Ode to Arab Science describes the many contributions Arab scientists (and engineers, and mathematicians) have made towards the historic and modern fields of Alchemy, Physics, Medicine, and Science as a whole.
This song is a ‘contrafactum’ piece, meaning the lyrics are original but are set to an existing melody. The melody I used is ‘We Be Three Poor Mariners,’ a merry tune for three voices thought to date from the reign of Henry VIII, found in Thomas Ravenscrofts’ song collection Deuteromelia (1609). A facsimile scan of the original manuscript can be found at Greg Lindahl’s page ‘The Music of Thomas Ravenscroft.’
These lyrics were written in late 2012 for the Bard of Caid competition that took place at Caid’s Twelfth Night, January 2013. They were performed in three part harmony by the early music choir Serenissima, of which I was a member at that time, as a Bard of Caid entry for THL Cecilia Lightfoot. The theme for that round was ‘puns,’ as chosen by then Bard of Caid THL Maluchka Korotkova. The topic was chosen in reference to His Grace Mansur ibn al-Sha’bi ibn Rafi’ – King at the time of the competition – who is himself a scientist.
I employ both alliteration and rhyme in my lyrics, as well as a smattering of puns relating to various scientific fields. All puns are shown bold and underlined within the text below.
Ode to Arab Science
Original lyrics by Angharat Goch
To the tune of ‘We Be Three Poor Mariners’ (Ravenscroft, 1609)
Come gentles, gather round to hear our song, our Magnum Opus,
The history of Science in the Arab world, its focus,
The Golden Age of Islam was a bastion of learning,
With scholars innovative, rigorous and quite discerning!
The Arabs became pioneers within the field of Alchemy
Distilling ancient knowledge gleamed from Natural Philosophy
These Hellenistic teachings matched with Arab innovation
Soon proved to be a promising, potent amalgamation!
Unlike the Greeks, the Arabs based their science on observation,
Methodical procedure led to the crystallization
Of Arab reputation for empiric revolution;
Where theory did not satisfy, they sought to give solution!
Regarding Physics, Arabs contributed most extensively,
Conducting their experiments with zealousness with energy,
A wave of Wisdom, starting with the thinkers of the Caliphate,
Reverberating ripples through the Western world would resonate!
Their contributions to the field of medicine, you must agree,
Were quite profound, particularly those made in Anatomy,
From use of therapeutic drugs, to ethics and psychology
To balancing the humours in the human physiology!
Most are familiar with the works of Plato, Galen, Socrates,
Of Aristotle, Archimedes, Euclid and Hippocrates,
But have you heard of Alhazen, of ibn-Sina, al-Razi
The many noble Arabs who enriched our lives enormously?
So gentles, gather round to hear our song, our Magnum Opus,
The history of Science in the Arab world, its focus,
The Golden Age of Islam was o’erflowing with discovery,
Without it, much of ancient thought would be lost to antiquity!
Youtube link for melody reference:
‘We Be Three Poor Mariners,’ performed by The One-Man Renaissance Band