further into feet Arkáan, pl. of Rukn, or Ajzáa, pl. of Juz, two
words explained supra p. 236. The technical terms by which the
feet are named are derivatives of the root fa’l, to do, which, as
the student will remember, serves in Arabic Grammar to form the
Auzán or weights, in accordance with which words are derived from
roots. It consists of the three letters Fá (f), ’Ayn (’), Lám
(l), and, like any other Arabic root, cannot strictly speaking be
pronounced, for the introduction of any vowel-sound would make it
cease to be a root and change it into an individual word. The
above fa’l, for instance, where the initial Fá is moved by Fathah
(a), is the Infinitive or verbal noun, “to do,” “doing.” If the
’Ayn also is moved by Fathah, we obtain fa’al, meaning in
colloquial Arabic “he did” (the classical or literary form would
be fa’ala). Pronouncing the first letter with Zammah (u), the
second with Kasrah (i), i.e., fu’il, we say “it was done”
(classically fu’ila). Many more forms are derived by prefixing,
inserting or subjoining certain additional letters called Hurúf
al-Ziyádah (letters of increase) to the original radicals: fá’il,
for instance, with an Alif of prolongation in the first syllable,
means “doer”; maf’úl (=maf’uwl), where the quiescent Fá is
preceded by a fathated Mím (m), and the zammated ’Ayn followed by
a lengthening Waw, means “done”; Mufá’alah, where, in addition to
a prefixed and inserted letter, the feminine termination ah is
subjoined after the Lám, means “to do a thing reciprocally.”
Since these and similar changes are with unvarying regularity
applicable to all roots, the grammarians use the derivatives of
Fa’l as model-forms for the corresponding derivations of any
other root, whose letters are in this case called its Fá, ’Ayn
and Lám. From a root, e.g., which has Káf (k) for its first
letter or Fá, Tá (t) for its second letter or ’Aye, and Bá (b)
for its third letter or Lám
fa’l would be katb =to write, writing;
fa’al would be katab =he wrote;
fu’il would be kutib =it was written;
fa’il would be katib =writer, scribe;
maf’úl would be maktúb=written, letter;
mufá’alah would be mukátabah = to write reciprocally,
correspondence.
The advantage of this system is evident. It enables the student,
who has once grasped the original meaning of a root, to form
scores of words himself, and in his readings, to understand
hundreds, nay thousands, of words, without recourse to the
Dictionary, as soon as he has learned to distinguish their
radical letters from the letters of increase, and recognises in
them a familiar root. We cannot wonder, therefore, that the
inventor of Arabic Prosody readily availed himself of the same
plan for his own ends. The Taf’íl, as it is here called, that is,
the representation of the metrical feet by current derivatives of
fa’l, has in this case, of course, nothing to do with the
etymological meaning of those typical forms. But it proves none
the less useful in another direction: in simply naming a
particular foot it shows at the same time its prosodical measure
and character, as will now be explained in detail.
We have seen supra p. 236 that the word Akámú consists of a short
syllable followed by two long ones (U - -), and consequently
forms a foot, which the classics would call Bacchíus. In Latin
there is no connection between this name and the metrical value
of the foot: we must learn both by heart. But if we are told that
its Taf’íl in Arabic is Fa’úlun, we understand at once that it is
composed of the Watad majmú’ fa’ú (U -) and the Sabab khafíf lun
(-), and as the Watad contains three, the Sabab two letters, it
forms a quinqueliteral foot or Juz khamásí.
In combining into feet, the Watad has the precedence over the
Sabab and the Fásilah, and again the Watad majmú’ over the Watad
mafrúk. Hence the Prosodists distinguish between Ajzá aslíyah or
primary feet (from Asl, root), in which this precedence is
observed, and Ájzá far’íyah or secondary feet (from Far’=
branch), in which it is reversed. The former are four in number:—
1. Fa’ú.lun, consisting, as we have just seen, of a Watad majmú’
followed by a Sabab khafíf = the Latin Bacchíus (U - -).
2. Mafá.’í.lun, i.e. Watad majmú’ followed by two Sabab khafíf
= the Latin Epitritus primus (U - - -).
