Coming from a fairly humble background, al-Būṣīrī seems to have received the standard basic education of the time, but at some point he made his way to Cairo to further his studies. He evidently showed promise as a poet from a young age, and it is from his poetry that one can sketch out something of his life, although many details are missing. He is recorded as having composed a supplicatory poem to the Ayyūbid ruler of Egypt for funds to support his local mosque,…