Rithā’ al-Andalus (Arabic: رثاء الأندلس, variously translated as "An Elegy to al-Andalus"[1] or "Elegy for the fall of al-Andalus"[2]), also known as Lament for the Fall of Seville, is an Arabic qaṣīda nūniyya[3][4] which is said to have been written by Andalusi poet Abu al-Baqa ar-Rundi in 1267,[2] "on the fate of al-Andalus after the loss, in 664/1266, of several places in the provinces of Murcia and Jerez" to the Christian kingdoms during the Reconquista.[5]
Quick Facts Rithā’ al-Andalus, Original title ...
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This poem is considered the most significant of a series of poems that were written in the classical tradition of rithā’ (which denotes both lamentation and a literary genre in itself[6]) by Andalusi poets who had been inspired by the Reconquista.[5] Ar-Rundi makes notable use of personification as a rhetorical device.[7]
The poem appears to have been written some time between the fall of Seville of 1248, an event mentioned in the poem, and the poet's death in 1285.[8] The emotional intensity of the poem suggests indicates it was written around the mid 13th century in the immediate aftermath of the catastrophic events described in the poem.[8]
The text of the poem was recorded in Nafh at-Tib [ar] by Ahmad al-Maqqari (1577–1632).[8]
The poem is a nūniyya, as virtually all of its couplets end in an alveolar nasal—either from the letter ن (nun) or from nunation. The opening line alludes to that of the famous nūniyya of Abu al-Fath al-Busti:[11][9]
More information Opening line of Rithā’ al-Andalus, Opening line of Nūniyyat al-Bustī ...
Opening line of Rithā’ al-Andalus |
Opening line of Nūniyyat al-Bustī |
لِكُلِّ شَيءٍ إِذَا ما تَمَّ نُقْصانُ |
زِيادَةُ المَرْءِ في دُنِياهُ نُقْصانُ |
li-kulli shay'in idha ma tamma nuqsan |
ziyadatu l-mur'i fi dunyahu nuqsan |
All things upon reaching their pinnacle begin to decline |
A person's increase in material wealth is (in truth) only loss |
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The poem is full of allusions to figures and symbols from the depths of Arab and Middle Eastern culture.[12] It mentions ancient Arab tribes such as ʿĀd, Shaddad, and Qahtan, as well as quasi-mythic historical figures such as Sasan, Korah, Sayf ibn Dhi Yazan, Darius the Great, and Solomon, asking: "Where are they now?"
In the poem, the speaker eulogizes the fallen cities one by one,[13][14] using religious symbols to concretize the impending, menacing threat of the Catholics' invasion. The speaker mentions the minbars and the mihrabs that "mourn" beside the bells and crucifixes in the mosques that were transformed into churches.[9]
N3rdistan, led by Walid Ben Selim, performed this poem in a musical arrangement in 2014.[15]
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