3. Mufá.’alatun, i.e. Watad majmú’ followed by Fásilah = the
Latin Iambus followed by Anapaest (U - UU -).
4. Fá’i.lá.tun, i.e. Watad mafrúk followed by two Sabab khafíf
= the Latin Epitritus secundus (-U- -).
The number of the secondary feet increases to six, for as Nos. 2
and 4 contain two Sabab, they “branch out” into two derived feet
each, according to both Sabab or only one changing place with
regard to the Watad. They are:
5. Fá.’ilun, i.e. Sabab khafíf followed by Watad majmú’= the
Latin Creticus (-U-). The primary Fa’ú.lun becomes by
transposition Lun.fa’ú. To bring this into conformity with a
current derivative of fa’l, the initial Sabab must be made to
contain the first letter of the root, and the Watad the two
remaining ones in their proper order. Fá is therefore substituted
for lun, and ’ilun for fa’ú, forming together the above Fá.’ilun.
By similar substitutions, which it would be tedious to specify in
each separate case, Mafá.’í.lun becomes:
6. Mus.taf.’ilun, for ’Í.lun.mafá, i.e. two Sabab khafíf,
followed by Watad majmú’ = the Latin Epitritus tertius (- -U-),
or:
7. Fá.’ilá.tun, for Lun.mafá.’í, i.e. Watad majmú’ between two
Sabab khafíf = the Latin Epitritus secundus (-U- -).
8. Mutafá.’ilun (for ’Alatun.mufá, the reversed Mufá.’alatun),
i.e. Fásilah followed by Watad majmú’=the Latin Anapaest
succeeded by Iambus (UU-U-). The last two secondary feet are
transpositions of No. 4, Fá’i.lá.tun, namely:
9. Maf.’ú.látu, for Lá.tun.fá’i, i.e. two Sabab khafíf,
followed by Watad mafrúk = the Latin Epitritus quartus (- - -U).
10. Mus.taf’i.lun, for Tun.fá’i.lá, i.e. Watad mafrúk between
two Sabab khafíf=the Latin Epitritus tertius (- -U-).[FN#452]
The “branch”-foot Fá.’ilun (No. 5), like its “root” Fa’ú.lun (No.
1), is quinqueliteral. All other feet, primary or secondary,
consist necessarily of seven letters, as they contain a
triliteral Watad (see supra i. 2) with either two biliteral Sabab
khafíf (i. 1) or a quadriliteral Fásilah (i. 3). They are,
therefore, called Sabá’í = seven lettered.
iii. The same principle of the Watad taking precedence over
Sabab and Fásilah, rules the arrangement of the Arabic metres,
which are divided into five circles (Dawáir, pl. of Dáirah), so
called for reasons presently to be explained. The first is named:
A. Dáirat al-Mukhtalif, circle of “the varied” metre, because
it is composed of feet of various length, the five-lettered
Fa’úlun (supra ii. 1) and the seven-lettered Mafá’ílun (ii. 2)
with their secondaries Fá’ilun, Mustaf.’ilun and Fá.’ilátun (ii.
5–7), and it comprises three Buhúr or metres (pi. of Bahr, sea),
the Tawíl, Madíd and Basít.
1. Al-Tawil, consisting of twice
Fa’ú.lun Mafá.’ílun Fa’ú.lun Mafá.’ílun,
the classical scheme for which would be
U - - | U - - - | U - - | U - - - |
If we transfer the Watad Fa’ú from the beginning of the line to
the end, it would read:
Lun.mafá’í Lun.fa’ú Lun.mafá’í Lun.fa’ú which, after the
substitutions indicated above (ii. 7 and 5), becomes:
2. Al-Madíd, consisting of twice
Fá.’ilátun Fá.’ilun Fá.’ilátun Fá.’ilun.
