Abū tayyib al-washshā' and the poetics of inscribed objects

Abstract

In Kitāb al-Muwashshā, a unique work on good manners and high-culture etiquette, al-Washshā' (ca. 255-325/869-937) recorded the practices of a group of courtiers and other members of the elite in Abbasid society known as the zurafā' (“the refined ones”). This group conducted itself according to a strict etiquette (zarf) governing dress, posture, speech, and even smell. One of the most interesting practices associated with the zurafā' is their inscribing of poetry on a variety of objects, from garments, rings, musical instruments, and wine vessels to apples and citron, even on their bodies. This paper examines the practice of inscribing poetry on objects as a unique way of “performing” poetry. In this “refined” practice, poetry was not recited aloud, but rather given a voice by virtue of its physical display in space.