Abu Firas

(full name Abu Firas ibn-al-Haris ibn-Said ibn-Hamdan al-Hamdani). Born 932; died 967. Arab poet; member of the aristocratic Hamdanid family. Abu Firas fought in the wars against Byzantium and was twice captured and ransomed. He died in battle. Courtly features—a martial air and worship of his beloved—prevail in his lyric poetry. He was the first Arab poet to employ the motif of alba, or morning song. In his elegies (epistles written from captivity), Abu Firas expresses his love for his mother, his home, and his native land with great power. The language of his verse is simple.