Active from about 1665 to about 1687, Shirbini was either unknown to or deliberately ignored by the biographers of his generation, says Davies, and no trace of him has been found in Egyptian
archives, so any knowledge about him must be gleaned from his three surviving titles, of which this is the first and best known. The satire is from an underdocumented and understudied period of
Egypt’s history, thus deriving part of its importance from its status as a rare witness to an obscure period. He lampoons country people, their religion, and especially their poetry. Davis
presents the Arabic and English translation on facing pages. Annotation ©2016 Ringgold, Inc., Portland, OR (protoview.com)
