A third century ad rhymed hymn from Yemen: The origins of Arabic poetry and literature?

Abstract

This article is a tribute to Muṭahhar al-Iryānī and Yūsuf ‘Abdullāh—two of the most outstanding Yemeni savants of all times. Sadly, both are no longer with us. Muṭahhar passed away in 2016, and Yūsuf in 2021. In what follows, I present—through my renderings—their last scholarly achievements. They concern a well-known Sabaean inscription found in 1951 in Mārib. The text is written consecutively and was therefore not recognisable as a poem. In 2005, Muṭahhar al-Iryānī published the first convincing presentation of this hymn, revealing its poetic structure. His final take on the subject is the strophe and verse arrangement offered in the present article. Yūsuf ‘Abdullāh is the discoverer of another rhymed Sabaean hymn. Both authors are convinced that these are the antecedents of the poetry of the Arabs. Substance-wise, the two scholars hold different views. In al-Iryānī's opinion, the hymn describes a battle of the Sabaean army. Victory is achieved through the intervention of the Sabaean high god Almaqah. On the other hand, Yūsuf ‘Abdullāh interprets the hymn as a rain rogation myth. He parallels it with the traditional rain processions of the Yemeni countryside, which he sees as a ritual survival from pre-Islamic times. If accepted, a central element of the pre-Islamic religion has been brought to light.