which may be represented by the classical scheme
- U - - | - U - | - U - - | - U - |
If again, returning to the Tawíl, we make the break after the
Watad of the second foot we obtain the line:
’Ílun.fa’ú. Lum.mafá ’Ílun.fa’u Lun.mafá, and as metrically
’Ílun.fa’ú (two Sabab followed by Watad) and Lun.mafá (one
Sabab followed by Watad) are=’Ílun.mafá and Lun.fa’ú
respectively, their Taf’il is effected by the same substitutions
as in ii. 5 and 6, and they become:
3. Basít, consisting of twice
Mustaf.’ilun Fá.’ilun Mustaf.’ilun Fá.’ilun,
in conformity with the classical scheme:
- - U - | - U - | - - U - | - U - |
Thus one metre evolves from another by a kind of rotation, which
suggested to the Prosodists an ingenious device of representing
them by circles (hence the name Dáirah), round the circumference
of which on the outside the complete Taf’íl of the original metre
is written, while each moved letter is faced by a small loop,
each quiescent by a small vertical stroke[FN#453] inside the
circle. Then, in the case of this present Dáirat al-Mukhtalif for
instance, the loop corresponding to the initial f of the first
Fa’úlun is marked as the beginning of the Tawíl, that
corresponding to its l (of the Sabab fun) as the beginning of the
Madid, and that corresponding to the ’Ayn of the next Mafá’ílun
as the beginning of the Basít. The same process applies to all
the following circles, but our limited space compels us simply to
enumerate them, together with their Buhúr, without further
reference to the mode of their evolution.
B. Dáirat al-Mútalif, circle of “the agreeing” metre, so called
because all its feet agree in length, consisting of seven letters
each. It contains:
1. Al-Wáfir, composed of twice
Mufá.’alatun Mufá.’alatun Mufá.’alatun (ii. 3)
= U - U U - | U - U U - | U - U U - |
where the Iambus in each foot precedes the Anapaest, and
its reversal:
2. Al-Kámil, consisting of twice
Mutafá.’ilun Mutafá.’ilun Mutafá.’ilun (ii. 8)
= U U - U - | U U - U - | U U - U - |
where the Anapaest takes the first place in every foot.
C. Dáirat al-Mujtalab, circle of “the brought on” metre, so
called because its seven-lettered feet are brought on from the
first circle.
1. Al-Hazaj, consisting of twice
Mafá.’ílun Mafá.’ílun Mafá.’ílun (ii. 2)
= U - - - | U - - - | U - - - | U - - - |
2. Al-Rajaz, consisting of twice
Mustaf.’ilun Mustaf.’ilun Mustaf.’ilun,
and, in this full form, almost identical with the Iambic Trimeter
of the Greek Drama:
- - U - | - - U - | - - U - |
3. Al-Ramal, consisting of twice
Fá.’ilátun Fá.’ilátun Fá.’ilátun,
the trochaic counterpart of the preceding metre
= - U - - | - U - - | - U - - |
D. Dáirat al-Mushtabih, circle of “the intricate” metre, so
called from its intricate nature, primary mingling with secondary
feet, and one foot of the same verse containing a Watad majmú’,
another a Watad mafrúk, i.e. the iambic rhythm alternating with
the trochaic and vice versa. Its Buhúr are:
1. Al-Sarí’, twice
Mustaf.’ilun Mustaf.’ilun Maf’ú.látu (ii. 6 and 9)
= - - U - | - - U - | - - - U |
2. Al-Munsarih, twice
Mustaf.’ilun Mafú.látu Mustaf.’ilun (ii. 6. 9. 6)
= - - U - | - - - U | - - U - |
3. Al-Khafíf, twice
Fá.’ílátun Mustaf’i.lun Fá.’ílátun (ii. 7.10.7)
= - U - - | - - U - | - U - - |
4. Al-Muzári’, twice
Mafá.’ílun Fá’í.látun Mafá.’ílun (ii. 2.4.2)
= U - - - | - U - - | U - - - |
5. Al-Muktazib, twice
Maf’ú.látu Mustaf.’ilun Maf’ú.látu (ii. 9.6.9)
= - - - U | - - U - | - - - U |
6. Al-Mujtass, twice
Mustaf’i.lun Fá.’ílátun Mustaf’ i.lun (ii. 10.7.10)
= - - U - | - U - - | - - U - |
E. Dáirat al-Muttafik, circle of “the concordant” metre, so
called for the same reason why circle B is called “the agreeing,”
i.e. because the feet all harmonise in length, being here,
however, quinqueliteral, not seven-lettered as in the Mátalif.
