Sabri, Ismail

Sabri, Ismail 

Born Feb. 16, 1854, in Cairo; died Mar. 21, 1923, in Cairo. Egyptian poet.

Sabri graduated from the university in Aix in France in 1878 and became a lawyer. He wrote qasidas on patriotic themes and the liberation of his homeland. These works include “The Rebirth of the Egyptian People,” “Recollections of Danshabai,” and “Elegy to Muhammad Abduh.” Many of Sabri’s verses, which have been used as lyrics for songs, deal with love and friendship, life and death; these include “The Hour of Farewell” and “The Heart’s Guest.” They are characterized by deep emotion and elegant form.

WORKS

Diwan Isma’il Sabri-Basha. Cairo, 1938.

REFERENCES

al’-Fakhuri, H. Istoriia arabskoi literatury, vol. 2. Moscow, 1961.
Mandur, Muhammad. Muhadarat ‘an Isma’il Sabri. Cairo, 1956.
Juha, Mishel’. “Isma’il Sabri.” al Adib, 1963, no. 11.
al-Dashsh, Muhammad Mahmud. “Isma’il Sabri shaykh al-shu’ara.” al-Arabi, March 1967, no. 100.