Diwan of Muhalhil ibn Rabi'ah

Author's name: Muhalhil ibn Rabi'ah

Al-Muhalhal is Adi ibn Rabi'ah ibn al-Harith, nicknamed Abu Layla. He is the maternal uncle of the famous poet Imru' al-Qais. The poet Amr ibn Kulthum found the reason for this name, and Adi was known by two nicknames: "al-Zir" and "al-Muhalhal." His name was largely forgotten, and he is now known only as "al-Zir Abu Layla al-Muhalhal." His life, and even his poetry, are divided into two phases: The first phase: Before the murder of his brother Kulayb. His poetry was scarce during this phase, as he would only write one or two verses of erotic poetry. The second phase: After the murder of his brother, which is the longest and most important phase in Al-Muhalhal's life. The murder of Kulayb greatly affected the tribe of Taghlib and Bakr, and was known for the Basus War, one of the most famous in Arab history, as it lasted for many years, with Al-Muhalhal being its hero. Most of Al-Muhalhal's poetry was in mourning for his brother Kulayb, threatening and intimidating his position among his killers. Sometimes, verses of erotic poetry are interspersed among his poems when Al-Muhalhal recalls his youth and is overcome by grief and a reluctance to take revenge. It is worth noting that Al-Muhalhal did not compile his collection of poems himself. Rather, researcher Halal Harb collected his poems from literary books and ancient works, and worked on verifying and preserving them, explaining any obscure vocabulary and words in them so that the Arab reader could review and benefit from them.