ABU-HAIDAR, Jareer A. — Hispano-Arabic Literature and The
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489 BIBLIOTHECA ORIENTALIS LX N° 3-4, mei-augustus 2003 490 of the last strophe, AS). Abu-Haidar explains his division of Arabic literature into two genres, namely the burlesque (the language of the streets) and the formal classical genre of high linguistic and literary value. The zajal belongs to the bur- lesque genre as does the kharja, which is a burlesque element within a serious piece, namely the muwashshaÌ. The author says that the language of the zajal is a mixed language, which does not represent the twelfth-century dialect (p. 39). It is, of course, what one would expect from a literary piece — styl- ARABICA ized dialect. He shows Hispano-Arabic zajal as burlesque lit- erature in Al-Andalus and its antecedents in the Arab East in the light of the manuscript and text of Ibn Quzmân’s Dîwân, ABU-HAIDAR, Jareer A. — Hispano-Arabic Literature and and says that the diminutives there should perhaps be con- the early Provençal Lyrics, Richmond: Curzon Press, sidered a product of their Hispanic milieu. The author eval- 2001, ISBN 0-7007-1015-9, 276 pp. uates the edition by García Gómez (1972) and that by Corri- The dispute whether Arabic influenced troubadour poetry ente (1980-1995). He criticizes various textual changes and or Romance influenced the Arabic Andalusian strophic gen- interpretations proposed by both authors, underlining that one res has still not been resolved. The book by Abu-Haidar with must not change or correct the text unless one has knowledge its rigorous and definitive refutation of all theories concern- of the historical and social context. ing such influence had only just been published when other Part II (‘The MuwashshaÌat: An Integral Part of Classical publications appeared which still take the influence theory Arabic Literature’) comprises Chapters 5-9 and focuses on for granted. See for instance Cynthia Robinson’s In praise of the muwashshaÌ and the kharja and the literary life that pro- song: the making of courtly culture in al-Andalus and duced them, as well as on the Arabic origins of the Provence, 1005-1134 AD (Leiden 2002), who presents a muwashshahât in view of its function as court poetry and bur- comparison between the two courtly cultures taking into lesque in al-Andalus. He treats among other things the ques- account the theory that Arabic songs influenced those of the tion of the form and origins of the muwashshaÌ. The rhymed troubadours. In some European circles there is now more or prose as it came into being in the East of the Arabic world less a consensus that Arabic literature and Provençal litera- with its technical virtuosity consisting of constantly varying ture are two independent domains, whereas in America many rhymes and symmetrical or parallel disposed verses, was con- efforts are being made to corroborate the influence theories. sidered to be of high literary value. The paragon of this type Although seven of the twelve chapters comprising Abu- of artistic prose is the maqâma, which was very successful Haidar’s present book have appeared earlier as articles, it is in al-Andalus, where it was imitated and developed. From convenient to have them all in a single volume. Some chap- this development one can conclude that the creation of the ters are closely linked, for example, Chapters 8 & 10 and 9 muwashshaÌ was the next step: this kind of internal rhyme & 11 deal with roughly the same subjects. Chapter 10 was is now used also in poetry. already known to me as a lecture during the Madrid Congress The syntax of the muwashshaÌât has many irregularities. on Strophic Poetry of December 1989 (See F. Corriente & Not all muwashshahât comply with the traditional Arabic A. Saenz-Badillos, eds., Poesía estrófica: actas del primer metres. The kharja is a kind of burlesque piece whether in Congreso internacional sobre poesía estrófica árabe y vernacular Arabic or in a Romance language. But according hebrea y sus paralelos romances, Madrid 1991). to Abu-Haidar, one cannot consider the kharja the dorsal Abu-Haidar promotes the idea that the Andalusí (i.e. the spine around which the poem was made. Arabic Andalusian) literature, including the strophic genres, Part III (‘No Arabic Echoes in the Provençal Lyrics’) com- is a continuation of oriental literary models hardly influenced prises Chapters 10-12 and deals with the lack of affinity by local antecedents. The introductory chapter (‘What this between Hispano-Arabic poetry and the early Provençal Work is About’) examines from a critical perspective the lyrics. Arabic literature — including Arabic Andalusian work developed by those who occupied themselves with the strophic poetry — does not have any features in common relationship between and the mutual influences of Arabic and with troubadour poetry. By comparing the terminology, lan- Arabic Andalusian, Romance and Provençal literature. Abu- guage and poetic motives used in the two