La «Macama muḥsinīya»: Un ejercicio retórico-escolar en la Málaga almohade

Abstract

Annotated translation and a study of a maqma (Arabic genre) from Malaga, preserved in Ibn ‘Askar and Ibn KhamIs's IkmAl. This piece, which is a collective work, appears to be very unusual in that it is entirely in verse, and it is composed of 13 cinquains, each one written by a different author, plus two triplets by Abã ‘Amr Ibn Salim (d. 620 H./1223 d. C.), which appear at the opening and close of the piece. The aforementioned author is supposed to act as a master of ceremonies with a group of talaba (Almohad propagandists) from the city of Malaga, where literary education was under his responsability. To this end, and as a school exercise, he proposes writing in praise of one of their comrades, after whose name this brief piece is called al-Maqamat al-muhsin iya, that is, “‘Abd al-Muhsin's maqamat”.