| Rithā’ al-Andalus | |
|---|---|
| byAbu al-Baqa ar-Rundi | |
| Original title | رثاء الأندلس |
| Written | 1267 |
| Language | Arabic |
| Genre | rithā’ |
| Form | qaṣīdanūniyya |
| Full text | |
 Translation:Ritha' al-Andalus atWikisource | |
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 asLament for the Fall of Seville, is an Arabicqaṣīdanūniyya[3][4] which is said to have been written byAndalusi poetAbu 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 theReconquista.[5]
This poem is considered the most significant of a series of poems that were written in the classical tradition ofrithā’ (which denotes both lamentation and a literary genre in itself[6]) by Andalusi poets who had been inspired by theReconquista.[5] Ar-Rundi makes notable use ofpersonification as a rhetorical device.[7]
The poem appears to have been written some time between thefall of Seville of 1248, an event mentioned in the poem, and the poet's death in 1285.[8] The emotional intensity of the poem 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 inNafh at-Tib [ar] byAhmad al-Maqqari (1577–1632).[8]
Ar-Rundi lived through the fall of most of the major Andalusi cities—such asCadiz,Cordoba,Seville (mentioned as "Hims"), and others—to the forces of the Catholic monarchs:Alfonso VIII ofCastile and his grandsonFerdinand III,Sancho VII ofNavarre, andPeter II ofAragon.[9] Most major Andalusi cities fell within the span of a century with the collapse of theAlmohad Caliphate.[9]
Ar-Rundi composed his poem mourning thefall of al-Andalus and calling the Islamic kingdoms on the North African shore, particularly theMarinid Sultanate, when the king ofGranada started to concede towns and castles to theCrown of Castille.[10]
The poem is anūniyya, as virtually all of its couplets end in analveolar nasal—either from the letterن (nun) or fromnunation. The opening line alludes to that of the famousnūniyya ofAbu al-Fath al-Busti:[11][9]
| Opening line ofRithā’ al-Andalus | Opening line ofNūniyyat 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 |
The poem is full ofallusions to figures and symbols from the depths ofArab and Middle Eastern culture.[12] It mentions ancient Arab tribes such asʿĀd,Shaddad, andQahtan, as well as quasi-mythic historical figures such asSasan,Korah,Sayf ibn Dhi Yazan,Darius the Great, andSolomon, 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 theminbars and themihrabs that "mourn" beside the bells and crucifixes in the mosques that were transformed into churches.[9]
N3rdistan, led byWalid Ben Selim, performed this poem in a musical arrangement in 2014.[15]
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