OwenTMay 10
Zalka Csenge Virág, PhD

I'm reading a book of classical poems by Arab women, and found this gem from some 1000 years ago:

"Leave me alone, you’re not my equal, you’re not a man of the world nor a man of faith, yet you want to own me, you mindless twit."

(by Umm Ja'far bint Ali)

That's it. That's the whole poem.

#poetry #poem #WomensHistory #women #literature #art #bookstodon

May 7 at 10:52amWeb
Show threadZalka Csenge Virág, PhDMay 7

Okay, here's another one:

"A man asked Thawab bint Abdullah al-Hanzaliyya to marry him but she ignored him, and as he persisted she wrote to him:

- Your manhood stretch stands no chance of slipping through my body’s
niche.
So move it away from my body’s door and take it back whence it came."

These women were savage 😆

#poetry #poem #WomensHistory #bookstodon #women

Show threadcontrasocialMay 7

@TarkabarkaHolgy

And people claim carpet bombing was invented in WWII.

Show threadCJPaloma says 86 47May 7

@contrasocial @TarkabarkaHolgy

but they haven't used it nearly enough on the 'isms"

...really carpet bombing patriarchy into oblivion would make the world much better, instantaneously. Then everyone, men, women, others could be, ya know, normal humans instead of status monkey fools.

Show threadnotsoloudMay 9
@contrasocial
These strikes are heavy bombs, sure, but they do look pretty targeted 😁
@TarkabarkaHolgy
Show threadRich Stein (he/him)May 7
@TarkabarkaHolgy
#WomensOpportunities
Show threadFaraiweMay 7

@TarkabarkaHolgy ::runs scanner over poem::

"Captain... the savagery... it's off scale"

Show threadHannuMay 7

@TarkabarkaHolgy if someone told me that I'd be like:

"Ouch. But hey, respect, thats poetic."

Show threadSammiMay 7
@TarkabarkaHolgy I need a tee shirt with this on...
Show threadKaren AlexanderMay 7
@TarkabarkaHolgy Beautiful! I’ve got it half memorized already. Some sentiments are timeless.
Show threadAbram Kedge🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🇨🇦May 7
@TarkabarkaHolgy absolutely timeless! I sent that one to my kids 👌
Show threadZorume May 7
@TarkabarkaHolgy I'm now interested in this book, what's the title please ? 👀
Show threadZalka Csenge Virág, PhDMay 7

@zorume

Classical Poems by Arab Women: An Anthology

edited by Abdullah al-Udhari

Show threadZorume May 7
@TarkabarkaHolgy thank you !!
Show threadNatMay 7
@TarkabarkaHolgy need this as a tote bag for both me and my enby friend.
Show threadZalka Csenge Virág, PhDMay 7
@simplyxtata I feel like it should be written on headphones
Show threadRay McCarthyMay 7
@TarkabarkaHolgy
Every woman, every time and place ever, probably more than once in her life. Though some only think it.
Show threadMicroplastics101May 7
@TarkabarkaHolgy Dang. Ladies laying down some truth bombs. I love it.
Show threadMario OstolazaMay 7
@TarkabarkaHolgy I recently bought an old #book of #poetry from #Iran poet and mathematic Omar Khayam and after 1000 years, it keeps on being incredibly beautiful. Also, it had this special insert 😍 
Show threadThomas FuchsMay 7
@TarkabarkaHolgy many such cases
Show threadfan boy 🪭May 7
@TarkabarkaHolgy
Still relevant
Show threadRastalMay 7
@TarkabarkaHolgy That is because women had comprehensive rights in Islam 1400 years ago including property ownership, inheritance and marriage consent. European women didn't get these same rights until the 19th and 20th century. Islam influenced Liberalism. Only in 20th century Europe overtakes Islam and grants more rights to women, which is how we get to today, where the narrative is non Muslim women have more rights, but not long ago, in the recent past, the opposite was true.
Show threadobscurestarMay 7

@Rastal @TarkabarkaHolgy Men are insecure and need to control everything. Early Christianity and Buddhism also set women as equals. It just gets written out again and again.

Also why the whole Jesus myth bugs me. Instead of knocking up a 12yr old so God could ageplay for a few years doesn't make me believe. If God had incarnated as a woman that men listened to, that might have convinced me, but instead he pandered to the patriarchy and does in every faith.

Show threadMr. TeatimeMay 9

@obscurestar

@Rastal @TarkabarkaHolgy

Historically, afaik, there was some actual preacher by the name of Jesus who got some modest amount of attention, was sentenced to death (like others in similar roles), and then became the symbol of a new political/religious movement, complete with miracles attributed to him and so forth At the time, I don't think a woman would have had much of a chance to take that role.

Actually, some of the views attributed to him were radically "progressive", which I find really interesting because *somebody* must have brought them up at the time, and others must have liked them. Especially given what various Christian churches made of them later... Humans *shrug*

Show threadLars FischerMay 7
@TarkabarkaHolgy There's a fine line between poetry and rant, it seems. 😄
Show threadLam 'al AdieMay 7
@Fischblog
poetant? rantry?
@TarkabarkaHolgy
Show threadStarravenMay 7

@TarkabarkaHolgy

Gets to the point, doesn't it? Some things never change (unfortunately).

