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6th-century Arab Christian poet From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Adi ibn Zayd al-Ibadi al-Tamimi (Arabic: عَدِيُّ بْنُ زَيْدٍ العِبَادِيُّ التَمِيمِيُ, romanized: ʿAdī ibn Zayd al-ʿIbādī al-Tamīmī; c. 550-600)[1] was a 6th-century Arab Christian poet from an Ibadi family of al-Hirah.[2]
Like his father, Adi ibn Zayd was influenced by Persian culture and served as the secretary (dabir) for Arab affairs under the Sasanian king Hormizd IV (r. 579–590).[3][1] It seems that he went to Constantinople by order of the Sasanian king and brought from there several books.[1] According to Arab sources, he spoke Arabic and Persian and it is likely that as a Nestorian Christian he also spoke Syriac.[4]
He was married to the granddaughter of the Lakhmid ruler al-Nu'man III ibn al-Mundhir (r. 580–602), and is said to have helped al-Nu'man accede to power as ruler of al-Hirah.[5] He is featured in Adî ibn Zayd and the Princess Hind, a tale in the Arabian Nights.[citation needed]
Around the year 600 he was the victim of a palace intrigue and nothing more is known about him.[1]
Contrary to other poets at the courts of the Arab kings such as Al-Nabigha, no panegyrics by Adi ibn Zayd have been preserved, possibly because his family was already well-known and he therefore did not need to charm the rulers.[1] Preserved are poems on wine, prison, scolding errors of his youth as well as a historical ballad on the defeat of queen Zenobia by the founder of the Lakhmid dynasty, Amr ibn Adi.[6] Among his poems is also one dealing with the biblical creation narrative.[7]
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