Al-Mutanabbi (A.D. 915-965) is universally considered the greatest of all Arab poets. The introduction to this anthology of his work discusses al-Mutanabbi's life, style, influence and critics. There follows a selection from his poems, in the original Arabic, with literal translation into English on the facing page, and notes on points of language and style at the foot. There is also a concluding chapter on textual variants, the problems of translation, and a bibliography.

Introduction by: A.J. Arberry
Translated by: A.J. Arberry