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- Title
‘Uleyye bt. el-Mehdî ve Aşka Dair Şiirleri.
- Authors
AYYILDIZ, Esat
- Abstract
According to the classical Arabic sources ‘Ulayya bt. al-Mahdī b. al-Mansūr was a female poet and musician who lived during the Abbasid period. Not much information has survived about ‘Ulayya, who belonged to the Abbasid dynasty. However, some details of her life can be found in classical sources and some of her poems have survived thanks to these works. ‘Ulayya was the daughter of the Abbasid Caliph Mahdī-Billāh, and the half-sister of his successor, Hārūn al-Rashīd. It is said that Hārūn al-Rashīd was particularly interested in her education and encouraged his sister. ‘Ulayya bt. al-Mahdī was an artist known in Arabic literature mostly for her love poems and the songs she composed for them. In classical sources, it was claimed that ‘Ulayya was a very talented artist and even managed to surpass her brother Ibrāhīm b. al-Mahdī, who was a musician like her. ‘Ulayya bt. al-Mahdī’s importance stems from the fact that she was a woman who dealt with poetic themes usually associated with male poets, such as love and wine. The methodology adopted in this study aims to prove the theories on ‘Ulayya’s love poems through her verses. In the first chapter of this article on ‘Ulayya’s life, we have generally relied on the narrations of classical sources, but we have pointed out some contradictions in these works. The ancient literary historians who introduced ‘Ulayya to us claim that she was an extremely pious woman. However, an examination of her love poetry reveals that she composed love poems for people to whom she was not married. This contradicts the portrayed lifestyle of ‘Ulayya, who was supposed to be a very pious woman. ‘Ulayya once stated that her poems were essentially absurd words. This suggests that these poems were composed with literary concerns and did not reflect reality. However, there is also evidence to suggest that these love poems may be related to reality to a certain extent. For example, upon learning that ‘Ulayya was having an affair with palace attendants, Hārūn al-Rashīd forbade his sister from seeing them. Later, to alleviate ‘Ulayya’s sorrow over this prohibition, he presented her with the attendant she liked. In her poems, ‘Ulayya sometimes expresses her thoughts on the phenomenon of love. She thinks that love is essentially an irrational act, argues that love requires monogamy, glorifies unattainable loves, and believes that love is unsolvable. This article aims to reveal the life and love poetry of this extraordinary female poet in classical Arabic literature. It is believed that the examination of ‘Ulayya’s poetic productivity and the introduction of her poetry to the modern world will enable a better understanding of the traces left by the ancient Arab woman in the history of literature. In this context, ‘Ulayya in particular is an ideal example because of the subjects she dealt with in her poetry. A scholarly study of ‘Ulayya’s poetic legacy is intended to contribute to a better understanding of the feminine aspect of classical Arabic poetry.
- Subjects
ARABIC literature; MODERN poetry; ARABS; WOMEN musicians; LOVE songs; LOVE poetry; ROMANTIC love
- Publication
Sirnak University Journal of Divinity Faculty / Sirnak Üniversitesi Ilahiyat Fakültesi Dergisi, 2023, Issue 30, p108
- ISSN
2146-4901
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.35415/sirnakifd.1234234