The Berber Literary Tradition of the Sous

With an Edition and Translation of ‘The Ocean of Tears’ by Muhammad Awzal (d. 1749)

Author: Nico van den Boogert.

Series: Publications of the “De Goeje Fund” — Publications de la «Fondation De Goeje» Volume 27

This book is the first exploration of the Tashelhit Berber manuscript texts produced in the Sous (South Morocco).

The first part describes the region and its traditional schooling system and offers a general description of the manuscript texts, their form, contents, orthography (fully vocalised Maghribi-Arabic script) and language. It presents a survey of all manuscript texts known to date, the oldest of which was written around 1580 AD.

The second part describes the life and work of Muhammad Awzal(î) (±1680–1749 AD), the most important Berber author of the period, and contains a list of all Awzal manuscripts. Awzal’s lexicon and language are explored separately.

An edition in Latin transcription of Awzal’s versified exhortation Bahr ad-dumū' Ocean of Tears, with a  translation into English, notes and glossary are also included.

A facsimile reproduction of the original text in Arabic script with a translation into French is also available, as well as further Berber text editions with English or French translations:

Accompanying material:

• An Anthology of Tashelhiyt Berber Folktales (South Morocco) (ISBN 978-3-89645-381-5)
• L’océan des pleurs (ISBN 978-3-89645-998-5)
• Taschelhit (ISBN 978-3-89645-589-5)
• Tashelhiyt Berber Folktales from Tazerwalt (South Morocco) (ISBN 978-3-89645-383-9)
• Tashelhiyt Berber Texts from Ida u Tanan (South Morocco) (ISBN 978-3-89645-388-4)
• Tashelhiyt Berber Texts from the Ayt Brayyim, Lakhsas and Guedmioua Region (South Morocco) (ISBN 978-3-89645-384-6)

Cross-reference:

• L’Histoire du Niger, transcrit du touareg de l’Ayr (ISBN 978-3-89645-953-4)
• La vie berbère par les textes (ISBN 978-3-89645-923-7)
• La vie berbère par les textes – Les parlers du Maroc central (ISBN 978-3-89645-957-2)
• Poetic Meter and Musical Form in Tashlhiyt Berber Songs (ISBN 978-3-89645-398-3)
• Textes berbères des Aït Âyyache (la vallée d’Ansegmir, Midelt, Maroc) – Textes originaux avec traductions en français (ISBN 978-3-89645-949-7)
• Textes berbères du Maroc central (Textes originaux en transcription) (ISBN 978-3-89645-397-6)
• Textes berbères du Maroc central (Traductions en anglais – Translations into English) (ISBN 978-3-89645-943-5)
• The Travels of Sindbad the Sailor – Text in Tashelhiyt Berber (South Morocco) with a Translation in English (ISBN 978-3-89645-959-6)

© 2024 by Rüdiger Köppe Verlag – www.koeppe.de

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