Khaberni - Death hit, on Wednesday, the Saudi poetess Thuraiya Qabil after a long struggle with illness, closing with her departure a bright page from the pages of lyrical poetry and cultural journalism in Saudi Arabia.
The late writer Muhammad Hassan Awad's description of her as the "Khansaa of the Twentieth Century" was not an exaggeration, ever since the publication of her first eloquent poetry collection, The Weeping Scales, in Beirut in 1963, as her poetic experiment marked a significant milestone in her time.
The late poetess worked in the journalism field, and wrote with delicate, reproachful ink, leaving its impact on the reader’s emotions, while her name became linked to the memory of the city of Jeddah, to the extent that one of its most famous commercial streets bears her family’s name, witnessing her social and cultural presence.
Thuraiya Qabil was born in the large Qabil house in Harat Al-Mazloom, and lost her father at an early age, leading her aunt Adila Qabil to take over her care and upbringing, allowing her to pursue her education until she earned a degree from the Community College in Beirut.
During her journalistic career, she moved between multiple roles, working as an editor in the newspapers "Okaz" and "Riyadh", and wrote a newspaper column in several local newspapers, also served as the editor-in-chief of the magazine "Zeina" between 1986 and 1987, and contributed articles in the newspapers "Quraish", "Al-Bilad" and "Al-Anwar" in Lebanon during the sixties of the last century.
Arabically, her name shone in the world of sung words, where she sincerely expressed the Hijazi environment, earning her the title "The Voice of Jeddah." She formed a notable artistic duo with the late artist Fawzi Mahsoun, and presented immortal works, some of the most prominent being: From After Joking and Playing, Jani Al-Asmar Jani, Habib Ya Habib, and Ya Man in My Heart Gla.
The late artist Talal Maddah also sang her words in masterpieces that are still present in memory, such as Adini Ahad Al-Hawa and Tamannait min Allah.
Thuraiya Qabil was among the boldest poets of her generation, choosing to appear with her explicit name from her first steps on the stage of creativity.
