{"product_id":"music-of-a-distant-drum-classical-arabic-persian-turkish-and-hebrew-poems","title":"Music of a Distant Drum: Classical Arabic, Persian, Turkish and Hebrew Poems","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSecond-Hand\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eExcellent condition\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eMusic of a Distant Drum marks a literary milestone.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIt collects 129 poems from the four leading literary traditions of the Middle East, all masterfully translated into English by Bernard Lewis, many for the first time.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThese poems come from diverse languages and traditions - Arabic, Persian, Turkish, and Hebrew - and span more than a thousand years. Together they provide a fascinating and unusual window into Middle Eastern history.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBernard Lewis, one of the world's greatest authorities on the region's culture and history, offers a work of startling beauty that leaves no doubt as to why such poets were courted by kings in their day.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eLike those in the Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam, the poems here - as ensured by Lewis's mastery of all the source languages and his impeccable style and taste - come fully alive in English. They are surprising and sensuous, disarmingly witty and frank. They provide a fascinating and unusual glimpse into Middle Eastern history.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAbove all, they are a pleasure to read.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThey range from panegyric and satire to religious poetry and lyrics about wine, women, and love. Lewis begins with an introduction on the place of poets and poetry in Middle Eastern history and concludes with biographical notes on all the poets.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis treasure trove of verse is aptly summed up by a quote from the ninth-century Arab author Ibn Qutayba:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\"Poetry is the mine of knowledge of the Arabs, the book of their wisdom, the muster roll of their history, the repository of their great days, the rampart protecting their heritage, the trench defending their glories, the truthful witness on the day of dispute, the final proof at the time of argument.\" \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Bernard Lewis","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":42134969188521,"sku":"","price":9.99,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0424\/9518\/0962\/products\/drum.jpg?v=1649824936","url":"https:\/\/roseyravelstonbooks.com.au\/products\/music-of-a-distant-drum-classical-arabic-persian-turkish-and-hebrew-poems","provider":"RoseyRavelston Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}