world lit. wonder tree (3)
TRANSCRIPT
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MAP OF SAUDI ARABIA
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LITERARY DEVELOPMENT OF SAUDI ARABIA
Pre-Islamic literatureThe structure of the Arabic language is well-suited to harmonious
word-patterns, with elaborate rhymes and rhythms. The earliest
known literature emerged in northern Arabia around 500 AD and
took the form of poetry which was recited aloud, memorised andhanded down from one generation to another. It began to be
written down towards the end of the seventh century. The most
celebrated poems of the pre-Islamic period were known as the
mu'allaqat ("the suspended"), reputedly because they were
considered sufficiently outstanding to be hung on the walls of the
ka'ba in Makkah.
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The typical poem of this period is the qasidah (ode), which
normally consists of 70-80 pairs of half-lines. Traditionally, they
describe the nomadic life, opening with a lament at an abandonedcamp for a lost love. The second part praises the poet's horse or
camel and describes a journey, with the hardships it entails. The
third section contains the main theme of the poem, often extolling
the poet's tribe and villifying its enemies.Classical Arabic prose
The birth of Arabic prose as a literary form is attributed to the
Persian secretarial class who served under the Abbasid caliphs
(750-1256) in Baghdad. Ibn al-Muqaffa' (died 757) was a convertto Islam who translated classical Persian works into Arabic. He
became famous as the author ofKalila and Dimna, a series of
didactic fables in which two jackals offer moral and practical
advice.
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Arabic poetry
A large proportion of Arabic literature before the 20th century isin the form of poetry, and even prose from this period is either
filled with snippets of poetry or is in the form ofsajor rhymed
prose. The themes of the poetry range from high-flown hymns of
praise to bitter personal attacks and from religious and mystical
ideas to poems on sex and wine. An important feature of the
poetry which would be applied to all of the literature was the idea
that it must be pleasing to the ear. The poetry and much of the
prose was written with the design that it would be spoken aloud
and great care was taken to make all writing as mellifluous aspossible.
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SETTINGS: Arabian desert, Tents of Ali Ben Ahmed and other
Arabs, Near the well
Characters :
Ali Ben- a great leader of his tribe. The one who welcomed the
the great sheik with hospitality.
Zuleika- a wonderful kid, daughter of Ali Ben and the reason why
there was a wonder tree.
Sheik Ben Nedi- A great leader of the other tribe. The visitor of Ali
Ben.
The Fairy- a kind fairy who helped Zuleika in her problem on what
to give the Sheik.
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THE WONDER TREE
Far out in the desert of Arabia lived a chief called Ali Ben Ahmed and his tribe.
There tents were pitched on the trackless sand where the blazing sun beatdown all day. Month after month, they saw no stranger for the paths of the
travelers lay far to the south.
One evening, however, little Zuleika, the chiefs daughter, ran to her father for
she have seen someone riding their way from the south.
Ali Ben Ahmed came out of his tent and stood beside his beautiful little
daughter. The chief scanned the southern horizon until his eyes found a little
yellow cloud of dust in the far distance.
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Zuleika danced with delight. She loved visitors who told stories of the wonders
which her eyes had never seen. They had talked of cities with great stone
houses, of lovely green gardens, of sparkling rivers, and cool blue seas. To the
little girl who had lived all her life in the desert, these stories were marvelous
fairy tales.
Ali Ben Ahmed called his men to welcome the new comer for the desert Arabs
are very hospitable. They bowed their turbaned heads almost to the ground to
a low salaam as the rider pulled up his sweating mount.
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The stranger, who was proud and dignified, returned the salute and said that the
great sheik Ben Nedi will visit their tribe the next day.
The whole camp bustled with excitement, Ben Nedi was a very great sheik
indeed, known far and wife for his power and goodness, and to have him visit
the remote tents of Ali Ben Ahmed was an honor. Every Arab in the camp busiedhumself in preparing a gift for the coming sheik for ity is an Arabian custom to
gicve gifts of welcome and hospitality.
Only little Zuleika sat alone and idle. Tears stood in her lovely dark eyes because
she had no gift to give the great man who would come the next day.
Her mother, busy in the womens tent unrolling a beautiful peace of silk that
would be her gift the next day, tried to comfort the child and told her that
children are not expected to give gifts.
But Zuleika was not comforted. She slipped away from the tents and sat on a
great stone near the well and wept.
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Suddenly, out of the well appeared a misty white figure which took the shape
of a beautiful veiled woman. Her smile was sweet and when she spoke; her
voice was like the soft ripple of running water. Zuleika, looking at her in
amazement, knew that she could be no other than the good fairy of the well.
The fairy asked Zuleika to stop crying because she shall have a gift to give to the
sheik and Zuleika will find it the next day where her tears have fallen upon the
sand.
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Then the shining figure faded away, meltinginto the misty light like a pale moonbeam.
Zuleika ran back to her tent, but she could
sleep little that night. As soon as dawn broke,
she hurried out into the sand to find the gift
which she was to give that day.