The case of rhyme versus reason : : Ibn al-Rumi and his poetics in context / / by Robert C. McKinney.

• Superior document: Brill studies in Middle Eastern literatures, v. 28
• Author: McKinney, Robert C., 1954-
• Year of Publication: 2004
• Edition: 1st ed.
• Language: English
• Series: Brill studies in Middle Eastern literatures ; v. 28.
• Physical Description: 1 online resource (676 p.)
• Notes: Description based upon print version of record.

The poetry of the extremely prolific and versatile 'Abbāsid poet Ibn al-Rūmī is examined in this book. Part 1, The Poet, reconstructs the poet's life and times providing the background for Part II, The Poetry, which traces the influences in Ibn al-Rūmī's distinctive poetic style and themes. This provides a glimpse into a rather fluid period in Arabic literary history when the boundary between poetry and prose was becoming increasingly permeable, due to the emergence of the so-called "secretary-poets," and to the prevalence and importance of the munāżarah , or disputation. Part III, The Poem, analyzes the poet's celebrated 282-line poem commemorating the quashing of the Zanj rebellion. The towering architectonics and sophisticated organization of this poem provide an ideal opportunity to explore Ibn al-Rūmī's poetic contribution.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments; General Notes; Preface; Ibn al-Rumi, The Poet; 1-A Birth, Family, Education, Intellectual Orientation, Death; 1-B The Poet's Persona as Constructed, Interpreted and Preserved by Later Generations in the Akhbar; 1-C The Poet's Reception; 1-D The ""Greek Thesis""; 1-E The Case of Rhyme vs. Reason (Opening Statement); Ibn al-Rumi, The Times; 2-A Introduction; 2-B The Translation Movement; 2-C The Munazarah; 2-D Passive Reception of the Hellenic Legacy vs. Active and Creative Appropriation; 2-E The Immediate Literary and Intellectual Environment; The Argument

Al-'Aqqad's Assertions2-A The Worship of Life; 2-B The Love of Nature; 2-C Personification; The Influence of the Times on the Themes of Ibn al-Rumi's Poetry; 3-A The Subjects Treated in His Poems; 3-B The Poet's Keen Interest in Word Derivation (al-Ishtiqaq) and Fondness for Puns and Wordplay; 3-C Arguing both Sides of an Issue; Making the Weaker Cause the Stronger; Making the True False and the False True; 3-D The Literary Munazarah; Contemporary Influences on the Poet's Stylistics; 4-A Introduction; 4-B The Phenomenon of Istiqsa"" al-Ma'ani and the Resulting Characteristic of Tul al-Nafas

4-C The Syllogistic Character of Certain of his Poems, or Sections of his Poems4-D The Poetic Movement from the General to the Specific (Mujmal Mufassal ); 4-E The Relationship of the Poet's Style to the Nascent Art of Prose Composition (al-Insha', al-Tarasul, al-Kitabah); 4-F The Poet's Argumentative Discourse Strategies; 4-G The Organization of his Qasidahs; 4-H A 3rd/9th Century Munazarah: The Case of Rhyme vs. Reason (Closing Argument); The Background; 1-A The Reception of Poem no. 444, The Mamduh, Stylistic, Artistic and Formal Features of the Poem

1-B The Panegyric Qasidah Form and the Structure of Poem no. 4441-C The Ideology of Praise; The Nasib; The Madih; The Khatimah; 4-A The Rahil; 4-B Concluding Madih; 4-C The Dedication and Benediction; 4-D Epilogue; Conclusion; Appendix A ""Map"" to Qasidah no. 444; Appendix B Arabic Texts; Works Cited; Index of Ibn al-Rumi's Poems Cited; General Index