Al-Sarī al-Raffāʽ

Al-Sarī al-Raffā or Abul-Hasan al-Sari ibn Ahmed ibn al-Sari al-Kindi al-Raffa al-Mausili was a poet in the court of Sayf al-Dawla, noted for his riddles and ekphrastic poetry. He compiled the anthology al-Muḥibb wa-l-maḥbūb wa-l-mashmūm wa-l-mashrūb, an extensive collection of 'verses about love, fragrant plants, and wine'.

Sample poem

One of al-Sarī's riddles runs as follows:

A‘dadtu li-’l-layli idha ’l-laylu ghasaq, / wa-qayyada ’l-alḥāẓa min dūni ’l-ṭuruq,
Quḍbāna tibrin ‘ariyat ‘ani ’l-waraq / shifā’uhā in maruḍat ḍarbu ’l-‘unuq.

I prepared for the night
Leaveless twigs of gold which, should they wilt, may be reanimated by cutting their necks.

The answer is 'candles'.

Editions

al-Sari al-Raffāʾ, Diwān al-Sari al-Raffāʾ, ed. by Ḥabīb Ḥusayn al-Ḥasani, 2 vols..
al-Sari b. Aḥmad al-Raffāʾ, al-Muḥibb wa-l-maḥbūb wa-l-mashmūm wa-l-mashrūb, ed. Miṣbāḥ Ghalawinjī and Majīd Ḥasan al-Dhahabī, 4 vols.