Al-Khalil the inventor of the ’Ilm al-’Arúz, assigns to it only
one metre:
1. Al-Mutakárib, twice
Fa’úlun Fa’úlun Fa’úlun Fa’úlun (ii. 1)
= U - - | U - - | U - - |
Later Prosodists added:
2. Al-Mutadárak, twice
Fá’ilun Fá’ilun Fá’ilun Fá’ilun (ii. 5)
= - U - | - U - | - U - |
The feet and metres as given above are, however, to a certain
extent merely theoretical; in practice the former admit of
numerous licenses and the latter of variations brought about by
modification or partial suppression of the feet final in a verse.
An Arabic poem (Kasídah, or if numbering less than ten couplets,
Kat’ah) consists of Bayts or couplets, bound together by a
continuous rhyme, which connects the first two lines and is
repeated at the end of every second line throughout the poem. The
last foot of every odd line is called ’Arúz (fem. in
contradistinction of Arúz in the sense of Prosody which is
masc.), pl. A’áiriz, that of every even line is called Zarb, pl.
Azrub, and the remaining feet may be termed Hashw (stuffing),
although in stricter parlance a further distinction is made
between the first foot of every odd and even line as well.
Now with regard to the Hashw on the one hand, and the ’Aruz and
Zarb on the other, the changes which the normal feet undergo are
of two kinds: Zuháf (deviation) and ’Illah (defect). Zuháf
applies, as a rule, occasionally and optionally to the second
letter of a Sabab in those feet which compose the Hashw or body-part
of a verse, making a long syllable short by suppressing its
quiescent final, or contracting two short quantities in a long
one, by rendering quiescent a moved letter which stands second in
a Sabab sakíl. In Mustaf’ilun (ii. 6. = - - U -), for instance,
the s of the first syllable, or the f of the second, or both may
be dropped and it will become accordingly Mutaf’ilun, by
substitution Mafá’ilun (U - U -), or Musta’ilun, by substitution,
Mufta’ilun (- U U -), or Muta’ilun, by substitution Fa’ilatun (U
U U -).[FN#454] This means that wherever the foot Mustaf.’ilun
occurs in the Hashw of a poem, we can represent it by the scheme
U U U - i.e. the Epitritus tertius can, by poetical licence,
change into Diiambus, Choriambus or Paeon quartus. In Mufá’alatun
(ii. 3. = U - U U -) and Mutafá’ilun (ii. 8. = U U - U -), again,
the Sabab ’ala and mute may become khafíf by suppression of their
final Harakah and thus turn into Mufá’altun, by substitution
Mafá’ílun (ii. 2. = U - - -), and Mutfá’ilun, by substitution
Mustaf’ilun (ii 6.= - - U U as above). In other words the two
feet correspond to the schemes U_U-U_ and U-U-U-, where a Spondee
can take the place of the Anapaest after or before the Iambus
respectively.
’Illah, the second way of modifying the primitive or normal feet,
applies to both Sabab and Watad, but only in the ’Aruz and Zarb
of a couplet, being at the same time constant and obligatory.
Besides the changes already mentioned, it consists in adding one
or two letters to a Sabab or Watad, or curtailing them more or
less, even to cutting them off altogether. We cannot here exhaust
this matter any more than those touched upon until now, but must
be satisfied with an example or two, to show the proceeding in
general and indicate its object.
We have seen that the metre Basít consists of the two lines:
Mustaf.’ilun Fá.’ilun Mustaf’ilun Fá’ilun
Mustaf’ilun Fá’ilun Mustaf’ilun Fá’ilun.
