Post History
There's this famous story about al-Asma'i الأصمعي challenging the caliph abu Ja'afar al-Mansur أبو جعفر المنصور by composing a poem that is difficult to memorize, as the caliph himself used to memo...
Question
poetry
#6: Nominated for promotion
by
Moshi
·
2022-08-04T16:32:57Z (over 2 years ago)
#5: Post edited
by
Medi1saif
·
2021-03-19T09:46:30Z (almost 4 years ago)
- There's this famous story about [al-Asma'i](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al-Asma%CA%BFi) الأصمعي challenging the caliph [abu Ja'afar al-Mansur](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al-Mansur) أبو جعفر المنصور by composing a poem that is difficult to memorize, as the caliph himself used to memorize poems after the first hearing and he had both a slave and slave girl who could memorize it at second and third hearing and this way the caliph was able to prove by witnesses that he already heard a poem poets might have composed.
- The result was the strange poem entitled:
- [صوت صفير البلبل](https://ar.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D8%B5%D9%88%D8%AA_%D8%B5%D9%81%D9%8A%D8%B1_%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A8%D9%84%D8%A8%D9%84) (sawtu safeere al-bulbuli/the sound of the whistle of the bulbul).
- Here's just an extract of the first 9 verses:
- 
- the poem clearly has a rhym, but many rather strange compositions of words and repetitions etc. that may make memorizing it difficult, but at the end does it have a story to tell?
Are there any books or essays discussing the meanings and hidden meanings of this poem?
- There's this famous story about [al-Asma'i](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al-Asma%CA%BFi) الأصمعي challenging the caliph [abu Ja'afar al-Mansur](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al-Mansur) أبو جعفر المنصور by composing a poem that is difficult to memorize, as the caliph himself used to memorize poems after the first hearing and he had both a slave and slave girl who could memorize it at second and third hearing and this way the caliph was able to prove by witnesses that he already heard a poem poets might have composed.
- The result was the strange poem entitled:
- [صوت صفير البلبل](https://ar.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D8%B5%D9%88%D8%AA_%D8%B5%D9%81%D9%8A%D8%B1_%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A8%D9%84%D8%A8%D9%84) (sawtu safeere al-bulbuli/the sound of the whistle of the bulbul).
- Here's just an extract of the first 9 verses:
- 
- the poem clearly has a rhym, but many rather strange compositions of words and repetitions etc. that may make memorizing it difficult, but at the end does it have a story to tell?
- Are there any books or essays discussing the meanings and hidden meanings of this poem?
- Comment: Whether al-Asma'i really composed this poem or the reality of the story is not the subject of my question and I'd like to say that there are some doubts about that.
#4: Post edited
by
Medi1saif
·
2021-03-19T09:41:35Z (almost 4 years ago)
- There's this famous story about [al-Asma'i](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al-Asma%CA%BFi) الأصمعي challenging the caliph [abu Ja'afar al-Mansur](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al-Mansur) أبو جعفر المنصور by composing a poem that is difficult to memorize, as the caliph himself used to memorize poems after the first hearing and he had both a slave and slave girl who could memorize it at second and third hearing and this way the caliph was able to prove by witnesses that he already heard a poem poets might have composed.
- The result was the strange poem entitled:
- [صوت صفير البلبل](https://ar.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D8%B5%D9%88%D8%AA_%D8%B5%D9%81%D9%8A%D8%B1_%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A8%D9%84%D8%A8%D9%84) (sawtu safeere al-bulbuli/the sound of the whistle of the bulbul).
- Here's just an extract of the first 9 verses:
- 
- the poem clearly has a rhym, but many rather strange compositions of words and repetitions etc. that may make memorizing it difficult, but at the end does it have a story to tell?
Are there any books discussing the meanings and hidden meanings of this poem?
- There's this famous story about [al-Asma'i](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al-Asma%CA%BFi) الأصمعي challenging the caliph [abu Ja'afar al-Mansur](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al-Mansur) أبو جعفر المنصور by composing a poem that is difficult to memorize, as the caliph himself used to memorize poems after the first hearing and he had both a slave and slave girl who could memorize it at second and third hearing and this way the caliph was able to prove by witnesses that he already heard a poem poets might have composed.
- The result was the strange poem entitled:
- [صوت صفير البلبل](https://ar.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D8%B5%D9%88%D8%AA_%D8%B5%D9%81%D9%8A%D8%B1_%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A8%D9%84%D8%A8%D9%84) (sawtu safeere al-bulbuli/the sound of the whistle of the bulbul).
- Here's just an extract of the first 9 verses:
- 
- the poem clearly has a rhym, but many rather strange compositions of words and repetitions etc. that may make memorizing it difficult, but at the end does it have a story to tell?
- Are there any books or essays discussing the meanings and hidden meanings of this poem?
