Page 63 - Arabian Studies (II)

Yemeni Literature in Ilajjali Prisons 1367/1948 -1374/1955 53

hook. QadT Muhammad ‘AIT al-Akwa* was able also at the same time
to deal with some parts of Al-lkill and explain some of its
ambiguities. Parts of this book have been published and the rest is in
press. This endeavour of his has been greatly appreciated.
Poetical competitions were held on sad, gay, and historic
occasions. For example, a poet of the IryanT family was married. He
was a young poet of promise, so some suggested that we send him a
‘bouquet of poems’ (baqah shi'riyyah). The metre and rhyme were
fixed and a time was set for the entries — it was agreed, too, that the
best poem should receive a prize. The panel forjudging the poems
was chaired by President QadT ‘Abd al-Rahman al-IryanT, and the
verses were to rhyme in ra \ as in my poem the opening line of which
is:

JX
About ten poems were submitted.
Another occasion was upon the death of the person we called ‘The
Unknown Soldier’ (al-jundl al-majhul). In fact he was known to all of
us since he was one of the prison guards, but he had been deeply
influenced by the liberal ideas of the prisoners, and his heart
softened towards them, and he would render them services by
passing on their messages. Then he helped one of them to escape, but
was found out and imprisoned. He was removed to the prison of
al-Sudah7 where, being unable to stand the horrors, he died.
Some of us suggested that the poets should all join in elegising him
and praising the role he played. They produced some wonderful
poetry. That day I was deeply moved by his tragedy, and I composed
what I deem to be my best qasjdah of about eighty lines of verse, but
unfortunately it is still lost. QadT Isma‘Tl al-Akwa‘ has however
promised me to look for it. The number of poems on this occasion
was eleven, and they are among the most splendid verse composed by
Yemeni poets.
When the Egyptian Revolution broke out in 1952, the hearts of
the prisoners were filled with hope and anticipation, and they vied
with each other in writing poems on this theme. I have in my
collection of Arabic literature a quire in the handwriting of Ahmad
al-Mu‘allimT the poet, containing twelve poems on the subject, one of
which is my own poem, Thawrat Misr, published recently in my
book of verse al-Maw’udat (The girl children buried alive).8
At the same time the prisoners discussed in depth what they
would expect and what the future held in store for them, should
Imam Ahmad die while they were still in prison. They therefore
decided to take the side of his son, Muhammad al-Badr, with whom