literatures, it is easy Haidar underlines the primacy of Oriental Arab culture. He to demonstrate that the two worlds have a different concept criticizes some conclusions drawn by Alois Richard Nykl’s of love: Provençal poetry treats love as something which Hispano-Arabic poetry and its relations with the old ennobles, whereas Arabic poetry presents a much more real- Provençal troubadours (Baltimore 1946). However, he also istic view. The wine theme, so much used in muwashshaÌât, criticizes affirmations of the medieval treatises — such as does not occur in the songs of the troubadours. The flora and those by Ibn Bassâm and Ibn Sanâ’ al-Mulk — on strophic fauna as reflected in both literatures are enormously differ- Andalusian poetry, emphasizing their deficiencies and the ent, because Arabic Andalusian poetry likes to refer to the necessity for these works to be either corrected or ignored. desert of the Arabian peninsula, where there is hardly any What we find in Ibn Bassâm is perhaps less important than Andalusian fauna or flora present. Moreover, classical Ara- the analysis of the poems themselves. However, it is danger- bic poetry is a highly elevated language within a great liter- ous to focus attention on the literary theories rather than on ary tradition, whereas the Provençal poems are written in a the literary production itself. simple, everyday language which has no substantial literary The book is divided into three parts. Part I (‘Popular Lit- tradition. erature’) comprises Chapters 1-4 and provides an analysis of As far as the ™awq al-Îamâma [‘Ring of the Dove’] by the literary function of the zajal and the kharja (i.e. the refrain Ibn Hazm (994-1063) is concerned, this work cannot be 491 BOEKBESPREKINGEN — ARABICA 492 regarded as a treatise on courtly or Platonic love, as some however, does not detract from the useful information the have tried to demonstrate on the basis of fragments taken out article provides. The first two articles can also be confronted of context. Ibn Hazm presents realistic descriptions of sev- with the recent article ‘Language’ written by Consuelo eral manifestations of love, heterosexual as well as homo- López-Morillas (with R.P. Scheindlin for Hebrew and Judeo- sexual, refined as well as passionate. There is no mention of Arabic) in the Literature of al-Andalus (Cambridge: 2000, ‘Udhri love, nor of the troubadours’ concept of love. pp. 33-59). After reading this book, two remarks may be made: first, Dominique Urvoy’s ‘The Christological Consequences of the Hebrew tradition of muwashshaÌât which should be stud- Muslim-Christian Confrontation in Eighth-Century Spain’ (p. ied thoroughly in these questions of relationship is ignored 37) deals with Christological heretical movements, and move- except in the introductory chapter where also some Hebrew ments such as adoptionism (Christ, as man, is seen as the authors of maqâmât and rhymed prose, e.g. Abraham ibn adoptive son of God) which have often been considered a Ezra (1092-1167) and Yehudah ha-Levi (1085?-1140), are product of the contacts between Christians and Muslims. mentioned in passing. Moreover, a difficulty for non-Arabic The two subsequent contributions are about intellectual and readership may well be that some of the Arabic quotations artistic developments and the traditional Islamic sciences. are inserted in the text without translation or transcription, Hussain Mones’ ‘The Role of Men of Religion in the History which makes it difficult for interested Romanists to read the of Muslim Spain Up to the End of the Caliphate’ (p. 51) deals book. However, this does not detract from the fact that this with the problem of the legitimacy of the Emirate of Cór- book is an important contribution to the discussion of the doba, the revolt by al-Rabad (806 818 CE), the fuqahâ’ advi- relationship — or non-relationship — between Hispano- sors within the state structure, the Muslim Spain school of Andalusian strophic poetry and the tradition of the Provençal hadîth, and the shuyûkh al-‘ilm and shuyûkh al-fiqh. troubadour lyrics. I regard it as a valuable work for both Hady-Roger Idris’s ‘Reflections on Malikism under the Romanists and Arabists. Umayyads of Spain’ (p. 85) is important, since the Umayyad caliph ‘Abd al-Rahman III (912-961) publicly proclaimed the Maliki school to be the official doctrine of al-Andalus in ** order to reinforce the political legitimacy of his caliphate. * There then follow two articles on mysticism and philoso- phy: Manuela Marin’s ‘Zuhhad of al-Andalus (300/912- FIERRO, Maribel and Julio SAMSO, eds. — The Formation 420/1029)’ (p. 103) and Emilio Tornero’s ‘A Report on the of al-Andalus, Part II: Language, Religion, Culture and Publication of Previously Unedited Works by Ibn Massarra’ the Sciences, Aldershot (etc.): Ashgate, 2000 (Volume (p. 133). The two articles on history were written by the late 47, The Formation of the Classical Islamic World, Gen- Claudio Sanchez Albornoz (‘Some Remarks on Fath al- eral Editor: Lawrence I.