ABU TAMMAM

in full Abu Tammam Habib Ibn Aws born 804, near Damascus [now in Syria] died c. 845, , Mosul, Iraq poet and editor of an anthology of early Arabic poems known as the Hamasah. Abu Tammam changed his Christian father's name of Thadhus to Aws and invented for himself an Arab genealogy. In his youth he worked in Damascus as a weaver's assistant but on going to Egypt began to study poetry. It is not certain when he began to write verse, but by the time of the caliph al-Mu'tasim (reigned 833-842) he had established a small reputation. This was greatly enlarged through his association with al-Mu'tasim's court, where he became the most acclaimed panegyrist of his day. He traveled to Armenia and Nishapur, Iran, and on his return from Iran stopped in Hamadan, where he began compiling his Hamasah. Abu Tammam's divan, or collection of poems, generally deals with contemporary events of historical significance. In his own day it was variously judged by the Arab critics; while his command and purity of language were generally recognized, many deprecated his excessive use of tortuous poetical devices.