L'Ode à Himyar. Traduction de la qasîda himyariyya de Nashwân b. Sa‘îd avec une introduction et des notes
Résumé
This article offers a literary translation of and a commentary on the Qasîda Himyariyya
by Nashwân b. Sa'îd (d. ?573/1178). The translation is based upon the collation of three
editions: those by Kremer (1865), by Basset (1914) and the one found in al-Khulâsa,
an anonymous commentary on the poem. The present commentary emphasizes the
coherence of the poem. The subject of the poem is the traditional history and genealogy
of the pre-Islamic South Arabians. As for its form, each personage evoked is introduced
by means of a rhetorical question: ‘Where is ...?' (ayna ...), the answer (‘He is dead')
being generally clothed in figurative language, through metaphor or metonymy. The
proper names of those called up from the past, moreover, are in some way or other
made the object of word-play. One should not be deceived by the elegiac form: the
general tone of the poem is epic.
by Nashwân b. Sa'îd (d. ?573/1178). The translation is based upon the collation of three
editions: those by Kremer (1865), by Basset (1914) and the one found in al-Khulâsa,
an anonymous commentary on the poem. The present commentary emphasizes the
coherence of the poem. The subject of the poem is the traditional history and genealogy
of the pre-Islamic South Arabians. As for its form, each personage evoked is introduced
by means of a rhetorical question: ‘Where is ...?' (ayna ...), the answer (‘He is dead')
being generally clothed in figurative language, through metaphor or metonymy. The
proper names of those called up from the past, moreover, are in some way or other
made the object of word-play. One should not be deceived by the elegiac form: the
general tone of the poem is epic.
L'objet du présent article est de proposer une traduction et un commentaire littéraires de la qasîda himyariyya de Nashwân b. Sa‘îd (m. ?573/1178). La traduction se fonde sur la collation de trois éditions du texte : celles de Kremer (1865) et de Basset (1914) , ainsi que celle de la Khulâsa, commentaire anonyme de la qasîda. Le commentaire met l'accent sur la cohérence du poème. Dans le fond, il suit la généalogie traditionnelle sudarabique. Dans la forme, chaque personnage évoqué fait l'objet d'une question rhétorique en “où est...” ('ayna), la réponse (“il est mort”) revêtant généralement un aspect figuré, métaphorique ou métonymique. Les noms propres des personnages font par ailleurs l'objet d'un jeu de mots, d'une manière ou d'une autre, dans l'évocation plus ou moins longue qui est faite d'eux. La forme élégiaque ne doit cependant pas abuser : le ton général du poème est épique.