Imru’ al-Qays
امرؤ القيس
The beloved’s abandoned campsite, a long night, the horse, and the storm.
قِفَا نَبْكِ مِنْ ذِكْرَى حَبِيبٍ وَمَنْزِلِ
بِسِقْطِ اللِّوَى بَيْنَ الدَّخُولِ فَحَوْمَلِ
Imru al Qays · Imru al-Qais · Imru el Qais · Imrou al Qays
Read the poetry. Discover its meaning.
The ten Muallaqat
The Muallaqat (also written Muʿallaqāt, Mouallakat, or Moallakat) are celebrated Arabic odes. This library brings together the famous seven and the three additional poems collected in al-Tabrizi’s commentary on the ten odes.
The poems and their explanations are in Arabic. This English page introduces the collection; it is not an English translation of the poems.
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Tarafah ibn al-Abd
طرفة بن العبد
A young poet’s account of travel, generosity, estrangement, and mortality.
لِخَوْلَةَ أَطْلَالٌ بِبُرْقَةِ ثَهْمَدِ
تَلُوحُ كَبَاقِي الْوَشْمِ فِي ظَاهِرِ الْيَدِ
Tarafa ibn al Abd · Tarafa ben al Abd · Tarafa
Zuhayr ibn Abi Sulma
زهير بن أبي سلمى
Praise for peacemakers, the consequences of war, and the wisdom of experience.
أَمِنْ أُمِّ أَوْفَى دِمْنَةٌ لم تَكَلَّمِ
بِحَوْمَانَةِ الدَّرَّاجِ فَالمُتَثَلَّمِ
Zuhair ibn Abi Sulma · Zoheir ibn Abi Solma · Zohair
Labid ibn Rabi‘ah
لبيد بن ربيعة
Changing landscapes, desert animals, the journey, and the virtues of the tribe.
عَفَتِ الدِّيَارُ مَحَلُّهَا فَمُقَامُهَا
بِمِنًى تَأَبَّدَ غَوْلُهَا فَرِجَمُهَا
Labid ibn Rabia · Labid ben Rabia · Lebid
Antarah ibn Shaddad
عنترة بن شدّاد
The warrior and the lover: courage, generosity, and the memory of Ablah.
هَلْ غَادَرَ الشُّعَرَاءُ مِنْ مُتَرَدَّمِ
أَمْ هَلْ عَرَفْتَ الدَّارَ بَعْدَ تَوَهُّمِ
Antara ibn Shaddad · Antar ibn Shaddad · Antar ben Cheddad · Antara Ibn Chaddad
Amr ibn Kulthum
عمرو بن كلثوم
A powerful declaration of Taghlib’s pride, independence, and collective memory.
أَلاَ هُبِّي بصَحْنِكِ فَاصْبَحِينَا
وَلاَ تُبْقِي خُمُورَ الأنْدَرِينَا
Amr ibn Koulthoum · Amr ben Kolthoum · Amr ibn Kulsum
Al-Harith ibn Hillizah
الحارث بن حلّزة
A defence of Bakr through argument, agreements, and memories of tribal encounters.
آذَنَتْنَا بِبَينِهَا أَسْمَاءُ
رُبّ ثَاوٍ يُمَلُّ مِنْهُ الثّوَاءُ
Harith ibn Hilliza · Al Harith ibn Hiliza · Harith ben Hilliza
Al-A‘sha
الأعشى
Farewell to Hurayrah, the journey, generosity, and the rhythms of life.
وَدِّعْ هُرَيْرَةَ إِنَّ الرَّكْبَ مُرْتَحِلُ
وَهَلْ تُطِيقُ وَدَاعًا أَيُّهَا الرَّجُلُ
Al Asha · Al Aacha · Al Acha · Maymun ibn Qays
Al-Nabighah al-Dhubyani
النابغة الذبياني
The ruins of Mayyah, praise of al-Nu‘man, and an anxious appeal for reconciliation.
يَا دَارَ مَيَّةَ بِالعَلْيَاءِ فَالسَّنَدِ
أَقْوَتْ، وَطَالَ عَلَيْهَا سَالِفُ الأَبَدِ
Al Nabigha al Dhubyani · Nabigha Dhubyani · Nabigha al Dhobyani
Abid ibn al-Abras
عبيد بن الأبرص
Deserted dwellings, the reversals of fortune, and scenes of riding and hunting.
أَقْفَرَ مِنْ أَهْلِهِ مَلْحُوبُ
فَالقُطَبِيِّاتُ، فَالذَّنُوبُ
Ubayd ibn al Abras · Obaid ibn al Abras · Abid ben al Abras
How to read
Open a poem and select or tap an Arabic word. Its panel gives a vocabulary note or clearly identified verse context, with sources. Use the verse number for keyboard exploration. Change the font size, hide vowel marks, save your position, or search the collection. The full poem is readable without JavaScript.
Texts, sources, and editorial limits
The nine added texts follow al-Tabrizi’s Sharh al-Qasaid al-Ashr, al-Muniriyya edition, 1352 AH. Antarah retains the original Ibn al-Anbari transmission, al-Babtain edition, 2003. Al-Zawzani’s commentary is used for matching passages. Verse counts and readings differ between editions. Section headings are added reading aids.
The nine added texts were electronically collated, but not every vowel mark has been visually proofread against a printed scan. The explanations have not received independent specialist review. This is an educational reader, not a new critical edition. A contextual explanation is not necessarily an individual word definition.
Classical sources and editions
- Al-Tabrizi — Sharh al-Qasaid al-Ashr
- Al-Zawzani — Sharh al-Muallaqat al-Sab‘
- Ibn al-Anbari transmission — al-Babtain edition
For readers, researchers, and agents
Each poem has a source-linked Markdown export and structured JSON data. Cite its canonical reader URL and verse anchor (for example, #v-1), and identify the selected edition when discussing a textual variant.