The Muallaqa of the Pre-Islamic Arab poet Imru al Qays 1 is his most important poem. It is considered by many to be one of the greatest masterpieces of ancient Arabic literature, or even of Arabic literature in general. It has been translated into English several times; the first translation was done by Sir William Jones in the 18th Century, and the most recent just a few years ago, by the Irish poet Desmond O'Grady. Yet in order to truly understand its significance, it is first necessary to first explain a little the background of the time and place in which it was written.