Bashshar b. Burd and Badi'

Abstract

The 'Abbasid revolution brought about a radical change in every corner of the society. In the literary field, poets tried to adapt themselves to the taste of the new urban society, especially of the newly established caliphal court. Through their efforts a highly rhetorical and ornate style in Arabic poetry was created, and this new style was named badi (literally—the New) by the Caliph poet, Ibn al-Mu'tazz. Badi' continued to exercise considerable influence both in composing and criticizing Arabic poetry.
Bashshar b. Burd (c. 95-167A. H.) was noted for his particular attachment to figures of speech such as pun, metaphor and antithesis. Al-Jahiz regarded him as an originator of this new style. He was ethnically persian, socially mawali, religiously heretic, ideologically shu'ubi, and physically blind.
In this paper the author investigates what Bashshar's stylistic features are, how he originated them, and how deeply the literary event was intertwined with the specific social and intellectual climate of his time.