Diwan al-Khansa'

Author's name: Al-Khansa

Al-Khansa' is Tamatar bint Amr ibn al-Harith ibn al-Sharid, and al-Khansa' is a nickname that was given to her because she was likened to a wild cow in the beauty of her eyes. It is well known that al-Khansa' was one of the most advanced poets of the Arabs, as all ancient poets and narrators agreed that there was no woman before or after her more eloquent than her in elegies, and they considered her to be in the second rank. At the beginning of her career, al-Khansa' used to write poetry, but it did not increase until her two brothers, Mu'awiyah and Sakhr, were killed. She grieved deeply for them, especially Sakhr, as he was the dearest to her, because of his patience, generosity, advancement in his tribe, courage, and handsome face. Grief tore open the sleeves of her poetic talent, and she composed poetry that was the sighs of a piercing soul, the sighs of a chest afflicted with grief, and the tears of a wounded heart. The reader of this poetry and its sighs will discover the simplicity and repetition of its meanings, and its exaggeration in describing her sadness and the virtues of her brother Sakhr. Her poetry is beloved and close to hearts, with its sincere, burning, and pained emotion and true brotherly loyalty. This book contains within its folds the collection of poems by Al-Khansa, arranged alphabetically, titled with titles taken from the poem itself, and explained in an easy and simplified style that guarantees the reader a grasp of all the meanings intended by Al-Khansa in her poetry, which is predominantly elegiac in nature mixed with pride.