Ahmed Rami

Ahmed Rami

Ahmed Rami belongs to a generation of Egyptian poets who opened wide prospects for Arabic poetry to express man's inner feelings and emotions.

Rami also played a leading role in developing the Arabic song, using simple language to express his sublime themes. The songs he wrote appealed to a large number of people.

Early childhood and education:

Ahmed Mohammed Rami was born in Cairo on August 9th, 1892. Having completed his primary school education in 1907, he joined the prestigious Khedive Secondary School. At this period, he started to develop his poetic talent by attending weekly poetic forums. When he was 15 years old, he wrote his first patriotic poem.

poems. When a dispute arose between the then Minister of Education Saad Zaghloul and the British advisor of his ministry Dunlup over some educational policies, Rami wrote a poem in which he warned the British advisor from the outcome of his policies.

His career:

In 1914, Rami graduated from the Higher Teachers School and was appointed teacher of geography and English language at Cairo Private School. Six years later, he was appointed a librarian at the Higher Teachers Library. This post offered him a unique opportunity to read Arabic, English and French poetry and literature.

In 1924, he left for Paris for a year-long scholarship to study the latest techniques of librarianship. In Paris he studied Persian language at the Oriental Language Institute. The Persian language diploma helped him translate the famous Omar AI-Khayyam Quatrain from the original Persian version to Arabic. His translation was so adequate that it reflected AI-Khayyam's philosophy.

In 1925, he worked as a librarian at the Egyptian National Book House, known as Darul Kotob. He applied the modern techniques he learned in France to organise Darul Kotob.

After working in Darul Kotob for 13 years, he joined the League of Nations as a librarian after Egypt officially aueded to the League. In 1945, he returned to Egypt where he worked as an advisor to the Egyptian Broadcast House.

Three years later he returned to Darul Kotob as a Deputy President. During his career, Ahmed Rami won a large number of awards and orders of merit. In 1965, he was granted Intellectual Excellence Order by King Hassan II of Morocco.

Rami also won the State Order of Merit in literature in 1967. Late President Anwar El Sadat gave him an honorary doctorate in 1976. He was also granted a prestigious Lebanese order of merit and the Paris based Composers Association gave him a memorial plaque with his name engraved on it in recognition of his contributions. On his 64th anniversary, Rami was named "The Poet of Youth" for his role in rejuvenating new Arabic song.

His Readings:

"The Lover's Entertainment through Love Poetry" was the first book Rami read, memorized and was influenced by. It is an anthology of love and courtship poetry, which played a great role in Rami's life, when he was still a boy as it determined his career till death.

When he was 15 years old, he wrote his first patriotic poem. In 1910, Al-Rewaiat Al-Gadida magazine published another poem which was his first poem to be published.

After his graduation from the Higher School of Education, 1914, his main concern was to communicate with contemporary famous poets such as Shawqi, Hafez, Abdel Halim Al-Masri, Ahmed Nassim and others.

In 1918, Rami published his first diwan. It was a literary event at that time. He introduced to Arabic readers a new type of poetry.

In 1927, he was given a two-year scholarship to Paris, where he had the happiest memories of his youth at the Sorbon.

He wrote in three types of literature:

• Love, emotional and patriotic poetry.

• As for dramatic literature, he translated about 15 of Shakespeare's immortal plays such as "Hamlet", "Julios Caesar", "The Tempest" and others which were performed at Yussif Wahbi and Fatma Roshdi theatres.

• In the last years of his life, he was so famous for writing lyrics that people were about to forget his classical poems and plays and only remember his lyrics. Om kulthoom sang an ode written by Ahmed Rami and composed by Sheikh Abu Al-Ala Muhammad which was a great success.

Rami wrote the songs of Muhammad Abdel Wahab's films such as "The White Rose" and " Tears of Love" and some other famous songs as "Why Did You Keep Silent My Tonge" and "On the Ben Tree's Leaves".

Rami's works:

Ahmed Rami practised three sorts of literary activities:

1. In poetry, he wrote in several themes ranging from emotional to patriotic poetry and wrote six collections of poetry.

2. In drama, Rami translated around 15 foreign plays, such as Shakespeare's Hamlet, Julius Ceasar and the Tempest. Moreover, he wrote one play entitled "Love of Poets". He also translated the famous quatrains of the Persian poet Omar El-Khayyam. This translation is one of the most fascinating masterpieces of the modern Arabic literature.

3. In song writing, he wrote more than 500 songs, including 200 for the legendary singer Om Kolthoum. Their co-operation started in 1915 and their last masterpiece was presented in 1972.

Rami, who was described by critics as the pioneer of the Arabic song, started his career at a very early age. He published his first poem in 1910 and eight years later, his first collection of poems was issued. His poems represented a turning point in the Arabic poetry due to his new style in adapting the colloquial Arabic language. One of his most celebrated poems a patriotic one entitled "Voice of the Homeland", was performed by Om Kolthoum and made an outstanding success.

Rami as seen by his contemporaries:

British orientalist Robert Daliro praised his play "Love of Poets" as unprecedented step because it highlighted fears of disintegration among Arab nations which can be seen at present. He added that his translation of Omar AI-Khayyam's Quatrains reflected the philosophy of the poet.

Om Kolthoum described him as a spiritual combination of inspired feelings, deep suppressed revolution, tranquillity and devotion. He was the poet who rejuvenated the Egyptian song.

Renowned critic and poet Dr. Ahmed Taimour praised his role in developing and cultivating the colloquial Arabic language through using it in his poems.

His first collection captured the attention of his contemporary poets like Khalil Motran, Ahmed Shawqi, Hafez Ibrahim and El-Mazni. They said that his poetry expressed the various conditions of the human spirit.

Rami, who died on June 4th, 1981, was influenced by some Arab, English, French and Persian poets