Medieval panegyric poems were recycled and resold across patrons

Evidence

As in other fields of propaganda, the same material could be re-used. A poem in praise of one ruler could, with slight necessary adjustments, be resold to another. There are many stories in the literary histories of poets moving from the service of one prince to that of another, and sometimes recycling the same poems. The tenth-century Syrian prince Sayf al-Dawla had a staff of poets who, in a sense, are still working for him at the present day, and have misled some insufficiently wary historians into accepting the propaganda line. — Bernard Lewis, From Babel to Dragomans, 467 (#expands, via linked claim)

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: Medieval writers copied well-phrased passages as reusable tools rather than seeking originality; Medieval court panegyrics were recycled between patrons and still mislead historians today — Bernard Lewis, From Babel to Dragomans: Interpreting…, 467

Broader Connections

• Medieval court panegyrics were recycled between patrons and still mislead historians today #expands (0.95) — Bernard Lewis, From Babel to Dragomans, 467