Unsuri

Abul Kasim Hassan b. Ahmed- a Persian poet at Ghaznavid Court during the early 11th century AD.

Probably born in Balkh probably born in Balkh , and was orphaned at an early age. He was introduced to the Sultans Court at Ghazna. He served Sultan Mohammed as his Amir ( Malik al Shuara )- supervising the poets at the Court. He became a rich man through his art. He and Rudaki are mentioned as the most successful Persian Court poets ever.

According to Dawlat Shah and Rida Kuli Khan he died in 1039 AD.

Dawlat Shah states that Unsuri wrote 30000 distichs. Little more then one tenth of his work has survived. There is little doubt about his influence on Persian poetry. However, Khakhani ( d.1199 ) AD criticised the one sidedness of Unsuris panegyrics because of his neglect of loftier themes favoured by later poets.

Also by the 13th century AD the k

asidas of Anwari instead of Unsuri became the most important source of examples for the use of rhetorical figures.

He was appreciated again , during the 18th and 20th centuries, as a major representative of the Khurasani style. However, since then he has been criticised as too rational and also of adding little to poetry.

He wrote mainly Kasidas and Rubaiyas. Most panegyrics are dedicated to Sultan Mahmud. f his poems were rhetorical – sual wa djawab, and the enumeration of qualities in pairs- taksim al sifat. His themes are typical of Court poetry and include celebration of Sultan Mahmuds victories. Unsuri also wrote ANACRONTIC verse.

Awfi mentions 3 romantic “mathnawis ” dedicated  by Unsuri to Sultan Yamin al Dawla Mahmud, and named collectively “khizana Yamin al-Dawla ”

Since the 19th century the Diwan has been printed several times.

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