Born: 994 or 1001, Spain
Died: 26 March 1091
Country most active: Spain
Also known as: وَلاَّدة بنت المستكفي
Andalusian poet Wallada bint al-Mustakfi was the daughter of the Umayyad Caliph Muhammad III, one of the last Umayyad Cordoban rulers. He took the throne when Wallada was in her 20s; he had assassinated the previous rule and was himself assassinated less than a year and a half later. This speaks to the political turmoil in which Wallada grew up, though she was also extremely privileged. It has been suggested that she inherited her father’s property after his death. It is believed she used her wealth to create a literary salon attended by some of the great poets and thinkers of the era, where she mentored poets, particularly women, from across social classes, including those who were enslaved.
Much of what is known about Wallada comes from the nine extant poems by her, and from poems that others wrote about her. Many of these are by or about her male lovers (eight of hers are about her relationship with fellow poet Ibn Zaydun), and it is suspected that her more sexually explicit works were deliberately “lost” over the years. Unusually for the time, some of her poetry was written in free verse. She was known for being intelligent, quick-witted and eloquent. She was highly learned, and not afraid to court controversy by doing things like appearing in public without a veil. She even had her own poetry embroidered on her clothes, such as these line on the shoulder of a cape:
أَنَا وَاللهِ أَصْلُحُ لِلْمَعَالِي
وَأَمْشِي مِشْيَتِي وَأَتِيهُ تِيها
أُمْكِنُ عَاشِقِي مِنْ صَحْنِ خَدّي
وَأُعْطِي قُبْلَتِي مَنْ يَشْتَهِيها
I am, by Allah, fit for high positions.
and am going by my way with pride.
Forsooth I allow my lover to kiss my cheek,
and bestow my kisses on him who craves it.