"They loved to read
their poems and romances. They went to great expense and built immense
libraries. They scarcely knew how to express themselves in Latin, but when
it was necessary to write in Arabic, they found crowds of people who
understood that language, wrote it with the greatest elegance, and composed
poems even preferable in point of view to the art of the Arab poets
themselves."[4]
[4] Dozy. Histoire des Mussulmans de l'Espagne, pp. 103-166. Leyden, 1861,
in 12mo, 4to.
In spite of the complaints of fanatics like Euloge and Alvaro, the literary
history of that time was filled with Christian names, either those of
Spanish who had remained faithful to the ancient faith, or renegades, or
children of renegades. By the side of the Arab names, like that of the
Bishop Arib ben Said of Cordova, are found those of Ibn Guzman (Son of
Guzman), Ibn el Goutya (son of Gothe), Ibn Loyon (son of Leon), Ibn er
Roumaye (son of the Greek), Ibn Konbaret (son of Comparatus), Ibn
Baschkoual (son of Paschal), and all have left a name among letters.
One magnificent period in literature unfolded itself in the eleventh
century A.
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