Ameen Al-Rihani

On the pages of this book al-Rihani emerges as a critic, social reformer, scientist, national hero, and above all, as an Arab nationalist who wants desperately to awaken the zeal and passion in the hearts and minds of Arab poets who have grown accustomed to what Ameen calls, "the poetry of tears." Instead, he believes these poets should adopt the poetry of revolt or at a minimum the poetry of commitment to a national cause that calls for "civil disobedience" in the face of the Mandatory Powers who were exploiting the meekness, dependency and submissiveness of the occupied Arab nations and capitalizing on the Arabs' tears and moans in order to spread their reign and consolidate their influence. Al-Rihani wants to lead his colleagues to a new horizon where poetry excites and angers and where words metamorphose into daggers and become a loud call for action.