#3: Post edited
by
Medi1saif
·
2020-08-28T07:42:12Z (over 4 years ago)
There's this famous story about [al-Asma'i](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al-Asma%CA%BFi) الأصمعي challenging the caliph [abu Ja'afar al-Mansur](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al-Mansur) أبو جعفر المنصور by composing a poem that is difficult to memorize, as the caliph himself used to memorize poems after the first hearing and he had both a slave and slave girl who could memorize it at second or third hearing and this way the caliph was able to prove that he already heard a poem poets might have composed.the result was the strange poem entitled:[صوت صفير البلبل](https://ar.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D8%B5%D9%88%D8%AA_%D8%B5%D9%81%D9%8A%D8%B1_%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A8%D9%84%D8%A8%D9%84) (sawtu safeere al-bulbuli/the sound of the whistle of the bulbul). Here just an extract of the first 9 verses:- 
- the poem clearly has a rhym, but many rather strange compositions of words and repetitions etc. that may make memorizing it difficult, but at the end does it have a story to tell?
- Are there any books discussing the meanings and hidden meanings of this poem?
- There's this famous story about [al-Asma'i](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al-Asma%CA%BFi) الأصمعي challenging the caliph [abu Ja'afar al-Mansur](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al-Mansur) أبو جعفر المنصور by composing a poem that is difficult to memorize, as the caliph himself used to memorize poems after the first hearing and he had both a slave and slave girl who could memorize it at second and third hearing and this way the caliph was able to prove by witnesses that he already heard a poem poets might have composed.
- The result was the strange poem entitled:
- [صوت صفير البلبل](https://ar.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D8%B5%D9%88%D8%AA_%D8%B5%D9%81%D9%8A%D8%B1_%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A8%D9%84%D8%A8%D9%84) (sawtu safeere al-bulbuli/the sound of the whistle of the bulbul).
- Here's just an extract of the first 9 verses:
- 
- the poem clearly has a rhym, but many rather strange compositions of words and repetitions etc. that may make memorizing it difficult, but at the end does it have a story to tell?
- Are there any books discussing the meanings and hidden meanings of this poem?
#2: Post edited
by
Medi1saif
·
2020-08-28T07:40:47Z (over 4 years ago)
- There's this famous story about [al-Asma'i](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al-Asma%CA%BFi) الأصمعي challenging the caliph [abu Ja'afar al-Mansur](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al-Mansur) أبو جعفر المنصور by composing a poem that is difficult to memorize, as the caliph himself used to memorize poems after the first hearing and he had both a slave and slave girl who could memorize it at second or third hearing and this way the caliph was able to prove that he already heard a poem poets might have composed.
- the result was the strange poem entitled:
[صوت صفير البلبل](https://ar.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D8%B5%D9%88%D8%AA_%D8%B5%D9%81%D9%8A%D8%B1_%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A8%D9%84%D8%A8%D9%84) (sawtu safeere al-bulbuli/the sound of the whistle of the bulbul). Here just an extract of the first 9 verses:- 
- the poem clearly has a rhym, but many rather strange compositions of words and repetitions etc. that may make memorizing it difficult, but at the end does it have a story to tell?
- Are there any books discussing the meanings and hidden meanings of this poem?
- There's this famous story about [al-Asma'i](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al-Asma%CA%BFi) الأصمعي challenging the caliph [abu Ja'afar al-Mansur](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al-Mansur) أبو جعفر المنصور by composing a poem that is difficult to memorize, as the caliph himself used to memorize poems after the first hearing and he had both a slave and slave girl who could memorize it at second or third hearing and this way the caliph was able to prove that he already heard a poem poets might have composed.
- the result was the strange poem entitled:
- [صوت صفير البلبل](https://ar.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D8%B5%D9%88%D8%AA_%D8%B5%D9%81%D9%8A%D8%B1_%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A8%D9%84%D8%A8%D9%84) (sawtu safeere al-bulbuli/the sound of the whistle of the bulbul). Here just an extract of the first 9 verses:
- 
- the poem clearly has a rhym, but many rather strange compositions of words and repetitions etc. that may make memorizing it difficult, but at the end does it have a story to tell?
- Are there any books discussing the meanings and hidden meanings of this poem?
#1: Initial revision
by
Medi1saif
·
2020-08-28T07:40:25Z (over 4 years ago)
Does al-Asma'i's poem "صوت صفير البلبل" (the sound of the whistle of the bulbul) has a story to tell?
There's this famous story about [al-Asma'i](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al-Asma%CA%BFi) الأصمعي challenging the caliph [abu Ja'afar al-Mansur](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al-Mansur) أبو جعفر المنصور by composing a poem that is difficult to memorize, as the caliph himself used to memorize poems after the first hearing and he had both a slave and slave girl who could memorize it at second or third hearing and this way the caliph was able to prove that he already heard a poem poets might have composed. the result was the strange poem entitled: [صوت صفير البلبل](https://ar.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D8%B5%D9%88%D8%AA_%D8%B5%D9%81%D9%8A%D8%B1_%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A8%D9%84%D8%A8%D9%84) (sawtu safeere al-bulbuli/the sound of the whistle of the bulbul). Here just an extract of the first 9 verses:  the poem clearly has a rhym, but many rather strange compositions of words and repetitions etc. that may make memorizing it difficult, but at the end does it have a story to tell? Are there any books discussing the meanings and hidden meanings of this poem?