This complete form, however, is not in use amongst Arab poets. If
by the Zuháf Khabn, here acting as ’Illah, the Alif in the final
Fá’ilun is suppressed, changing it into Fa’ilun (U U -), it
becomes the first ’Aruz, called makhbúnah, of the Basít, the
first Zarb of which is obtained by submitting the final Fá’ilun
of the second line to the same process. A second Zarb results, if
in Fá’ilun the final n of the ’Watad ’ilun is cut off and the
preceding l made quiescent by the ’Illah Kat’ thus giving Fá’il
and by substitution Fa’lun (- -). Thus the formula becomes:—
Mustaf’ilun Fá’ilun Mustaf’ilun Fa’ilun
Mustaf’ilun Fá’ilun Mustaf’ilun{Fa’ilun
{Fa’lun
As in the Hashw, i.e. the first three feet of each line, the
Khabn can likewise be applied to the medial Fá’ilun, and for
Mustaf’ilun the poetical licences, explained above, may be
introduced, this first ’Arúz or Class of the Basít with its two
Zarb or subdivisions will be represented by the scheme
U U | U | U U |
- - U - | - U - | - - U U | U U -
U U | U { U U -
- - U - | - U - { - -
that is to say in the first subdivision of this form of the Basít
both lines of each couplet end with an Anapaest and every second
line of the other subdivision terminates in a Spondee.
The Basít has four more A’áriz, three called majzúah, because
each line is shortened by a Juz or foot, one called mashtúrah
(halved), because the number of feet is reduced from four to two,
and we may here notice that the former kind of lessening the
number of feet is frequent with the hexametrical circles (B. C.
D.), while the latter kind can naturally only occur in those
circles whose couplet forms an octameter (A. E.). Besides being
majzúah, the second ’Aruz is sahíhah (perfect) consisting of the
normal foot Mustaf’ilun. It has three Azrub: 1. Mustaf’ilán (- -U
-, with an overlong final syllable, see supra p. 238),
produced by the ’Illah Tazyíl, i.e. addition of a quiescent
letter at the end (Mustaf’ilunn, by substitution Mustaf’ilán); 2.
Mustaf’ilun, like the ’Aruz; 3. Maf’úlun (- - -), produced by the
’Illah Kat’ (see the preceding page; Mustaf’ilun, by dropping the
final n and making the l quiescent becomes Mustaf’il and by
substitution Maf’úlun). Hence the formula is:
Mustaf’ilun Fá’ilun Mustaf’ilun
{ Mustaf’il n
Mustaf’ilun Fá’ilun{ Mustaf’ilun
{ Maf’úulun,
which, with its allowable licenses, may be represented by the
scheme:
U U | U |
- - U - | - U - | - - U -
{ U U
U U | U { - - U -
- - U - | - U - { - - U -
{ U
{ - - -
The above will suffice to illustrate the general method of the
Prosodists, and we must refer the reader for the remaining
classes and subdivisions of the Basít as well as the other metres
to more special treatises on the subject, to which this Essay is
intended merely as an introduction, with a view to facilitate the
first steps of the student in an important, but I fear somewhat
neglected, field of Arabic learning.
If we now turn to the poetical pieces contained in The Nights, we
find that out of the fifteen metres, known to al-Khalil, or the
sixteen of later Prosodists, instances of thirteen occur in the
Mac. N. edition, but in vastly different proportions. The total
number amounts to 1,385 pieces (some, however, repeated several
times), out of which 1,128 belong to the first two circles,
leaving only 257 for the remaining three. The same
disproportionality obtains with regard to the metres of each
circle. The Mukhtalif is represented by 331 instances of Tawíl
and 330 of Basít against 3 of Madíd; the Mutalif by 321 instances
of Kámil against 143 of Wafír; the Mujtalab by 32 instances of
Ramal and 30 of Rajaz against 1 of Hazaj; the Mushtabih by 72
instances of Khafíf and 52 of Sarí’ against 18 of Munsarih and 15
of Mujtass; and lastly the Muttafik by 37 instances of Mutakárib.
Neither the Mutadárak (E. 2), nor the Muzári’ and Muktazib (D.
4.5) are met with.
Finally it remains for me to quote a couplet of each metre,
showing how to scan them, and what relation they bear to the
theoretical formulas exhibited on p. 242 to p. 247.
It is characteristic for the preponderance of the Tawíl over all
the other metres, that the first four lines, with which my
alphabetical list begins, are written in it. One of these belongs
to a poem which has for its author Bahá al-Din Zuhayr (born A.D.
1186 at Mekkah or in its vicinity, ob. 1249 at Cairo), and is to
be found in full in Professor Palmer’s edition of his works, p.
164. Sir Richard Burton translates the first Bayt (vol. i. 290):
An I quit Cairo and her pleasances * Where can I hope
to find so gladsome ways?
