The Poetry and Literary Career of al-Farazdaq

Abstract

Hammām b. Ghālib, known as al-Farazdaq, was among the most famous Arab poets of the Umayyad Period. He was primarily known for his satirical and panegyrical poems in Arabic literature. This study aims to examine al-Farazdaq’s poetry and literary career with a scientific method. Therefore, the main source of the research is the poet’s divan. In the article, first of all, some biographical, literary, and historical information about al-Farazdaq’s career and poetry is given. After that, some important qasidas selected from al-Farazdaq’s divan were translated into Turkish and analyzed to support the hypotheses in the study. A qasida of al-Farazdaq in which he praised Zayn al-‘Ābidīn was chosen as an example to examine his panegyrical poetry and this poem was translated into Turkish and analyzed in its complete form. A famous poem, in which he criticized the first Umayyad Caliph Mu‘āwiya, has been studied as an example of his satires. It is possible to say that al-Farazdaq has proven his talent in the art of satire in this ode. This poem also reflects his inclinations in the genre of fakhr. Finally, a short poem of al-Farazdaq was chosen as an example to research his elegiac poetry.