«فَسَاقَنِي حَادِي السَّغَبِ وَالْقَضَاءُ الْمُكَنَّى أَبَا الْعَجَبِ»
The driver called Hunger and destiny, nicknamed Father of Wonder, urged me onwards.
Ḥādī is one who urges animals along; saghab is hunger; al-mukannā describes someone given a by-name. Hunger is personified as a driver pushing the traveller forward.
Abū al-ʿAjab is a playful personification of strange destiny, not the introduction of a real named traveller. It hints at the unexpected encounter ahead.
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The Kūfan Maqāmah: Abū Zayd’s Strange Tale and the Midnight Knock
«فَسَاقَنِي حَادِي السَّغَبِ وَالْقَضَاءُ الْمُكَنَّى أَبَا الْعَجَبِ»
The driver called Hunger and destiny, nicknamed Father of Wonder, urged me onwards.
Ḥādī is one who urges animals along; saghab is hunger; al-mukannā describes someone given a by-name. Hunger is personified as a driver pushing the traveller forward.
Abū al-ʿAjab is a playful personification of strange destiny, not the introduction of a real named traveller. It hints at the unexpected encounter ahead.