Music of a Distant Drum: Classical Arabic, Persian, Turkish, and Hebrew Poems

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Music of a Distant Drum: Classical Arabic, Persian, Turkish, and Hebrew Poems (Reprint) Pub. Date: 4/5/2011 Publisher: Princeton University Press
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Music of a Distant Drum: Classical Arabic, Persian, Turkish, and Hebrew Poems (New Edition) Pub. Date: 9/17/2001 Publisher: Princeton University Press

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Overview

Music of a Distant Drum marks a literary milestone. It collects 129 poems from the four leading literary traditions of the Middle East, all masterfully translated into English by Bernard Lewis, many for the first time. These poems come from diverse languages and traditions--Arabic, Persian, Turkish, and Hebrew--and span more than a thousand years. Together they provide a fascinating and unusual window into Middle Eastern history. Lewis, one of the world's greatest authorities on the region's culture and history, reveals verses of startling beauty, ranging from panegyric and satire to religious poetry and lyrics about wine, women, and love.

Bernard Lewis, one of the world's greatest authorities on the region's culture and history, offers a work of startling beauty that leaves no doubt as to why such poets were courted by kings in their day. Like those in the Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam, the poems here--as ensured by Lewis's mastery of all the source languages and his impeccable style and taste--come fully alive in English. They are surprising and sensuous, disarmingly witty and frank. They provide a fascinating and unusual glimpse into Middle Eastern history. Above all, they are a pleasure to read.They range from panegyric and satire to religious poetry and lyrics about wine, women, and love. Lewis begins with an introduction on the place of poets and poetry in Middle Eastern history and concludes with biographical notes on all the poets.

This treasure trove of verse is aptly summed up by a quote from the ninth-century Arab author Ibn Qutayba: "Poetry is the mine of knowledge of the Arabs, the book of their wisdom, the muster roll of their history, the repository of their great days, the rampart protecting their heritage, the trench defending their glories, the truthful witness on the day of dispute, the final proof at the time of argument."

In one hand the Qur'vn, in the other a wineglass,

Sometimes keeping the rules, sometimes breaking them.

Here we are in this world, unripe and raw,

Not outright heathens, not quite Muslims.

--Mujir (12th century)

What People Are Saying

Carter Findley

A fine anthology with moments of real beauty. Unlike almost any scholar I can think of, Lewis not only has the linguistic diversity to undertake translations from four different languages, but he has the ability to produce translations with a literary quality that rises to a level one can call poetic.
— Carter Findley, Ohio State University

Ross Brann

Professor Lewis's earlier translation of Solomon Ibn Gabirol's long philosophical-meditative poem, The Kingly Crown, is masterful and a classic. Given that effort, Lewis's historically minded sensibility, the exceptional literary value of his selection, and the clarity and accuracy of his translations here, Music of a Distant Drum will meet with a waiting and approving audience. There is no comparable volume offering us the opportunity to read and examine side by side poems from these related but distinct literary traditions. This may well be the first and last collection of Middle Eastern lyric poems translated by a single scholar with such a sweeping command of all of the languages and literatures represented.
— Ross Brann, Cornell University

Editorial Reviews

Library Journal

Edited and translated by Lewis, a well-known scholar of Arabic culture, this collection of 132 "classical" Middle Eastern poems dating from the seventh to the 18th centuries reveals the extensive heritage of Islamic poetry. The poems are divided into Arabic, Persian, Turkish, and Hebrew "rich and ancient" cultures that "reflect a wide variety of approaches and activities, from the pagan desert to the Muslim city." Showing how Islamic culture from antiquity has been composed of interrelated, "multiracial" groups, Lewis's erudite introduction discusses the emergence of Arabic languages and the status of poets and pays tribute to "the love of poetry and respect for poetry characteristic of Arab culture." Of various ethnicities, 54 predominantly male poets (Omar Khayyam and Rumi are the most familiar) living in diverse countries (e.g., Azerbaijan, Ethiopia, and Spain) express international cultural awareness centuries before the modern era. Sometimes humorous or mystical, the poems focus on family, love, and religion. Including biographies, illustrations, and an appendix of scripts of each source language, this collection is a fine historical document and anthology of eloquent poetry. For all academic and larger public libraries. Frank Allen, Northampton Community Coll., Tannersville, PA Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.

