“Akl loved Lebanon and raised its name high,” al-Rahi said, adding that the poet “considered Lebanon an extraordinary country.”
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Lebanon’s Christian Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rai heads the prayers during the funeral of Lebanese poet Said Akl at St. Georges church in downtown Beirut December 2, 2014. Said Akl, one of Lebanon’s most prominent 20th-century poets, died on Friday at over 100 years of age. REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir (LEBANON – Tags: OBITUARY RELIGION)
Lebanese politicians attend the funeral of Lebanese poet Said Akl at St. Georges church in downtown Beirut December 2, 2014. Said Akl, one of Lebanon’s most prominent 20th-century poets, died on Friday at over 100 years of age. REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir (LEBANON – Tags: OBITUARY RELIGION)
People carry the coffin of Lebanese poet Said Akl during his funeral at St. Georges church in downtown Beirut
Lebanese singer Majida al-Roumi pays her respects next to a coffin bearing the body of Lebanese poet Said Akl during his funeral at St. Georges church in downtown Beirut
Abdel-Halim Caracalla (L), founder of the Caracalla Dance Theatre pays his respect with poet Talal Haidar next to a coffin bearing the body of Lebanese poet Said Akl during his funeral at St. Georges church in downtown Beirut December 2, 2014. Said Akl, one of Lebanon’s most prominent 20th-century poets, died on Friday at over 100 years of age. REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir (LEBANON – Tags: OBITUARY RELIGION)
n this September, 1983 photo, Prominent Lebanese poet Saeed Akl gestures at his home, in Beirut, Lebanon. Lebanon’s state-run news agency says Saeed Akl, Lebanon’s leading poet whose fame once spread throughout the Arab world, has died. He was 102. The ultra-nationalist Akl wrote his poems in classical Arabic as well as Lebanese dialect which he used to refer to as “the Lebanese language.” (AP Photo/Stavro Jabra) (The Associated Press)
Saeed Akl, Lebanon’s leading poet whose fame spread throughout the Arab world, has died, state media and officials said Friday. He was 102. The ultra-nationalist Akl wrote his poems in classical Arabic as well as the Lebanese dialect, which he referred to as "the Lebanese language." Some of his most famous poems were sung by Lebanon’s top singer, Fayrouz, including the emotional "Take Me Back to My Country," a song that was played endlessly on radios during the country’s 15-year civil war. He also wrote a song about the Palestinian struggle, "Now, and not tomorrow, the bells of return shall ring," written after Israel seized east Jerusalem, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip in 1967.
Famous for his radical Lebanese nationalism, Akl, also known as the "Little Poet," promoted the use of Lebanese dialect written in modified Roman script rather than the modern standard Arabic and alphabet. He was defined by his Phoenician-centered nationalism, which made him popular among many Lebanese and controversial among others. After having left the Syrian Social Nationalist Party, Akl became one of the leaders of the Guardians of the Cedars, a nationalist political party created during the Lebanese Civil War which was part of the Lebanese Front forcing Palestinians miltary factions out of Lebanon.
Although mostly known for his poetry, the deceased writer was also a journalist and wrote for several newspapers such as Al-Jarida, Al-Sayyad, and had a column in Assafir in the 1990s. Considered one of the most notable modern Lebanese poets, Akl wrote in Arabic and French. His poetical works include “The Jasmine Bells,” “Poems from Her Notebook,” “Like Pillars,” and “Carving in Light.” Legendary Lebanese singer Fairouz sang more than a dozen of his poems such as “Roddani Ila Biladi” (Take Me Back to my Country), “Ghanaytu Mekka” (I sang to Mekka), “Ummi ya Malaki” (My Mother, My Angel), and “Kara’tu Majdaka” (I Read your Glory).
Akl wrote three plays in poetic form, “The Daughter of Jephthah,” “The Magdalena” and “Cadmus,” and also published prose that includes “Loubnan in Haka” (If Lebanon Were to Speak).
His funeral will take place on Tuesday, December 2 at the Saint Georges Cathedral in downtown Beirut at 11:30 am, according to Notre Dame University.
But during the 1975-1990 civil war, Akl was known for his anti-Palestinian statements, and once praised the late Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin for invading Lebanon.
"The hero Begin should continue cleansing Lebanon to the last Palestinian," he said in an interview in 1982, the year the Jewish State began an 18-year occupation of Lebanon. Akl was born in 1912 to a Maronite Catholic family in Lebanon’s eastern city of Zahle. After the death of his father, Akl dropped out of school at the age of 15 to help his family. He later wrote for leading Lebanese newspapers and magazines, and penned some plays. "Lebanon and the Arabs lost one of the giants of poetry," wrote former Prime Minister Saad Hariri on his Twitter account.
From Wikipedia
Ideology
During his early years, Akl was an adherent of the Syrian Social Nationalist Party (in Arabic ????? ?????? ?????? ?????????) led by Antun Saadeh, eventually being expelled by Saadeh due to irreconcilable ideological disputes.[2]
Akl adopted a powerful doctrine of the authentic millennial character of Lebanon resonating with an exalted sense of Lebanese dignity. His admiration to the Lebanese history and culture was marked by strong enmity towards the Arab language and culture. This view is crystallized by Akl once stating “I would cut off my right hand just not to be an Arab”.[2] In 1968 he stated that literary Arabic would vanish from Lebanon.[3]
For Akl Lebanon was the cradle of culture and the inheritor of the Oriental civilization, well before the arrival of the Arabs on the historical stage.[2] He emphasized the Phoenician legacy of the Lebanese people.
