Poems by Middle Ages Erbil Historian: Ibn Mstawfi

Introduced By Yasin Aziz:

Ibn Mstawfi

Ibn Fateh Ahmad Mubarak Mauhub Ibn Ghunaim Al Laqmi (known as Ibn Mstawfi ‘Erbilli’) was born in Erbil in 1169 AD. He was one of the high-ranking officials of the city and therefore called ‘Raies’ or ‘Leader’. He often looked after well-known visitors to the city who came on official visits, especially scientists, poets and other well-known personalities. He hosted them and gave them presents. He was an able poet and a prose writer, who was acquainted with philosophy, Arabic grammar and also an able mathematician and administrator. He worked for many years on writing and collecting information about the history of Erbil, and is known as the ‘Erbil Historian’.

He wrote about the science of administration and he also wrote books on art and literature, including one on Abu Tamam’s and Mutanabi’s poems and another called ‘Abu Qumash’, a work of literary and art analysis and criticism. He wrote the detailed analysis, ‘Zamakhshary, A known Muslim scholar in Arabic Grammar from Khuarism.’ He also wrote a history of known personalities in the history of Islam: ‘Wafayati Ayan u Anbei al Zaman’.

As his biographer Ibn Khalikan says: ‘Whenever he had well known guests in Erbil, he often showed them samples of his literary art works from his books’*. One of the books he left behind was a collection of his poems. The following are a few lines from these poems:

A Night With Love

For the whole night I was awake to compare her beauty with the moon

I wrapped my arms around her waist for the most length of time

I was offered happiness and the happiest was my night

When my love blamed me for so long, but I was yet not satisfied

Even with her angry looks, her face seemed so sweet

That night became so wonderful, just like a wonderful meeting feast.

We had to hide from the jealous eyes, as their intention was with contempt.

So graceful was her warm touch, she often clung to my neck.

With many aspects of beauty, especially her slender curvy waist

Her elegant colourful dancing, so graceful her every single step

Was so enticing her tender grooves, like a medicine for ailment.

Pride almost stopped me, as I blushed from my naughty moves.

But she still was in my arms and kept kissing her blushed cheeks

If it was not for our coupled breathing, my gasping would have been heard

The jealous morning was coming, when the night was already aware

Then the vengeful morning came, it soon confirmed our despair.

Here is another of his poems, about a beautiful black woman:

With your dark olive colour so wonderful

That embellished the art of your beauty

What is the benefit of the white skin?

When the sword’s fatal part is white.

Whenever it is brandished, it inflicts pain and killing

Now, can you see clearly my suffering?

Ibn Mstawfi died in Mosul in August 1239 and he was buried at the Jahasha cemetery.

*Ibn Khalikan, Biographical Dictionary, Volume 2, pages 556 – 561

Yasin Mahmoud Aziz is from Halabja and lives in the UK. He is the author of ‘Dum Dum Castle’ and two books in Kurdish and he is planning several more books, including ‘A Few Days Life of Revolution in Halabja’.