The Poetry of Abu'l-Ala Al-Maarri
Al-Maarri, Abu'l-Ala
Abul ¿Ala Al-Ma¿arri was born in December 973 in modern day Maarrat al-Nu¿man, near Aleppo, in Syria. He was a member of the Banu Sulayman, a noted family of Ma¿arra, belonging to the larger Tanukh tribe that had formed part of the aristocracy in Syria dating back many hundreds of years. Aged only four he was rendered virtually blind due to smallpox and whilst this was thought to explain his pessimistic outlook on life and his fellow man it se...