Hamasah

the title given to several anthologies of Arabic poetry compiled in the sixth to ninth centuries. The first of the two best-known examples was compiled by Abu Tammam. It includes poems by approximately 570 Arabic poets of the sixth to eighth centuries. The poems, which are arranged according to theme, include works on military valor, elegies, lyrical and satirical verse, witty sayings, and epigrams. The poet al-Buhturi, a pupil and follower of Abu Tammam, compiled the “little” Hamasah in imitation of his teacher. His work is primarily didactic in nature. A significant number of literary works have survived only in these anthologies.