A little sheikh from the land of Meknes
A little sheikh from the land of Meknes (Arabic شويخ من أرض مكناس) is a zajal by the Sufi poet Al-Shushtari (1212-1269). The poem is often taken as evidence that Al-Shushtari himself lived in Meknes at some time.[1][2]
Lyrics
The lyrics begin:
- 1. A little shaikh from the land of Meknes sings in the middle of the marketplaces:
- 2 "What have I to do with men, and what have men to do with me?
- 3 "What, O friend, have I to do with any creature"
Versions
- Ahmed Al-Jumairi, Bahrain
References
- ^ Julia Ashtiany - ʻAbbasid Belles-lettres 1990- Page 261 "Shushtari also wrote many muwashshahat, and he was the first Sufi poet to write the zajal which differs from the muwashshah only ... He must have spent some earlier years in Meknes in Morocco, since one of his best known a^jal begins: A ...
- ^ Lourdes María Alvarez Abū Al-Ḥasan Al-Shushtarī: Songs of Love and Devotion 2009 - Page 16 "some have argued that the poem "Little shaykh from Meknes" indicates that the poet resided for a time in that"
- ^ James T. Monroe - Hispano-Arabic poetry: a student anthology 2004 - Page 308 "34 Shushtari 1 A little shaikh from the land of Meknes sings in the middle of the marketplaces: 2 " What have I to do with men, and what have men to do with me? 3 What, O friend, have I to do with any creature 4 [When] He whom I love is ..."