From Al-Andalus and Qing China - 2 tales of lovesick men pining for male beloveds
From Al-Andalus and Qing China - 2 tales of lovesick men pining for male beloveds
Parallels in stories recorded in 11th century Muslim Spain and 18th century China
Interesting parallels in two homoromantic anecdotes from opposite ends of Eurasia, 7 centuries apart. Note the gracious response of the targets of affection, even though they did not feel a reciprocal attraction for the person pining for them.
Content note: mention of death.
11th century Muslim Spain
From Chapter 27 "Of Death" in The Ring of the Dove, a treatise on love written by Ibn Hazam in 1022, translated by A.J. Arberry (1905-1969):
My friend ... 'Ammar Ibn Ziyad has informed me, quoting a reliable source, that Chief Secretary Ibn Quzman was so sorely smitten with love for Aslam Ibn `Abd al-'Aziz, the brother of Grand Chamberlain Hashim Ibn `Abd al-'Aziz-and Aslam was an exceedingly handsome man - that he was laid prostrate by his sufferings and affected with mortal sickness. Aslam attended his sickbed a frequent visitor, having no knowledge that himself was the source of his malady; until at last Abu '1-Sari succumbed of grief and long wasting.
The informant continued: Then I informed Aslam, after the tragic event had come to pass, of the true cause of Abu '1-Sari's illness and death. He was very sorry, and said, "Why did you not let me know?" "Why should I?" I replied. "Because", he said, "in that case I swear I would have kept myself even more closely in touch with him, and would scarcely have left his bedside; that could have done me no harm."
Background
So, some of us might be wondering, what is the name of the lovesick gentleman? Is it Ibn Quzman or Abu Sari? Are they the same person? Ibn Quzman means "son of Quzman", and "Abu Sari" "means father of Sari". So yes, they can refer to the same person.
Some background on naming conventions: Why are Arabic names prefixed with Abu-, when “Abu” means “father of”? (by Nimish V Adani)
For more context on attitudes towards homosexuality in Islamic cultures, see Islamic Homosexualities: Culture, History and Literature:
Homosexuality in the Muslim World reveals that patterns of male and female homosexuality have existed and often flourished within the Islamic world. Indeed, same-sex relations have, until quite recently, been much more tolerated under Islam than in the Christian West.
18th century Qing China
From Section "The Hare God" in Chapter 19 of What Confucius Does Not Speak Of, a collection of supernatural folktales compiled and edited by Yuan Mei around 1788.
Cheng Yumen said, "Concerning Mr Di Weiren... it was said, when Mr Di held the position of editor, he was youthful and of goodly appearance. There was a certain cart pusher, also a young lad, who joined the service of his household, pushing carts for Mr Di. He was exceedingly enthusiastic, and refused to accept his wages. Mr Di loved him too. Before long, [the cart pusher] became gravely ill. The treatment of doctors had no effect. As he was about to breathe his last, he summoned his employer and said, "Since this slave is about to die, I have no choice but to speak. This slave is sick unto death because I love my lord's beauty."
Mr Di laughed and patted him on the shoulder, "Foolish slave, so this is indeed the desire of your heart. Why did you not speak of it earlier?" And he gave him a grand burial.
(Translated by Wolfberry Studio LLC. Credit and link back to the original post at https://www.patreon.com/posts/67677530 .)
An English translation of Zibuyu is available under the title "Banned by Confucius". That title is an inaccurate, sensationalist translation intended to appeal to Western Orientalist sensibilities.
We choose to translate Zibuyu literally as "What Confucius does not speak of." Zibuyu 子不语 comes from the phrase 子不语怪力乱神 Zibuyu guai li luan shen, which means, "Confucius does not speak of paranormal occurrences, feats of physical courage, incidents of rebellion, and supernatural spirits." Now it would a stretch to claim that Confucius would ban the use of physical courage. Nor does Confucianism deny the existence of the supernatural. Confucius does not speak of these matters not because he wants to ban them, but because these are not the foci of his philosophy.
Btw, Confucius did not have anything negative to say about homosexual behavior either. Confucius offered his opinion on a controversy over burial rites for a pair of male same-sex lovers, but their same-sex status was a non-issue compared to other social distinctions such as age and class. But more on that in a future post.
Background
If you want to know what a push cart operator of antiquity might have looked like, the National Library of China has a couple of Qing Dynasty woodblock prints in its collection.
For a history of attitudes towards homosexuality in pre-modern China, see Passions of the Cut Sleeve by Bret Hinsch, which described centuries of tolerance and acceptance prior to European influence.
Instagram version of this post