Show threadGeorge BMay 7

@TarkabarkaHolgy

It's ironic given the poem that her actual name is missing and she listed in terms of the men in her life. "Umm Ja'afar" meaning "Ja'afar's mother" and "bint Ali" meaning "Ali's daughter"

Show threadZalka Csenge Virág, PhDMay 7
@gbargoud yeah I noticed that too 😄
Show threadEggs now in different baskets.May 7

@gbargoud @TarkabarkaHolgy So THAT is where the pejorative "bint", the British-English slang word for a woman or girl came from.

https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/bint

bint - Wiktionary, the free dictionary

Wiktionary
Show threadDer Geist aus dem GerätMay 7
@TarkabarkaHolgy 🥰
Show threadRich Stein (he/him)May 7
@TarkabarkaHolgy
#WomensOpportunities
Show threadSibshopsMay 7
@TarkabarkaHolgy Sooo.... a man of faith CAN own her? Very sus.
Show threadOwlet of MinervaMay 7

@Sibshops @TarkabarkaHolgy

She doesn’t say so; it might be a necessary but not sufficient condition. 🙂 And being a ‘man of the world’ appears to be just as good a qualification.

At a wild guess,* the poet may simply be playing with the common juxtaposition of /dīn/ (faith, religion) and /dunyā/ (world), similar-sounding words with contrasting meanings.

(* — My daughter has the book, so I’ve checked that these are the words used, but I’m not an Arabist.)

Show threadnixCraft 🐧May 7
@TarkabarkaHolgy can i get book name or URL where i can read it? it will be very good for me. TIA
Show threadZalka Csenge Virág, PhDMay 7
@nixCraft this book:
https://saqibooks.com/books/saqi/classical-poems-by-arab-women/
Classical Poems by Arab Women – Saqi Books

A unique anthology from a range of female poets from radically different eras.

Saqi Books
Show threadFaraiweMay 7
@TarkabarkaHolgy @nixCraft ftr it's been available, at least US side, for a while, now (2001?). You can get it at places other than Big River, but even Barnes n Noble or BAM should stock it.
Show threadfan boy 🪭May 7
@TarkabarkaHolgy
I'd be interested in the other choices when translating, which had them decide on "twit".
Show threadOwlet of MinervaMay 7
@notyourfanboy @TarkabarkaHolgy Me too. I make “mindless twit” out to be the translation of three words meaning something like weak, foolish, and stubborn. “Twit” sounds like a great choice.
Show threadLeah BobetMay 7
@noctuaminervae @notyourfanboy @TarkabarkaHolgy I suspect it's a good translation choice because I immediately knew which kind of That Guy she's referring to.
Show threadGOOD_CANNIBLEMay 7
@TarkabarkaHolgy мне нравится
Show threadMim54May 7
@TarkabarkaHolgy absolutely love it 👏🏻
Show thread[email protected]May 7
@TarkabarkaHolgy
😂
Show threadobscurestarMay 7
@TarkabarkaHolgy I'd love to hear the untranslated version of that and work it into music TBH.
Show threadZalka Csenge Virág, PhDMay 7
@obscurestar well good news, the book is bilingual :)
Show threadDominic 🇪🇺 🏳️‍🌈 🇺🇦May 7
@TarkabarkaHolgy I need to frame this and give it to my tween daughter. As inspiration, to be clear; I’m pretty sure she has the sentiment down, but maybe she can use tips on how to express it eloquently.
Show threadBob JamiesonMay 7
@TarkabarkaHolgy 👏 👏 👏 Wise words!
Show threadJohn Quentin HeywoodMay 7
@TarkabarkaHolgy #EternalVerities
Show threadMark Wyner Won’t Comply May 7
@TarkabarkaHolgy that poem is fire. What’s the book? I’d love to add it to my list.
Show threadZalka Csenge Virág, PhDMay 7
@markwyner
https://saqibooks.com/books/saqi/classical-poems-by-arab-women/
Classical Poems by Arab Women – Saqi Books

A unique anthology from a range of female poets from radically different eras.

Saqi Books
Show threadTeflonTrout  he/himMay 7

@TarkabarkaHolgy

y'all I'm really sorry but there has been something making me incredibly tense because NO ONE acknowledges it. A true, real life elephant in the wild!

I'm getting really bint out of shape over the accidental, REALLY unfortunate homophone(?) with some English slang

Show threadDaniel AJ SokolovMay 7
@TarkabarkaHolgy Who would print or write that in nice arabic calligraphy? For a fee, of course.
Show threadZalka Csenge Virág, PhDMay 8
@newstik I don't know Arabic, but the book is bilingual, so you could find someone who can?
Show threadDaniel AJ SokolovMay 8
@TarkabarkaHolgy I'll find someone. :-) But I would need a picture of the Arabic original.
Show threadAmanda G in ÉirinnMay 8
@TarkabarkaHolgy Wow what is this book? I think I need to own a copy. And frame selections in gold leaf calligraphy. ✨💖✨
Show threadZalka Csenge Virág, PhDMay 8
@amanda i linked it in comments
Show threadAmanda G in ÉirinnMay 8
@TarkabarkaHolgy Ah thanks and apologies for not reading far enough in the thread!