Creator Bio
Qasmūna bint Ismā‘īl
12th Century
Qasmūna bint Ismā‘īl Ibn Bagdāla is the only known female medieval Jewish author of Arabic poetry. She lived in Granada, in al-Andalus (Muslim Spain), and her name appears in the writings of two late medieval Muslim authors. Both writers make clear that Qasmūna learned poetics from her father. Only a couple of her poems survive; they reflect themes current in contemporary Andalusi poetry. It has been suggested that Qasmūna’s father was none other than Samuel ha-Nagid (993–1056), but this remains unproven. Either way, her poetic prowess stands as a singular testimony.
Content by Qasmūna bint Ismā‘īl
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I have a beautiful friend
Ismā‘īl Ibn Bagdāla | Qasmūna bint Ismā‘īl
Ismā‘īl: I have a beautiful friend who repaid the helpful with the harmful and permitted what was forbidden to her.Qasmūna: Like the sun from which the full moon perpetually acquires its light…
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I behold a garden ready for reaping
Qasmūna bint Ismā‘īl
This brief Arabic poem by the only known female medieval Jewish author of Arabic poetry is about the loneliness of maidenhood.
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O gazelle always grazing
Qasmūna bint Ismā‘īl
O gazelle, always grazing in a meadow,
I’ve imitated your wildness and dark-eyed beauty.
Come evening we are both alone,
without companion, and blaming fate’s decree.