ABSTRACT
Who was this poet who made the case for his profession and enlightened patronage? His life remains frustratingly elusive, for his transmitted biography revolves around topoi of superstition, pessimism, and failure brought upon himself – topoi which grew increasingly elaborate over time and typecast Ibn al-Rūmī as a cantankerous satirist and misanthrope. By 424/1033 al-Maʿarrī (d. 449/1058) had already called superstition ‘the way of Ibn al-Rūmī’ (madhhab Ibn al-Rūmī),1 and the label stuck. This medieval characterization – which survives in modern school books – is contradicted by the support Ibn al-Rūmī received from numerous and long-standing patrons, as documented in his voluminous Dīwān. The so-attested relationships, three of which are discussed below, add detail to the poet’s professional life.
