h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Wonderful article - I heard something about a early arabic poet - poss. 6th Century by the name of Layla Bint Lukayz...?
Does anyone know anything about her - did she have a father who was also a poet?

Thanks very much

Hello!

Thanks for reading, first of all - and thanks for your question. I didn't know this poet, and in fact I still don't, but I've just done a quick research in the very useful Arabic site alwaraq.com (if you read Arabic, this is a great resource!), and found her for you.

Didn't find anything about her father being a poet (by the way, if you want the whole lineage, it's Layla, daughter of Lukayz, son of Murra, son of Asad, from the people of Rabi'a, from Nizar). The story I did find is about her travelling to the area of Persia with her father, where she was coveted and kidnapped by a Persian man, and later rescued by her betrotherd.

Another source says her father was a man from the tribes of Bakr and Taghlib (how he was from two tribes I do not know, but I am far from being any expert on the genealogy of Arabic tribes... ), and then tells a long story which I didn't fully read about her abduction by the king of Persia, and how it led to great wars between the Arabs and the Persians, until he was killed and she was released.

I hope that helped...
Where have you even heard of her, if I may ask?

Oh, I forgot - apparently she is also known as Layla al-Afifa, the chaste. Something to do with the abduction story, and not letting the king see her face the whole time she was there.
*shrug*

An artist - the name escapes me - had illustrated some of her words (I don't know what - I don't read Arabic) at the exhibition at The British Museum 'Words into Art'

Ooooh!
Any chance you could find some link for me, or something? This sounds fascinating.


...
Ah, too impatient. I'll go look for one myself.

Couldn't reallt find one... do you remember what the artist is called?

It was one of these people http://www.thebritishmuseum.ac.uk/middleeastnow/word-into-art/artists/index.html
- sorry I forget the name - I nearly bought the catalogue, actually

Ooh, nice... seems like a very interesting exhibition.

I've started looking through the list of artists, but there were too many. Maybe some other time.