Career
By the age of twenty he earned a living from his poetry, which would culminate in his masterpiece Diwan. His many political patrons included the Tahirid ruler Ubaydallah ibn Abdallah ibn Tahir, Abbasid Caliph Al-Mu'tamid's minister the Persian Isma'il ibn Bulbul, and the politically influential Nestorian family Banu Wahb. He died of illness at the age of 59 although some have suggested that poison or suicide may have been the cause.
