"A master of satire known for his ribald humor, self-deprecation, and invective verse (hija ?), the poet H ?me da n al-Shwe 'ir was an acerbic critic of his society and its morals. Living in the Najd region of the Arabian Peninsula, H ?me da n wrote in an idiom widely referred to as "Nabat ?i ," here a mix of Najdi vernacular and archaic vocabulary and images dating to the origins of Arabic poetry. In Arabian Satire, H ?me da n is mostly concerned with worldly matters and addresses these in different guises: as the patriarch at the helm of the family boat and its unruly crew; as a picaresque anti-hero who revels in taking potshots at the established order, its hypocrisy, and its failings; as a peasant who labors over his palm trees, often to no avail and with no guarantee of success; and as a poet recording in verse how he thinks things ought to be. The poems in Arabian Satire reveal a plucky, headstrong, yet intensely socially committed figure-representative of the traditional Najdi ethos-who infuses his verse with proverbs, maxims, and words of wisdom expressed plainly and conversationally. H ?me da n is widely quoted by historians of the Gulf region and in anthologies of popular sayings. This is the first full translation of this remarkable poet"--