Yaqoub’s writing style fresh and musical, ideal for songs
Omar impressed by poet’s writings
This is the second in a series of articles on Yaqoub Abdul Aziz Al Rasheid Al Abdah, a poet, writer, teacher and diplomat.
YBy Lidia Qattan
— Editor acoub never attempted to develop his poetical gift till in his working career, as ambassador of his country to India, he met the famous Syrian poet, Ambassador Omar Abu Risha.
Meeting Omar was the beginning of a beautiful friendship; his influence and encouragement spurred Yaqoub to give wing to his poetical gift and broaden his intellectual horizon.
Omar was impressed by Yaqoub’s writings, in them he discovered his friend’s bent for poetry, hence suggested him to concentrate on it. The advice, coming from such a distinguished man deeply affected Yaqoub; hence, pondering on the issue he took the advice seriously.
Under his guidance Yaqoub’s talent for poetry took a ponderous start with a facility of expression that surprised him.
In the beginning his verses were mainly lyrical expressions of his love for woman and for the whole of nature. His style, fresh and musical was ideal for songs; indeed many became popular songs sung by women in their home to liven the tediousness of their domestic chores.
When reaching maturity, his style assumed directness, vigor and depth of expression that enhanced its emotional appeal by the subtle association of suggestions.
Among the great poets of his country Yaqoub mostly admired Fahad Al Askar and Saker Shebeeb for their rebellious spirit, both poets were striving through their poetry to enlighten people, spurring them to break away from the vicious cycle of superstitions that spoiled their lives, a cycle born of ignorance nurtured by fear stemming from a regressive, close mentality.
While the revolutionary poetry of Fahad Al Askar was echoing all broad-minded young people in the country struggling to break free from the dogmas of the past, striving to develop their intellectual potentials through a greater freedom of expression; the philosophical poetry of Saker Shebeeb was striving to enlighten the people through its eloquence and fire.
The combined influence of both poets spurred Yaqoub to play his own part in the cultural awakening of his country.
Every human society creates its own values and forms its own ethics in response to its environment, those values and ethics affects people’s behavior, thoughts and actions as well as their social, political and economic life.
Environmental changes trigger the strenuous interplay of old and new values, which in turn influence people’s behavior and action as well as their history.
The spurring of education for both boys and girls from 1937 in Kuwait had a profound impact on their mind and behavior of the new generation, when the inflow of the oil revenues entering the country spurred innovations on a large scale and life in Kuwait began changing dramatically, making the transitional process of cultural and social readjustment easier
Lidia Qattan
for them.
But while new style of life taking root and spreading were affecting the life of individual’s old lingering customs were being challenged.
One of the customs young men and young women were rebelling against was the one that most deeply affected their personal life.
Till then in Kuwait marriage was mainly a family affair: Seeking a bride for her son, the mother engaged the service of a professional “Qattaba”, a woman whose job was to go to houses searching for a bride for her client.
Whenever reporting her finding to her customer, the Qattaba often exaggerated in the description of the girl’s virtues. It was then the responsibility of her client to personally go to the family to see the girl.
If she was satisfied, she sent special wedding gifts, which if accepted, the engagement took place officially.
In the case of older men, especially if rich, they directly approached the father of the girl for their son’s marriage. In other cases was only matter of friendship or of convenience for the father to give his daughter in marriage to an older man.
Although in the Holy Quran it is specifically stated that the woman should be given the benefit of her consent, this rarely happened in the old days. Indeed, if the girl was very young, she was not even told she was getting married till the night of her wedding!
In the morning she was washed, anointed with scented oils and, decorated with henna; towards evening she was dressed in her finery, while the preparation for the evening event took place all around her and in the middle of the house the courtyard was covered with carpets for people to sit when in the evening the gathering of women and children flooded-in.
A special platform was made for the bride who sat on a chair could be seen by everyone of the gathering.
In the evening when the celebration took place the girl realized her time had come. To sooth her fear a group of professional women singers invited to the place, kept singing while the family distributed nuts and “shorbet” (soft drink) to the guests. The singing stopped, tension rose high when in the distance the drums accompanying the retinue of the groom was heard. After the arrival of the groom the girl was carried sitting on her chair into the wedding chamber by the women and as soon as they left and closed the door behind them the blasting of drums and singing intensified, obviously to cover her screaming.
When close cousins were getting married, they knew one-another and had the privilege of having a say in the matter.
From the late forties many young men were rebelling against this tradition, Yaqoub was among the first insisting to see the girl he was getting married to or remain single. He was 21 years old, already established and with a bright future ahead of him when in 1949 he decided to settle down.
His friend, a colleague in the same school he was teaching, fully sympathizing with Yaqoub, took him into his house one night, to show him his sister while she was asleep in one of the rooms with the other girls.
Standing on the door way of her room, Yaqoub could see her face in the distance. In the faint light of his lantern she appeared an angel asleep; from that moment he made up his mind she would be his lady. He couldn’t stop thinking and dreaming about her till he finally got married to her.
Ashe Abdul Qader Mahmud was younger than him, but was endowed with all the qualities and the spirit of the woman he was hoping to spend his whole life with.
Indeed all through the good and bad years she proved to be a perfect companion to him. Their happy union was enhanced by the arrival of six daughters and two sons.
In the same year he got married, Yaqoub was sent with a group of teachers to the American University at Beirut, Lebanon, for a course in psychology and on the modern teaching approach.
At his return Yaqoub was sent to a school in Karachi, Pakistan, founded by the Amir, Sheikh Abdullah Al Salem Al Sabah.
The time Yaqoub spent there he became very interested in the culture and customs of Pakistan.
At his return home four years later, he was appointed headmaster of the Omar Bin Al Qattab intermediate school. Subsequently he taught at the Qebliya School, and finally he became the headmaster of the Rashidi School.
In 1961, after the declaration of Kuwait’s independence, the country was in great need of young men in the diplomatic service. Yaqoub’s refined manners, combined to his intellectual depth and social skill made him an ideal candidate for the job.
His first appointment in foreign relations was as Master of Ceremonies.
During his four years of service, through study, keen observation and first hand experience he became erudite in all the diplomatic know how.
This prompted him to establish the system of protocol his country needed on emerging into a modern, democratic state.
In 1964, Yaqoub was appointed Ambassador to his country in India. His proficiency in dialectics, together with his cultural depth and finesse made him successful in his new job.
It was during his office in India that he met and befriended the Syrian poet, Omar Abu Risha, as mentioned, and with his encouraging he developed his gift for poetry.
India had a lot to offer to Yaqoub Al Rasheid: Its rich, ancient culture and the vast variety of natural beauty was at once an exciting and thrilling experience that expanded his mental horizon to encompass new vista, crowding the time he spent there with exciting experiences.
It was in India that Yaqoub discovered the thrill of hunting, especially of big-games. On this subject he wrote, “Hunting in the Indian Jungles”, a book that is as easy to read as it is interesting and informative.
In exquisite narrative style he discloses hunting techniques, places of hunting, regulations, customs and the facilities a hunter can find in the Indian jungle. He also describes some of the interesting people he met and dealt with.
Written in clear form without ambiguities, without dusky clouds of entrenched meaning, the stories are captivating in their sincerity.
The author avoids adding to the narrative more than is necessary. He never attempts to charm the reader with alluring metaphors. Cogency of construction lends special strength to his writing.
To be continued