Literary Activity in Poetry Old and New

The great hall of the American University of Beirut witnessed, on the evenings of Wednesday and Thursday, June 5 and 6 last, a notable literary activity. On the first day seven poets came forward — at the invitation of Mr. Musa Sulayman, head of the Arabic Department in the university's secondary school — to take part in a debate on new poetry and old poetry.

Defending new poetry were the leading lights of the magazine Shi'r, Messrs. Youssef al-Khal, Badr Yusuf al-Sayyab, Adonis, and Nadhir al-Azma. Holding the side of old poetry were Messrs. George Saydah, Emile Ghanem, and Rafiq al-Maalouf. The debate was directed, and the poets introduced, by Dr. Jibrail Jabbour, head of the Arabic Department at the university.

Victory went, in large measure, to the innovating poets, who held out more firmly than their rivals in defending their principle and their conception of free, unfettered verse.

A Poetry Evening by Badr Shakir al-Sayyab

On the second day the patrons of the university's great hall listened, at the invitation of the "Shi'r Thursday," to the Iraqi poet Badr Shakir al-Sayyab reciting fragrant bouquets of his new poetry, and he was met with warm applause many times over... That is because the audience had begun to feel out and savor this color of poetry, in its horizons and atmospheres so far from the extinct traditional pattern...

An intimate whisper of thanks to the magazine Shi'r, which took care to invite "al-Sayyab" and present him to those who can appreciate his poetic gifts — gifts that place him rightly in the vanguard of the modern poets..

The poet has promised us a poem written especially for "The Woman's Voice."

The Thurayya "Circle" Presents Nur Salman

And on Saturday evening, the first of June, the hall of the Ministry of Education was packed, at the invitation of the "Thurayya Circle," to listen to Nur Salman on "Women." This Thurayya Circle has, in the first year of its life, shown praiseworthy activity thanks to the young elements within it, namely: Edmond Rizk, Michel Nehme, Georges Ghanem, Shawqi Abi Shaqra, and Nur Salman.. And I do not yet know how it was granted to this charming, enthusiastic band... to meet, then to understand one another, then to work!.. It has given more than one poetry evening and more than one lecture.. And if "al-Thurayya" had no merit other than pushing Nur to write, that alone would suffice!

In deference to our request, Nur has presented her delightful lecture to The Woman's Voice; we publish it in installments, with our thanks, so that those who missed hearing it may read it..