SOURCE: Nicholson, Reynold A. “Poetry, Literature, and Science in the ‘Abbásid Period.” In A Literary History of the Arabs, pp. 285-364. London: Cambridge University Press, 1966.

In the following excerpt from a work originally published in 1907, Nicholson examines al-Mutanabbi's critical reputation, particularly objections made to his work by his near-contemporary, Tha'álibí.

Sayfu 'l-Dawla's cousin, Abú Firás al-Hamdání, was a gallant soldier and a poet of some mark, who if space permitted would receive fuller notice here.¹ He, however, though superior to the common herd of court poets, is overshadowed by one who with all his faults—and they are not inconsiderable—made an extraordinary impression upon his contemporaries, and by the commanding influence of his reputation decided what should henceforth be the standard of poetical taste in the Muḥammadan world.

A bird's-eye view of Damascus, Syria.

Abu 'l-Tayyib Aḥmad b. Husayn, known to...