He is known for his radical Lebanese nationalistic sentiments; in 1972, he helped found the Lebanese Renewal Party (in Arabic ??? ??????? ???????? transliterated as Hizb al Tajaddod al Lubnaani) which was proposed by May Murr, a well known writer and researcher of ancient Lebanese history and a staunch supporter of Akl. This party was a non-sectarian party that adhered to Lebanese Nationalism. During the Lebanese Civil War, Akl served as the spiritual leader of the radical Lebanese Nationalist movement Guardians of the Cedars (in Arabic ????? ?????), which was led by Étienne Saqr.[2]
Lebanese language and alphabet
Akl is an ideologue for promotion of the Lebanese language as independent of Arabic language. Although acknowledging the influence of Arabic, he argued that Lebanese language was equally if not more influenced by Phoenician languages and promoted the use of the Lebanese dialect written in a modified Latin alphabet, rather than the Arabic one.[4]
His designed alphabet for the Lebanese language using the Latin alphabet in addition to a few newly designed letters and some accented Latin letters to suit the Lebanese phonology. The proposed Lebanese alphabet designed by Akl contained 36 letters. The proposed alphabet was as follows:[5]
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Yara and Khumasiyyat
He published his poetry book Yara completely using his proposed Lebanese alphabet, thus becoming the first book ever to be published in this form. In later years, he also published his poetry book Khumasiyyat in the same alphabet.
Lebnaan newspaper
He published the tabloid newspaper Lebnaan using the Lebanese dialect. It was published in two versions, ????? (transliteration and pronunciation Lubnan which means Lebanon in Arabic language) using Lebanese dialect written in traditional Arabic alphabet, the other Lebnaan (Lebanese Arabic for Lebanon) in his proposed Lebanese Latin-based alphabet.
Said Akl Awards
Starting in the 1970s Akl offered a prize to whoever authored the best essay in Lebanese Arabic. Since then the Said Akl awards have been granted to many Lebanese intellectuals and artists.[2]
Works
Akl has numerous writings ranging from theatrical plays, epics, poetry and song lyrics. His first published work was released in 1935, a theatrical play written in Arabic. His works are written in either Lebanese Arabic, literary Arabic, or French. He is also known for writing lyrics of many well-known songs, including "Zahrat al Madaen" (in Arabic ???? ???????) sung by Fairuz.
- 1935: Bint Yifta’ (theater) – (in Arabic ??? ?????)
- 1937: Al Majdaliyyah (Epic) – (in Arabic ?????????)
- 1944: Qadmos (theater) – (in Arabic ?????)
- 1950: Rindalah – (in Arabic ?????)
- 1954: Mushkilat al Nukhba – (in Arabic ????? ??????)
- 1960: Ajmal minki…? La! – (in Arabic !???? ???…? ??
- 1960: Lubnaan in haka – (in Arabic ????? ?? ???)
- 1961: Ka’s el Khamr (in Arabic ??? ?????)
- 1961: Yara (using his designed Lebanese alphabet) (in Arabic ????)
- 1961: Ajraas al Yasmeen (in Arabic ????? ????????)
- 1972: Kitab al Ward (in Arabic ???? ?????)
- 1979: Qasaed min Daftari (in Arabic ????? ?? ?????)
- 1974: Kama al A’mida (in Arabic ??? ???????)
- 1978: Khumasiyyat (using his designed Lebanese alphabet) (in Arabic ????????)
In 1981 he also published poems in French
In popular culture
- Anthems
- Akl proposed the lyrics for an anthem for the pan-Syrian Syrian Social Nationalist Party, but this was rejected by its founder Antun Saadeh, who proposed another anthem for the party that he had written in prison. When asked about what he wrote, Akl denied writing it, and said that it was a certain Wadih Khalil Nasrallah (a relative of Akl by marriage) who wrote the lyrics.
- Akl wrote the anthem of another pan-Arab movement, Jam’iyyat al Uruwwa al Wuthqa (in Arabic ????? ?????? ??????).
- Songwriting
Akl has also written poems that were turned into pan-Arab anthem songs with music from the Rahbani Brothers and sung by the Lebanese diva Feyrouz. These include "Zahrat al Madaen" (in Arabic ???? ???????) about Palestine, "Ghannaytou Makkah" (in Arabic ?????? ??? ) about Islam and "Saailiini ya Sham" (in Arabic ??????? ?? ??? ) about Syria, "Ruddani ila biladi" (in Arabic ???? ??? ????? ) about Lebanon and "Ummi ya malaki" (in Arabic ??? ?? ????? ) about his mother.
- Media
Said Akl wrote as a journalist in a number of publications, notably the Lebanese Al-Jarida newspaper and the weekly Al-Sayyad magazine. In the 1990s, Akl also wrote a front-page personal column in the Lebanese As-Safir newspaper
