This exhaustive and yet enthralling study considers the life and work of al-Mutanabbi (915-965), often regarded as the greatest of the classical Arab poets. A revolutionary at heart and often imprisoned or forced into exile throughout his tumultuous life, al-Mutanabbi wrote both controversial satires and when employed by one of his many patrons, laudatory panegyrics. Employing an ornate style and use of the ode, al-Mutanabbi was one of the first to successfully move away from the traditionally rigid form of Arabic verse, the 'qasida'. CONTENTS Preface 1 OUT OF ARABIA Arabian origins Poetic forms - the ode Invective and elegy Poets on the fringe Islam's effect on poetry Centralization under the Umayyads Diversity under the 'Abbasids Conservatism in poetic taste Late 'Abbasid disintegration 2 GROWING PAINS Origins and early formation Al-Mutanabbi goes to Baghdad Early career in Syria Rebellion and its aftermath After the fall At Kharshani's court Death of the poet's grandmother The Ikhshidid connection Eye on the Hamdanid prize 3 GLORY DAYS IN ALEPPO The Hamdanids of Aleppo Al-Mutanabbi's first ode to Sayf al-Dawlah Occasional poems for the would-be patron Death of Sayf al-Dawlah's mother Elegy on Abu'l-Hayja' The poet-patron relationship Demands on the poet Epic occasions Trouble in paradise Al-Mutanabbi bites back All good things ... 4 PARADISE LOST From Aleppo to Egypt Reluctant praise Al-Mutanabbi demands his due Saving face at Aleppo Kafur's final refusal Angry satire Out of Egypt Home again Sayf al-Dawlah in the wings The poet in Persia The Gap of Bavvan To the hunt Final call 5 CONTEMPORARY CRITICS After the fall Linguistic correctness Diction and lexical choice Construction of the poem Philosophizing in poetry The limits of imagination Borrowing versus plagiarism Summing up 6 THE HIGHEST FORM OF PRAISE Andalusian admirer Kindred spirits The classical as innovation Neoclassical voice Modern echoes Conclusion Suggestions for further reading Index