Page 59 - Arabian Studies (II)

Yemeni Literature in Hajjah Prisons ]367/1948-1374/1955 49

The other poem, entitled Min bayn al-judran (within walls), he
addresses to his father, saying that:

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In the section marked Thawrat al-Dustur of my own book of verse,
Ilyaclha/i min San'a’ (An Iliad from San‘a’), are numerous elegies
inspired by the prison of Hajjah. To these I refer those interested in
pursuing the matter further.
With the passage of time hope among the poets and literary men
slowly turned into a possibility of influencing Imam Ahmad through
the medium of literature. ‘Ustadh’ Ahmad Nu‘man began writing to
him in his captivating style - by which the Imam was duly
impressed. Correspondence between the two continued until the
Imam relented and demonstrated his clemency by transferring
Nu‘man from Nafi‘ to al-Qahirah (prison) and eventually to a
separate house along with his wife and children. When Nu‘man wrote
his excellent treatise ShakhsJyyat al-Imam al-Nasir (the personality
of the Imam al-Nasir) Imam Ahmad summoned him to Ta‘izz. There
he succeeded in rousing the Imam’s sympathy for the prisoners, and
myself in particular, as I was later told by the Ustadh Nuhnan and
others.
Imam Ahmad himself was an accomplished man of letters. He
loved poetry and literary ability. This was a side of his character
which the poets detained in the prisons of Hajjah skilfully turned to
their advantage. They thus found a short cut to enter his generous
heart, to clip the claws of fear and relieve the heavy weight of terror
upon them. Moreover, they were able to create around themselves an
atmosphere of optimism, and to defend themselves against the malice
of those eager to instigate the Imam against them — the flatterers
who were demanding that heads should roll and that the death
sentences against the constitutionalists be put into execution.
These are some aspects of the literary activity in the prisons of
Hajjah at that difficult period and they can be summarised as
comprising the following:
(a) The writing of conciliatory compositions, both in poetry and
prose, in the most elegant language, in praise of the Imam, to arouse
his compassion, mercy and kindness.
(b) Mourning (in secret) for slain colleagues, the expression of
longing for families and friends and elegising those Liberals (Ahrar)
who had fallen.