Suḥaym

Description

In the poem “Suḥaym,” Al-Qusaibi resurrects a magnificent poetic epic drawn from the heart of legend and lore. Through it, he reimagines the eternal conflict between the dichotomies of love and the forbidden, freedom and bondage, while delving into the depths of the human soul as it oscillates between resentment and vengeance. Al-Qusaibi thus revives the memory of Suḥaym, bringing him into his poetic collection after the poet had long rested in the earth—where his body, tormented by burning, had been laid to rest in the year 35 AH following his amorous verses addressed to the women of his own clan, Banu al-Ḥasḥās.