amin banitalebi dehkordi
Abstract
Farrokhi Sistani is among the court poets of the ruling elite whose artistry served to promote and publicize the affairs of the Ghaznavids in the 5th century AH—a period in which ...
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Farrokhi Sistani is among the court poets of the ruling elite whose artistry served to promote and publicize the affairs of the Ghaznavids in the 5th century AH—a period in which the media and social significance of poetry became particularly pronounced. By this time, poetry had moved beyond its formative stages, and centers of power, alongside their professed inclination toward praise, sought to employ this collective medium as a means of influencing the hearts and minds of the populace. Distinguishing features of Farrokhi’s poetic craft include his meticulous attention to detail, precision in description, and profound responsiveness to his surrounding environment. Owing to this reflective capacity, one can discern both explicit and implicit points within his panegyric odes and thereby recognize the poet’s strategies as a medium for affirming and consolidating the central authority, as well as for promoting and imposing the virtues of his patrons. The functions performed today by state-controlled media were, in earlier times, entrusted to court poets. During the Ghaznavid era, the adoption of religious policy was the principal approach of kings in legitimizing their actions; consequently, Farrokhi’s odes are imbued with a distinctly religious tone, evident in the overt structures of many of his propagandistic and laudatory strategies. Yet, a deeper exploration of the underlying layers of his verse reveals the poet’s primary motivation: the pursuit of material wealth and worldly prestige.
