(MENAFN- Asdaf News)
Dhahran – Asdaf News:
A seminar session organized by the Saudi Ministry of Culture's Literature, Publishing, and Translation Commission about the Korean translation journey of the ten Al-Muʿallaqāt in Ithra's Al-Muʿallaqāt for Millennials, launched in the country for the first time by the King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture (Ithra) and the Commission, took place on Friday, June 28, at the Seoul International Book Fair.
The session was moderated by Saudi poet Mohammad Alatiq and presented by Dr. Kim Neung Woo, Arabic Language and Literature Lecturer at Seoul National University and translator of most of the book's poems, and Dr. Kim Jong Do (Musa), Director of the Center for Middle East and Islamic Studies at Korea University and translator of one of the book's poems.
During the session both speakers delved into the value of the Mu'allaqat, a collection of ten pre-Islamic Arabic qaṣīdahs (odes), and their place in ancient Arabic poetry.“Literary works mirror the life and people of a certain time, and the Arabic Mu'allaqat are no different,” said Dr. Neung Woo.“These pre-Islamic Arabic odes have preserved important information about the habits and values of people before Islam, such as forgiveness, honor, and protecting the vulnerable. They also narrate major historical events such as battles or wars that took place back then between Arab tribes.”
Specialized in Arabic literature, Dr. Neung Woo previously translated seven of the Arabic Mu'allaqat before working on the first translation of all ten Mu'allaqat in Al-Muʿallaqāt for Millennials. He mentioned that many researchers see Al Mu'allaqat as a window into the characteristics of tribal life back then, including views towards life and death.
“Like Al Mu'allaqat, these songs contain elements that describe human characteristics during ancient times in different ways. More research will be done in the future to understand and compare Al Mu'allaqat and Hyangga,” he added.
Al-Muʿallaqāt for Millennials makes the ancient Mu'allaqat more accessible to the younger generations as a way of preserving Arab heritage and important history related to Arabic poetry.
First launched in 2020 by the King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture (Ithra) and Saudi Aramco's Al Qafilah Magazine, the book has since been translated to six languages including English, German, French, Spanish, Mandarin, and Korean. The Korean translation was a collaboration between the King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture (Ithra) and the Saudi Literature, Publishing, and Translation Commission, and was launched on June 26 in the Saudi Pavilion at the 2024 Seoul International Book Fair, where the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia was guest of honor.
Tags#Al Mu'allaqat #Ithra #Korea #Saudi Arabia
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