ABSTRACT
One compellingly Islamic mode of masculinity consists of “ecstatic faqir” as the most visible expression of the Sufi model. As viewed in and through an ‘Abbasid lens, the poet and the patriarch are two basic Bedouin constructs of masculinity with Umayyad subtexts found in the Majnun Layla romance. All three modes of Umayyad self-presentation come into play in the subtexts of “Umayyad memoria” in the Majnun Layla love story: Islamic monotheism, imperial bureaucracy, and quintessentially Arab, mainly Bedouin. Among the Umayyad ‘Udhri male community of poets – as constructed in and viewed through an ‘Abbasid lens – fame is achieved through intimate, transgressive poetry about women. Majnun’s affiliation with three famous Umayyad ‘Udhri poets – Qays ibn Dharih, Jamil, and ‘Urwa – is clearly inscribed in the ‘Abbasid-era story, especially in the introductory preamble to the romance in which al-Isfahani discusses his identity.
