Poetry collection of Safi al-Din al-Hilli

The compiler of this collection is Abu al-Mahasn Abdulaziz bin Nasr al-Ta'i al-Sanbasi, a lineage from Sanbas, a tribe of Tayy. He was born in Al-Hillah in Iraq, to which he also attributed himself, and died in Baghdad. He was passionate about composing poetry from his youth, and he made a vow not to praise a nobleman nor to insult a mean person, so he was on the limit of his saying: he only composed poetry where it was necessary to mention him. He was pure Shi'a, and his Shi'ism was strongly evident in his poetry; he was a brave knight, a pure Arab, and his poetry reveals his strong Arab pride, his enthusiasm for his people, and his spreading among them a spirit of pride and ambition. This was a feature not found in any other poet of that era, due to the lack of security and the concealment of poets during those fitnas and wars. His poetry also contained much artifice and contrivance for the sake of beauty and riddles, for those were features of his time. He composed a poem in the Basit meter, consisting of 145 lines, called "The Sufficient in Poetic Beauties in Prophetic Praises," in which he gathered various verbal and conceptual embellishments, opening the way for future poets to compose in the art of beautification. This is included within the selections of the Diwan of Safi al-Din al-Hilli. It can be inferred from the chapters he arranged in his Diwan that he did not leave any form of poetry uncomposed, even the Ahamad (short, concise poems). Whatever the case, Safi al-Din was the most poetic poet of the era of decline, and Qays was among the most advanced among them. His poetry is strongly crafted, clear in expression, and not aimed at the common or trivial, unlike the pretentious poets of that time.