By Prof. Kareem Farman *
[Translator’s note: “Wallada” plays on the Arabic word for “prolific/originating” and the name of Wallada bint al-Mustakfi, the 11th-century Andalusian princess-poet — a link made explicit later in the piece.]
Writing about the great poetess Dr. Suad Al-Sabah stirs in me love, admiration, and reverence for a magnificent soul and a poet the like of whom time rarely grants us.
In the history of contemporary Arabic poetry, there are voices that pass like fleeting travelers, and there are voices that carve their course into the bedrock of human conscience until they themselves become the river — and the identity.
Dr. Suad Mohammed Al-Sabah is not merely a poet who wrote verse; she is an exceptional creative phenomenon, a symbol of the breaking of silence, and a beacon who transformed the face of women’s participation in building Arab cultural and social life. She is the woman who carried within her the passions of the Andalusian princess Wallada bint al-Mustakfi, blended with the pride of Kuwait and the dignity of Arabism, to play upon the strings of the word a melody that transcends generations.
A Revolution of Consciousness and the Breaking of Silence: Woman in the Thought of Suad Al-Sabah
Suad Al-Sabah’s journey through life and poetry was not strewn with roses; it was a conscious confrontation aimed at breaking the ring of silence imposed upon the Arab woman’s voice. Through her poems, she raised the bar of defiance, affirming that woman is not a marginal note in the book of life, but an essential partner in shaping the civilization of societies.
When she recited her famous poem “Be My Friend,” she was not asking for a passing affection; she was laying the foundation for a new philosophy in the relationship between man and woman — a philosophy built on equality, mutual respect, and the recognition of the other as a complete intellectual and human being, far removed from frameworks of dependency and possession. Suad Al-Sabah moved women’s poetry out of the register of “muted complaint” and into the space of “courageous confrontation,” becoming an inspiration to successive generations of women in search of themselves.
The Most Pivotal Chapter: Eternal Devotion to Abdullah Al-Mubarak
In the journey of every creative soul there is a defining chapter that shapes their spirit, and for Suad Al-Sabah, that chapter was her late husband, Sheikh Abdullah Al-Mubarak Al-Sabah — he was her homeland, her refuge, and the pivotal station that redirected the course of her life. Sheikh Abdullah was not merely a husband; he was the one who embraced her academic and poetic ambitions and was the first to support her every step.
The poet’s human depth revealed itself most sublimely in her legendary devotion to this man after his passing. Her elegies for him were not mere words of mourning; they were a sanctification of the memory of a great love that endured in the face of absence. She wrote of him with ink drawn from light and tears, considering him her support through life’s battles, affirming on every occasion that his spirit remained the hidden inspiration keeping her lute’s strings taut, pulsing with a love and loyalty rarely equaled in this age.
The Gravity of the Scholar and the Vigor of the Sung Poem
Dr. Suad Al-Sabah’s distinction is revealed in that remarkable duality between the composed mind of the scholar and the beating heart of the poet. On one hand, she stands with great pride as a researcher and historian who has given the Arabic library economic and historical studies of the utmost importance — such as her documentation of Falcon of the Gulf: Abdullah Al-Mubarak Al-Sabah, and her writings on the modern history of Kuwait and regional development — establishing her as a scholarly reference cited with admiration.
On the other hand, her poems transcended the boundaries of geography and books to enter the hearts of millions. When her words met the voices of the greatest legends of Arabic art — such as the dark-skinned nightingale Abdel Halim Hafez in his masterpieces, Najat Al Saghira in Don’t Blame My Deep Shyness, and Majida El Roumi in her immortal masterpiece “Be My Friend” — her poems were transformed into human anthems echoing in every Arab household, proving that it is the sincere word that grants a work of art its immortality.
A Testament for History: The Day the Walls of the Arab League Trembled
No account of this towering figure would be complete without recalling the moments of pride we lived and witnessed closely alongside her. I recall, with the utmost pride, the day I had the honor of attending her historic tribute ceremony at the headquarters of the League of Arab States in 2005.
When Dr. Suad ascended the podium and addressed great Egypt — the beating heart of Arabism — with words overflowing with love, dignity, and belonging, the walls of the League trembled to the sound of thunderous applause and unparalleled admiration from leading intellectual and diplomatic figures of Egypt and the Arab world. In that extraordinary moment, etched by history into my heart, His Excellency Amr Moussa, the former Secretary-General of the Arab League, leaned over and whispered into my ear words I can never forget: “This is the last of the great figures of Arabic poetry… she deserves to be saluted… as the Great One!” — a true testimony from a man who had known the giants of the nation, summing up in a single phrase the standing of a poet without equal.
Suad Al-Sabah: A Stature That Does Not Bow
Dr. Suad Al-Sabah is the last of the great figures of Arabic poetry — the melody remaining from the Golden Age of giants, living proof that Arabic poetry endures as long as it beats in her veins.
O lute of Arabism, symbol of Kuwait’s pride: you did not merely write poetry; with your very being, your history, and your loyalty, you wrote an existential epic that generations will continue to recite with pride. You will remain as you were on that glorious day in 2005, and as you shall always remain: the princess of the written word, the mistress of the moment, and the beacon that never dims — proof that great Arabic poetry may falter, but never dies, so long as Suad Al-Sabah breathes it as pride, loyalty, and creation.
*Writer and academic from Iraq
