Ibn al-Farid (d. 632/1235) has long been venerated as a Sufi saint and poet whose verse stands as a high point in Arabic poetry. Several of his poems became religious and literary classics, among them the al-Khamriyah or “Wine Ode.” Perhaps the first and certainly the most influential commentary on this poem was the Sharh Khamriyat Ibn al-Farid by Dawud al-Qaysari (d. ca. 748/1347). Al-Qaysari was a direct spiritual descendent of the great Sufi master Ibn al-`Arabi (d. 637/1240), whose disciples read and reflected on Ibn al-Farid’s verse as part of their mystical studies. Al-Qaysari prefaces his commentary with a thoughtful essay on love, its various types, and their effects within creation. He then turns to a verse by verse commentary of the “Wine-Ode” in order to reveal the subtle, mystical meanings of Ibn al-Farid’s celebrated poem. The Wine of Love & Life by Th. Emil Homerin makes available for the first time the full Arabic edition and English translation of al-Qaysari’s master-work of Sufi theology.

Th. Emil Homerin is Professor of Religion in the Department of Religion & Classics at the University of Rochester, where he teaches courses on Islam, classical Arabic literature, and mysticism. Homerin completed his Ph.D. with honors at the University of Chicago ('87), and has lived and worked in Egypt for a number of years. Among his many publications are From Arab Poet to Muslim Saint (2nd revised edition, Cairo: American University Press, 2001), his anthology of translations, Ibn al-Farid: Sufi Verse & Saintly Life (Paulist Press, 2001), and several chapters on Islam in The Religious Foundations of Western Civilization (Abingdon Press, 2005). Homerin has been the recipient of grants from the Mrs. Giles Whiting Foundation, the Fulbright Foundation, the American Research Center in Egypt, and the National Endowment for the Humanities. He has also won a number of awards including the American Association of Teachers of Arabic Translation Prize, the Golden Key Honor Society's recognition for his contributions to undergraduate education, and the University of Rochester's Teacher of the Year in the Humanities.