These poems, from the astonishing 10th- through 13th-century civilization in Andalusia, are based on the codex of Ibn Sa'id, who wanted poems "whose idea is more subtle than the West Wind, and whose language is more beautiful than a fair face." Spanish readers have long been enchanted by their enduring appeal through the versions by Emilio Garc a G mez. This poetry of Arab Andalusia made a profound impact on Spain's Generation of '27. Rafael Alberti...