المعاني المسيحيّة في شعر عَدِيِّ بْنِ زَيْدٍ العِبَادِيّ

The Christian Arab pre-Islamic poet ʿAdī Ibn Zayd al-ʿIbādī (d. ca. 600) employs several motifs that reflect the significant impact of Christianity on his poetry. In this paper three motifs are examined: the depiction of the light of Easter, the description of a monk praying in a cloister, and the likening of previous nations to dry leaves, shadows and dreams. In exploring these motifs, the article discusses parallel verses from the Bible and verses by earlier poets, thereby illuminating the religious diction of ʿAdī. An etymological investigation of several words in Adī’s poems reveals their origins in the Syriac language, thus shedding new light on the texts and on the poet’s perception. Verses by the Syriac saint Jacob of Serugh (d. c. 521), comparing human beings to grass, shadows and dreams, are also discussed. This analysis clarifies Adī’s use of such images and deepens our understanding of his poetry.