ABSTRACT
Following al-ib's move to his newly-built mansion in Esfahan, probably in 366/976, a memorable inauguration event took place at which many poets have recited odes. The vizier had prompted the poets to describe the mansion in their odes, and this indeed was their key theme, besides the lauded figure of its owner which was often inextricable from the mansion. "Emulating" is an act based on artistic appreciation for a model poem. According to al-ib, al-Butur was not the only poet from whom al-Mutanabb stole, and then untruthfully denied it; he did the same with the output of the poet who represents al-Butur's stylistic opposite, namely, his teacher Ab Tammm. Al-Q mostly focuses on the characteristics in a diachronic way that reflect the wider socio-cultural change undergone by Arabic speakers with the move from nomad to urban life following the appearance of Islam. According to al-mid, the supporters of al-Butur characterized his poetry, among other things, as stylistically elegant.
