperous, cially for the Jews who fled over the frontier into Christian also intellectually. Spain and Provence, while others made their way to the Under Muslim rule the Jewish community of Spain had more tolerant Muslim east (e.g. Egypt). In Provence, many possibilities for development, because of its special Hebrew rhyme-prose in the style of the Arabs continued to social position in that diaspora: the Jews had established flower along with Judeo-Arabic culture. Even in Italy, themselves on the Iberian peninsula as early as the first cen­ Hebrew poetry was written according to the principles of the tury. They were there before the arrival of the Visigoths at Hebrew Andalusian school. The impact of Hebrew Andalu­ the end of the fifth centrury, and when the Visigoths became sian poetry was also quite conspicuous even in the Ottoman hostile towards them, they saw the Arabs as their liberators Empire. when they (the Arabs) conquered the majority of the Iberian The religious poems (the piyyutim) in Al-Andalus, and peninsula in 711. According to historical sources they even afterwards elsewhere, were also influenced by secular helped the Arabs in their conquest. Furthermore, the Jews Hebrew Andalusian poetry, especially in their form, metres were to be found in all walks of life, landowners, merchants, and rhymes. The importance of the Hebrew Andalusian artisans, and labourers; from the highest to the lowest poetry lies not only in the fact that this poetry is deliberately classes. They had their own cities, such as Lucena and secular — a fact which probably could exist only in the Granada. In wealthy Muslim Spain, Jewish science and cul­ rich and privileged diaspora on the Iberian peninsula —, it ture were greatly stimulated, thanks to Jewish functionaries also gives an idea of how Arabic poetry was received in at the courts of Muslim kings. Under the influence of Arabic Andalusia'). grammar, Hebrew grammatical studies flourished, although Hebrew had already disappeared as a spoken language in the The book starts with an introduction about the Jews on second century CE, and in Spain first Romance, later ver­ the Iberian peninsula and their deteriorating relationship nacular Arabic, had taken its place. The focus of Hebrew with the Visigoths; with the description of the changes grammatical studies was on the Classical Hebrew of the brought about by the Arabo-Islamic conquest; and the im­ Holy Writ. Secular Hebrew Andalusian poetry came into pact of arabization which, for the Jews, led to an increasing being under the influence of the study of Hebrew grammar urbanization. It gives an overview of the several ethic following the methods of the Arab grammarians. This study groups of al-Andalus and the different reigns and periods. It was much encouraged by the famous Meacenes and Cor- describes the role of the famous Jewish courtiers in promo­ doban vizier, Hasday ibn Shaprut (ca. 910-970). ting Jewish cultural life, such as Hasday ibn Shaprut (d. c. The study of the Biblical Hebrew inspired the Hebrew poets to use that language for their new forms of secular ') See Arie Schippers, Spanish Hebrew Poetry and the Arabic Literary poetry. They used Arabic metres and themes. The first poets Tradition. Arabic Themes in Hebrew Andahisian Poetry, Leiden (E.J. of the new Hebrew Andalusian school made use of poetry as Brill), 1994. 203 BIBLIOTHECA ORIENTALIS LII N° 1/2, Januari-Maart 1995 204 970) and others. Rapid arabization meant for the Jews, the his poems, he celebrates the synthetic nature of courtier cul­ use of Middle Arabic in Hebrew characters. In the field of ture. The poets are writing in Hebrew, their wisdom is poetry there existed in the beginning only the piyyutim (reli­ Greek, their metres are Arabic. Abraham ibn Ezra's poem gious poems) which were influenced by Aramaic and litur­ about the different occupations of the peoples is quoted (i.e.. gical Hevrew. Secular Hebrew poetry only emerged in mid- Arabs occupy themselves with love. Christians with war, tenth-century as a Hebrew subcultural adaptation of Arabic Greeks with wisdom, Indians with riddles, Jews with reli­ verse. It took over metres, conventions, and contents from gion). Like the grammarians, the poets liked to see them­ the Arabs. Piyyutim and secular poems were consumed by a selves as champions of the Hebrew language. Their class of Andalusian Jews who could be characterized as Hebraism could also be an apologetical means of defending "courtier-rabbis". the secular nature of Hebrew literature. Poets and thinkers argued that the substance of their adapted Arabic culture had The first chapter explains the concept of "The compunc­ its roots in Hebrew culture. Their also exists explicit use of tuous Poet". The term has to do with the cultural ambiva­ biblical language and phraseology in Hebrew poetry. The lence of the Jews who wrote Hebrew poetry in Arabic style poets drew upon biblical books akin to the Arabic genres and the ambiguous position of poetry in the medieval which served as their models. Meditative poetry and lyric of Islamic world in general (i.e., appreciated in courtly circles, complaint are full of the language of Job; gnomic poetry is but not by certain lawyers, pietists and philosophers).
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