IAMASA (HAMASAH), the name of a famous Arabian an thology compiled Habib ibn Aus at-Ta'i, surnamed Abu Tam mam. (See ABU TAMMAM.) The collection is so called from the title of its first book, containing poems descriptive of constancy and valour in battle, patient endurance of calamity, steadfast ness in seeking vengeance, manfulness under reproach and tempta tion, all which qualities make up the attribute called by the Arabs hamdsah (briefly paraphrased by at-Tibrizi as ash-shiddah fi-l amr). It consists of ten books or parts, containing in all 884 poems or fragments of poems, and named respectively—(I) al-Hamdsa, 261 pieces; (2) al-Mardthi, "Dirges," 169 pieces; (3) al-Adab, "Manners," 54 pieces ; (4) an-Nasib, "The Beauty and Love of Women," 139 pieces; (5) al-Hija, "Satires," 8o pieces; (6) al-Adyaf wa-l-Madih, "Hospitality and Panegyric," pieces; (7) as-Sifdt, "Miscellaneous Descriptions," 3 pieces; (8) as-Sair wa-n-Nu`ds, "Journeying and Drowsiness," 9 pieces; (9) al-Mulah, "Pleasantries," 38 pieces; and (io) Madhammat-an nisa, "Dispraise of Women," 18 pieces. The poems are for the most part fragments selected from longer compositions. They are taken from the works of Arab poets of all periods down to that of Abu Tammam himself (the latest ascertainable date being A.D. 832), but chiefly of the Ante-Islamic time (Jdhiliyyun), of the early days of Al-Islam (Mukhadrimun), and of the reigns of the Omayyad caliphs, A.D. 660-749 (Isldmiyyun). Perhaps the oldest in the collection are those relating to the war of Basus, which ended with the peace of Dhu-l-Majaz, about A.D. 534 Most of the poems belong to the class of extempore or occa sional utterances, as distinguished from qasidas, or elabofately finished odes. While the latter abound with comparisons and long descriptions, the poems of the Hamdsa are short, direct and for the most part free from comparisons. Abu Tammam in compiling his collection chose hardly anything from the works of the most famous poets of antiquity. Not a single piece from Imra 'al-Qais (Amru-ul-Qais) occurs in the Hamdsa, nor are there any from `Alqama, Zuhair or A`sha; Nabigha is represented only by two pieces of four and three verses respectively; 'Antara by two pieces; Tarafa by one piece; Labid by one piece; and `Amr ibn KulthUm by one piece.
The book entitled an-Nasib is, however, an important excep tion, and contains verses relating to women and love. In the classical age of Arab poetry it was the established rule that all qasidas must begin with the mention of women and their charms (tashbib), in order that the hearts of the hearers might be soft ened. These fragments are therefore generally taken from the opening verses of qasidas; where this is not the case, they are chiefly compositions of the early Islamic period.
The compiler was himself a distinguished poet and wandered through the Muslim empire living by his skill in panegyric. About A.H. 220 he betook himself to Khurasan, then ruled by `Abdallah ibn Tahir, whom he praised and by whom he was rewarded ; on his journey home to `Irak he passed through Hamadhan, and was there detained as a guest of Abu-l-Wafa, son of Salama. During his residence at Hamadhan, Abu Tammam is said to have com piled or composed five poetical works, of which one was the Hamasa. This collection remained as a precious heirloom in the family of Abu-l-Waf a until it fell into the hands of Abu-1-`Awadhil, who carried it to Isfahan and made it known to the learned of that city.
The worth of the Hamdsa as a store-house of ancient legend can hardly be exaggerated. The high level of excellence which is found in its selections caused it to be said that Abu Tammam displayed higher qualities in his choice of extracts than in his own compositions. The class of poetry of which the Hamasa is a specimen is remarkable for the evident first-hand experience which the singers possessed of all of which they sang. For his torical purposes the value of the collection is not small; but most of all there shines forth from it a complete picture of the strenu ous life of passion and battle, which marked the valiant stock who bore Islam abroad over the outworn civilizations of Persia, Egypt and Byzantium.
No fewer than 20 commentaries are enumerated by Haj ji Khalifa. Of these the earliest was by Abu Riyash (otherwise ar-Riyashi) , who died in A.H. 2 5 7 ; excerpts from it are frequently given by at-Tibrizi (Tabrizi) . He was followed by the famous grammarian Abu-l-Fath ibn al-Jinni (d. A.H. 392), and later by Shihab ad-Din Ahmad al-Marzuqi of Isfahan (d. A.H. 42I). Upon al-Marzuqi's commentary is chiefly founded that of Abu Zakariya Yahya at-Tibrizi (b. A.H. 421, d. 502 ), which has been published by the late Professor G. W. Freytag of Bonn, together with a Latin translation and notes (1828-1851). This work is a treasure of information regarding the classical age of Arab literature. In 1856 an edition appeared at Calcutta under the names of Maulavi Ghulam Rabbani and Kabiru-d-din Ahmad, which is a simple reprint of Professor Freytag's text (without at-Tibrizi's com mentary), and follows its original even in the misprints (corrected by Freytag at the end of the second volume). Freytag's text, with at-Tibrizi's commentary, has been reprinted at Bulaq (187o). In 1882 an edition of the text, with a marginal commentary by Munshi `Abdul-Qadir ibn Shaikh Luqman, was published at Bombay.
The Hamdsa has been rendered into German verse by Friedrich Ruckert (Stuttgart, 1846). A small collection of translations, chiefly in metres imitating those of the original, was published in London by Sir Charles Lyall in 1885.
When the Hamdsa is spoken of, that of Abu Tammam, as the first and most famous of the name, is meant ; but several collec tions of a similar kind, also called Hamdsa, exist. The best-known and earliest of these is the Hamdsa of Buhturi (d. A.H. 284), of which the unique ms. now in the Leyden university library, has been reproduced by photo-lithography (1909) ; a critical edition has been prepared by Professor Chlikho at Beyreuth. Four other works of the same name, formed on the model of Abu Tammam's compilation, are mentioned by Hajji Khalifa. Besides these, a work entitled Hamasat ar-Rdh ("the Hamasa of wine") was com posed of Abu-l-`Ala al-Ma`arri (d. A.H. 429). (C. J. L.; X.) HAMBLEDEN, WILLIAM FREDERICK DANVERS