Hazaj meter
Encyclopedia
Hazaj meter is a quantitative verse metric frequently found in the epic poetry
of the Middle East and western Asia. A musical rhythm of the same name is based on the literary meter.
Like the other meters
of the al-'arud system of Arabic poetry
, the basic rhyme unit of hazaj meter compositions is a closed couplet—a bai't "distich" (literally "tent")—of two hemistich
s known as misrás ("tent flaps"). When arranged in quatrains of two bai'ts, verse in hazaj meter typically has an 'aa ba' rhyme scheme; the first, second and fourth half-lines must rhyme, while the third need not and generally does not. The two bai'ts in hazaj meter then constitute a ruba'i, plural rubai'yat.
Characteristic of the hazaj meter (in relation to the other al-'arud meters) is its leading iamb, that is, the first two syllables of its prosodic feet
are short-long. This syllable pair (the watad, "peg") is then repeated at fixed points along the length of a line, and two variable syllables (the sabab, "guy-wire"s) are "tied" to each instance of it. The hazaj measure is thus nominally tetrasyllabic. Its two common variations are:
The two variable syllables are subject to the substitution rules of the al-'arud system in which a long syllable is equal to two short syllables, and certain long syllables may be shortened under certain conditions. There are some five permutations—zihafat "relaxations"—predefined for the two variable syllables of the hazaj meter. Each line of a composition in the meter will have approximately the same number of syllables.
Although first codified in the al-'arud prosody system of the 8th century philologist and lexicographer Khalil ibn Ahmad
, and thus formally a classical Arabic poetry
meter, the hazaj meter is also represented in Hebrew
-, Ottoman Turkish
-, Persian and other Iranian-, Urdu
- and other North Indian language epic poetry
traditions.
By the 11th century, the hazaj meter had become "the most popular meter for romantic epics
" in Iranian language
compositions. "The preference for Hazaǰ-type meters may be explained in terms of their relationship to folk verses and songs. The meter of hazaǰ and its variations are among the ones most frequently found in folk poetry such as do-baytī
and lullabies (lālā'ī). The meter of hazaǰ-e mosaddas-e maḥdūf e maqṣūr, which is the meter of do-baytī (or čār-baytī in regional dialects), is particularly often sung in the āvāz-e Daštī, which is closely associated with Iranian folk tunes."
The hazaj meter is also among the three most commonly used metrics in Urdu verse, and it is one of the typical meters of the ghazal
genre. The hazaj meter is perhaps also be the base metric of contemporary Arabic band compositions, but this is uncertain. Particularly notable Persian language compositions in hazaj meter include the Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam
, Fakhr al-din Gurgani's Vis u Ramin
, and – for its length of 6,150 verses – Nezami's Khusrow o Shirin.
Epic poetry
An epic is a lengthy narrative poem, ordinarily concerning a serious subject containing details of heroic deeds and events significant to a culture or nation. Oral poetry may qualify as an epic, and Albert Lord and Milman Parry have argued that classical epics were fundamentally an oral poetic form...
of the Middle East and western Asia. A musical rhythm of the same name is based on the literary meter.
Like the other meters
Meter (poetry)
In poetry, metre is the basic rhythmic structure of a verse or lines in verse. Many traditional verse forms prescribe a specific verse metre, or a certain set of metres alternating in a particular order. The study of metres and forms of versification is known as prosody...
of the al-'arud system of Arabic poetry
Arabic poetry
Arabic poetry is the earliest form of Arabic literature. Present knowledge of poetry in Arabic dates from the 6th century, but oral poetry is believed to predate that. Arabic poetry is categorized into two main types, rhymed, or measured, and prose, with the former greatly preceding the latter...
, the basic rhyme unit of hazaj meter compositions is a closed couplet—a bai't "distich" (literally "tent")—of two hemistich
Hemistich
A hemistich is a half-line of verse, followed and preceded by a caesura, that makes up a single overall prosodic or verse unit. In Classical poetry, the hemistich is generally confined to drama. In Greek tragedy, characters exchanging clipped dialogue to suggest rapidity and drama would speak in...
s known as misrás ("tent flaps"). When arranged in quatrains of two bai'ts, verse in hazaj meter typically has an 'aa ba' rhyme scheme; the first, second and fourth half-lines must rhyme, while the third need not and generally does not. The two bai'ts in hazaj meter then constitute a ruba'i, plural rubai'yat.
