Qays Ibn al-Mulawwah

According to early historical accounts by narrators such as Ibn Qutaybah and al-Isfahani, Qays and Layla were cousins belonging to the Banu Amir tribe. These sources report that the pair first encountered each other as children while tending their flocks in the desert, and their early bond eventually gave rise to the enduring legend of Majnun and Layla.

• Name — Qays ibn al-Mulawwah • Birth Name — Qays bin Al-Mulawwah bin Muzahim • Birthplace — Najd, Arabia • Occupation — Poet • Language — Classical Arabic • Period — Umayyad Caliphate

The 10th century Abbasid historian Abu al-Faraj al-Isfahani, author of Kitab al-Aghani list Qays ancestry as follows: Qays ibn al-Mulawwah ibn Muzahim ibn ʿUdas ibn Rabiʿah ibn Jaʿdah ibn Kaʿb ibn Rabiʿah ibn ʿAmir ibn Saʿsaʿah from Banu Amir.

I sing of Layla, of the honey that lounges coquettishly on the forearm, of the lazy pomegranate, of the Futuwwa whispering its desert near simile, of the Bedouin eyes, the fire, the cheek. She is for me an adventure stirring the desire of poets should they sing: “East wind of Najd, when did you start to blow so briskly?” Of flimsy slumber that betrays us, of our rapturous love, of her, so the desert might know only aloe and laurel. I sing of Layla, of the slain of our blood squandered, of the beast-friend and the lure of lovers, of wakefulness seeking night and two children timid to meet. When the apple trees blossom they tremble in correspondence until timidity feels embarrassed. Layla possesses a sweeter moan when passion takes us astray and flames race the length of our limbs. Whether living or dead, when told we’ve committed a sin, a sigh will cry within us should they forgive.

The Diwan (collection) of the original Arabic qasidas of Qays ibn al-Mulawwah have been translated to other languages: • English translation and commentary, in Jaroslav Stetkevych, 'The Zephyrs of Najd'. • Japanese translation, 'Laila and Majnun: An Arab Love Story' (translated by Emiko Okada, Heibonsha Toyo Bunko, 1981)

• Illustration — Sarabski as Qays from the opera Leyla and Majnun (1908) by Uzeyir Hajibeyov. • Egyptian actor Shoukry Sarhan as Qays, in the 1960 Arabic film Qays wa Laila. • Lebanese actor Yorgo Chalhoub as Qays, in the 2008 Arabic tv series Majnun Layla. • H. Sarabski as Qays, from the opera Leyla and Majnun (1908) by Uzeyir Hajibeyov.

The authorities additionally record the headings Majnun, Qays ibn al-Mullawwah, al-Majnun, Majnūn Layla and Qays ibn al-Mulawwaḥ. His recorded languages were Classical Arabic and Arabic.