Called a "major innovator in his art form" by the New York Times, Baghdad-born poet Abdul Wahab Al-Bayati broke with over fifteen centuries of Arabic poetic tradition to write in free verse and became world famous in the process. This collection is a rare, bilingual facing-page edition in both the original Arabic text and in a highly praised English translation by Bassam K. Frangieh-containing selections from eight of Al-Bayati's books of poetry.