By Lidia Qattan

The poet and author, Abdullah Zachariah Al Ansary was a shy, soft-spoken, amiable man with winning ways and a candid humor. He was born in October 1922, two years after the battle of “Jahra”, which left in its wake a patriotic atmosphere that, together with world events, affected the mentality of the new generation.

Abdullah was the second born in a family of eight children, five boys and three girls.

His father, Zachariah Al Ansari was a distinguished man of learning, the Imam of the local mosque. With his wife, Noorah he founded one of the first private schools in town, in which they taught the basics of Arabic, math, reading and memorizing the Holy Quran.

Abdullah grew up in an enlighten environment that encouraged learning and sharing in family responsibilities. One of his tasks of early childhood was to look after his sheep and goats, taking them to a gathering place early in the morning from hence a professional shepherd took them out in the desert for grazing.

In the old days every household had its dairy animals for its daily consumption of milk; hence every district had its own shepherd. It was the boys’ responsibility to drive the animals to the gathering place in the morning and fetch them back in the evening.

Even the children of sheikhs had to rise at dawn with the adults to do this job.

On his way to and from the area Abdullah used to meet Sheikh Jaber Al Ali Al Sabah and race with him through the dusty streets of town with their animals. From those days they remained good friends.

Abdullah was seven years old when he attended his father’s school, then for the next