Characteristic of the hazaj meter (in relation to the other al-'arud meters) is its leading iamb, that is, the first two syllables of its prosodic feet
Foot (prosody)
The foot is the basic metrical unit that generates a line of verse in most Western traditions of poetry, including English accentual-syllabic verse and the quantitative meter of classical ancient Greek and Latin poetry. The unit is composed of syllables, the number of which is limited, with a few...
are short-long. This syllable pair (the watad, "peg") is then repeated at fixed points along the length of a line, and two variable syllables (the sabab, "guy-wire"s) are "tied" to each instance of it. The hazaj measure is thus nominally tetrasyllabic. Its two common variations are:
| a) a first epitrite variant: | ⌣ – – – | (short-long-long-long, mafa’ilun pattern) | ||
| b) an antispast variant: | ⌣ – – ⌣ | (short-long-long-short, mafa’ilu pattern) |
The two variable syllables are subject to the substitution rules of the al-'arud system in which a long syllable is equal to two short syllables, and certain long syllables may be shortened under certain conditions. There are some five permutations—zihafat "relaxations"—predefined for the two variable syllables of the hazaj meter. Each line of a composition in the meter will have approximately the same number of syllables.
Although first codified in the al-'arud prosody system of the 8th century philologist and lexicographer Khalil ibn Ahmad
Khalil ibn Ahmad
Abu ‘Abd ar-Rahmān al-Khalīl ibn Ahmad al-Farāhīdī , more commonly known as al-Farahidi, was a philologist from southern Arabia . His best known contributions are Kitab al-'Ayn , the current standard for Harakat , and the invention al-'arud . He moved to Basra, Iraq, he was Ibadi...
, and thus formally a classical Arabic poetry
Arabic poetry
Arabic poetry is the earliest form of Arabic literature. Present knowledge of poetry in Arabic dates from the 6th century, but oral poetry is believed to predate that. Arabic poetry is categorized into two main types, rhymed, or measured, and prose, with the former greatly preceding the latter...
meter, the hazaj meter is also represented in Hebrew
Hebrew and Jewish epic poetry
Though an abundance of historical reminiscence and legend lay in the storehouse of Jewish literature, none of it was built into epic poems until relatively recently...
-, Ottoman Turkish
Ottoman poetry
The poetry of the Ottoman Empire, or Ottoman Divan poetry, is fairly little known outside of modern Turkey, which forms the heartland of what was once the Ottoman Empire...
-, Persian and other Iranian-, Urdu
Urdu poetry
Urdu poetry is a rich tradition of poetry and has many different types and forms. Borrowing much from the Persian language, it is today an important part of Pakistani and North Indian culture....
- and other North Indian language epic poetry
Epic poetry
An epic is a lengthy narrative poem, ordinarily concerning a serious subject containing details of heroic deeds and events significant to a culture or nation. Oral poetry may qualify as an epic, and Albert Lord and Milman Parry have argued that classical epics were fundamentally an oral poetic form...
traditions.
By the 11th century, the hazaj meter had become "the most popular meter for romantic epics
Romantic poetry
Romanticism, a philosophical, literary, artistic and cultural era which began in the mid/late-1700s as a reaction against the prevailing Enlightenment ideals of the day , also influenced poetry...
" in Iranian language
Iranian languages
The Iranian languages form a subfamily of the Indo-Iranian languages which in turn is a subgroup of Indo-European language family. They have been and are spoken by Iranian peoples....
compositions. "The preference for Hazaǰ-type meters may be explained in terms of their relationship to folk verses and songs. The meter of hazaǰ and its variations are among the ones most frequently found in folk poetry such as do-baytī
Do-baytī
Do-Bayti is one of Persian poem genres. It is very similar to Ruba'i but is different in meter....
and lullabies (lālā'ī). The meter of hazaǰ-e mosaddas-e maḥdūf e maqṣūr, which is the meter of do-baytī (or čār-baytī in regional dialects), is particularly often sung in the āvāz-e Daštī, which is closely associated with Iranian folk tunes."
The hazaj meter is also among the three most commonly used metrics in Urdu verse, and it is one of the typical meters of the ghazal
Ghazal
The ghazal is a poetic form consisting of rhyming couplets and a refrain, with each line sharing the same meter. A ghazal may be understood as a poetic expression of both the pain of loss or separation and the beauty of love in spite of that pain. The form is ancient, originating in 6th century...
genre. The hazaj meter is perhaps also be the base metric of contemporary Arabic band compositions, but this is uncertain. Particularly notable Persian language compositions in hazaj meter include the Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam
Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam
The Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyám is the title that Edward FitzGerald gave to his translation of a selection of poems, originally written in Persian and of which there are about a thousand, attributed to Omar Khayyám , a Persian poet, mathematician and astronomer...
, Fakhr al-din Gurgani's Vis u Ramin
Vis u Ramin
Vis and Rāmin is an ancient Persian love story. The epic was composed in poetry by the Persian poet Asad Gorgani in 11th century....
, and – for its length of 6,150 verses – Nezami's Khusrow o Shirin.