Disappointment of the Court Poets from the Beginning of Persian Poetry to Mongol Invasion

With the establishment of Iranian governments through the third and fourth centuriesA.H. and their encouragement, more and more poets inclined to poetry. During thereign of non-Iranian governments ruling after the Samanid era, this trend continuedeven more highly than before. So that a great number of scientists and the learnedones in hope for income and profits, began to compose panegyric poems about thekings and dignitaries. One can find some details about the rewards and applaudsgained by the poets at courts in different historical and anthology books. Meanwhile,joining the court and attendance of the kings has caused some sufferings anddisappointments for them, too.The court environment created dangers and limited the freedom of the poets. Inmany cases, it even made them tolerate insults and pains while sometimes they onlyachieved a little sum of money. As a result of this condition which continued moreintensely through the fifth and sixth centuries, we find many poets who displayedhatred towards poetry or even left the court.In this essay, firstly, the variety of disappointments imposed on the poets duringthe period between the rise of Persian poetry and the Mongol invasion is investigated.We can enumerate them according to the quantity and frequency of each one asfollows: Poverty and lack of welfare, disability to travel through the country orabroad being forgotten and lack of attention towards them, being imprisoned,banishment from the court, unexpected death subject to court conditions, beinglampooned, deposal of ones, tenure, going on exile, being under legal pursuance,requisition of patrimony and tolerating base jobs.After that, the cause of these disappointments is studied which shows that thedictatorship of the rulers in this era, the change in political and social conditions, theincrease in the number of poets and the meanness of the patrons along with somepsychological factors in the poet's characters as well as ill fate in some cases haveaffected the appearance of these disappointments. This part also deals with the poemsincluding apology, complaint and self-glorying of the poets mainly caused by theirdisappointments.