Ibn Quzman
Encyclopedia
Muhammad ibn Abd al-Malik ibn Quzman (ابن قزمان) (1160–1078) was the single most famous poet in the history of al-Andalus
and he is also considered to be one of its most original. He was born and died in Cordoba
and has earned his fame by his zajal
s. Characteristic of the zajal or zejel is its colloquial language, as well as a typical rhyming scheme: aaab cccb dddb where b rhymes with a constantly recurring refrain of one or two lines.
The life-style of Ibn Quzman was similar to that of troubadours. His approach to life as expressed in these melodious poems, together with their mixed idiom (occasionally using words of the Romance languages), shows a ressembance to the later vernacular troubadour poetry of France.
A collection of poems by Ibn Quzman (Spanish "Cancionero") was rediscovered in Saint Petersburg in 1881.
Al-Andalus
Al-Andalus was the Arabic name given to a nation and territorial region also commonly referred to as Moorish Iberia. The name describes parts of the Iberian Peninsula and Septimania governed by Muslims , at various times in the period between 711 and 1492, although the territorial boundaries...
and he is also considered to be one of its most original. He was born and died in Cordoba
Córdoba, Spain
-History:The first trace of human presence in the area are remains of a Neanderthal Man, dating to c. 32,000 BC. In the 8th century BC, during the ancient Tartessos period, a pre-urban settlement existed. The population gradually learned copper and silver metallurgy...
and has earned his fame by his zajal
Zajal
Zajal is a traditional form of oral strophic poetry declaimed in a colloquial dialect with ancient roots in a number of Mediterranean cultures. The form is similar to Muwashshah. The origin of zajal is Al-Andalus...
s. Characteristic of the zajal or zejel is its colloquial language, as well as a typical rhyming scheme: aaab cccb dddb where b rhymes with a constantly recurring refrain of one or two lines.
The life-style of Ibn Quzman was similar to that of troubadours. His approach to life as expressed in these melodious poems, together with their mixed idiom (occasionally using words of the Romance languages), shows a ressembance to the later vernacular troubadour poetry of France.
A collection of poems by Ibn Quzman (Spanish "Cancionero") was rediscovered in Saint Petersburg in 1881.
External Links
- Collectif, Hispano-arabic poetry, ed. Slatkine, 1974, Ch. IV The Almoravid Period, Ibn Quzman, p.266-308 http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=JU4EGnEEeR0C&pg=PR19&dq=hispano+-+arabic+poetry,+ed.+Slatkine,&hl=en&ei=lpKATvX6D8Oi-gbL252SDQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CDMQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q&f=false (retrieved 26-09-2011)
- M. Th Houtsma, First encyclopaedia of Islam: 1913-1936 http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=s5tMi-uGlfwC&pg=PA92&dq=ibn+quzman&hl=en&ei=eFuATqWuCYa8-QbbqdHuDA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=8&ved=0CFYQ6AEwBzgo#v=onepage&q&f=false (retrieved 36-09-2011)
- "Cancionero de Abenguzmán" in Enciclopedia GER (in Spanish) http://www.canalsocial.net/GER/ficha_GER.asp?id=9164&cat=literatura