Booklist

Only [Lewis] could single-handedly assemble poems from so many languages and cultures into a coherent anthology. . . . Although translating from four languages, Lewis captures the rhythms and cadences of each admirably.

More Reviews (5) Fewer Reviews

Choice

Lewis is probably the doyen of Middle East historians. Few scholars in the field today can match his mastery of languages and his elegant style in English. . . . The translations are a delight to read and give a good sense of the range of subject matter of this poetry.

LA Times Book Review

This anthology is a selection of poems representing the forms and styles of Middle Eastern poetry from the 7th to the 18th century in the four leading literary traditions of the Middle East. These poems are revelatory: straightforward and yet filled with longing and desire.

The New York Review of Books

Bernard Lewis's translations suggest differences of tone and temperament in the wide range of traditions from which he has compiled his anthology, among them classical Arabic, Turkish, and Hebrew poetry, as well as Persian.
— W.S. Merwin

The New Yorker

Lewis, one of the foremost scholars of the Middle East, has devoted much of his career to the history of Islam; this volume collects his translations of poems—nearly all appearing in English for the first time—that span eleven centuries and four major Middle Eastern traditions. Many of the most striking works address, in spare, stirring lines, the twin demands of serving the self and serving God.

The Washington Times

A work of stunning beauty. . . . The poems here, as ensured by Mr. Lewis' mastery of all source languages, and his impeccable style and taste, come fully alive in English.
— Surekha Vijh

Product Details

ISBN-13: 9780691150109
Publisher: Princeton University Press
Publication date: 4/5/2011
Edition description: Reprint
Pages: 240
Sales rank: 834,492
Product dimensions: 5.00 (w) x 7.90 (h) x 0.80 (d)

Meet the Author

Bernard Lewis

Bernard Lewis is professor emeritus at Princeton University. His many books include "What Went Wrong?", "The Crisis of Islam", and "Faith and Power".

1. Hometown:
  
  Princeton, New Jersey
1. Date of Birth:
  
  May 31, 1916
2. Place of Birth:
  
  London, England
1. Education:
  
  B.A., University of London, 1936; Diplome des Etudes Semitiques, University of Paris, 1937; Ph.D., University of London,

	Acknowledgments
	Introduction	1
	Arabic Poems	35
	Persian Poems	89
	Turkish Poems	145
	Hebrew Poems	175
	About the Poets	199
	Appendix	215
	Note on Transcription	217
	Source Notes	219
	Illustration Credits	221

Recipe

"Professor Lewis's earlier translation of Solomon Ibn Gabirol's long philosophical-meditative poem, The Kingly Crown, is masterful and a classic. Given that effort, Lewis's historically minded sensibility, the exceptional literary value of his selection, and the clarity and accuracy of his translations here, Music of a Distant Drum will meet with a waiting and approving audience. There is no comparable volume offering us the opportunity to read and examine side by side poems from these related but distinct literary traditions. This may well be the first and last collection of Middle Eastern lyric poems translated by a single scholar with such a sweeping command of all of the languages and literatures represented."—Ross Brann, Cornell University

"A fine anthology with moments of real beauty. Unlike almost any scholar I can think of, Lewis not only has the linguistic diversity to undertake translations from four different languages, but he has the ability to produce translations with a literary quality that rises to a level one can call poetic."—Carter Findley, Ohio State University

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Music of a Distant Drum: Classical Arabic, Persian, Turkish, and Hebrew Poems

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Overview

All Available Formats + Editions

Customers Who Bought This Also Bought

More About This Book

Overview

Editorial Reviews

Library Journal

Booklist

Choice

LA Times Book Review

The New York Review of Books

The New Yorker

The Washington Times

Product Details

Meet the Author

Bernard Lewis

Table of Contents

Recipe

Customer Reviews

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