Professor Palmer renders it:
Must I leave Egypt where such joys abound?
What place can ever charm me so again ?
In Arabic it scans:
U - U | U - - - | U - U | U - U - |
A-arhalu’en Misrin wa tíbi na’ímihil[FN#455]
U - U | U - - - | U - U | U - U - |
Fa-ayyu makánin ba’dahá li-ya sháiku.
In referring to iii. A. I. p. 242, it will be seen that in the
Hashw Fa’úlun (U - -) has become Fa’úlu (U - U) by a Zuháf called
Kabz (suppression of the fifth letter of a foot if it is
quiescent) and that in the ’Arúz and Zarb Mafá’ílun (U - - -) has
changed into Mafá’ilun (U - U -) by the same Zuháf acting as
’Illah. The latter alteration shows the couplet to be of the
second Zarb of the first ’Arúz of the Tawíl. If the second line
did terminate in Mafá’ílun, as in the original scheme, it would
be the first Zarb of the same ’Arúz; if it did end in Fa’úlun (U
- -) or Mafá’íl (U - -) it would represent the third or fourth
subdivision of this first class respectively. The Tawíl has one
other ’Arúz, Fa’úlun, with a twofold Zarb, either Fa’úlun also,
or Mafá’ilun.
The first instance of the Basít occurring in The Nights are the
lines translated vol. i. p. 25:
Containeth Time a twain of days, this of blessing, that of bane *
And holdeth Life a twain of halves, this of pleasure, that
of pain.
In Arabic (Mac. N. i. II):
- - U - | - U - | - - U - | U U - |
Al-Dahru yaumáni zá amnun wa zá hazaru
- - U - | - U - | - - U - | U U - |
Wa’l-’Ayshu shatráni zá safwun wa zá kadaru.
Turning back to p. 243, where the A’áríz and Azrub of the Basít
are shown, the student will have no difficulty to recognise the
Bayt as one belonging to the first Zarb of the first ’Arúz.
As an example of the Madid we quote the original of the lines
(vol. v. 131):—
I had a heart, and with it lived my life * ’Twas seared with fire
and burnt with loving-lowe.
They read in Arabic:—
- U - - | - U - | U U - |
Kána lí kalbun a’íshu bihi
- U - - | - U - | U - |
Fa’ktawá bi’l-nári wa’htarak.
If we compare this with the formula (iii. A. 2. p. 242), we find
that either line of the couplet is shortened by a foot; it is,
therefore, majzú. The first ’Arúz of this abbreviated metre is
Fá’ilátun (- U - -), and is called sahíhah (perfect) because it
consists of the normal third foot. In the second ’Arúz, Fá’ilátun
loses its end syllable tun by the ’Illah Hafz (suppression of a
final Sabab khafíf), and becomes Fá’ilá (- U -), for which
Fá’ilun is substituted. Shortening the first syllable of Fá’ilun,
i.e. eliminating the Alif by Khabn, we obtain the third ’Arúz
Fa’ilun (U U -) as that of the present lines, which has two
Azrub: Fa’ilun, like the ’Arúz, and Fa’lun (- -), here, again by
Khabn, further reduced to Fa’al (U -).
Ishak of Mosul, who improvises the piece, calls it “so difficult
and so rare, that it went nigh to deaden the quick and to quicken
the dead”; indeed, the native poets consider the metre Madíd as
the most difficult of all, and it is scarcely ever attempted by
later writers. This accounts for its rare occurrence in The
Nights, where only two more instances are to be found, Mac. N.
ii. 244 and iii.
404.
The second and third circle will best be spoken of together, as
the Wáfir and Kámil have a natural affinity to the Hazaj and
Rajaz. Let us revert to the line:—
U - - - | U - - - | U - - |
Akámú ’l-wajda fí kalbí wa sárú.
Translated, as it were, into the language of the Prosodists it
will be:—
Mafá’ílun[FN#456] ’Mafá’ílun Fa’úlun,
and this, standing by itself, might prima facie be taken for a
line of the Hazaj (iii. C. I), with the third Mafá’ílun shortened
by Hafz (see above) into Mafá’í for which Fa’úlun would be
substituted. We have seen (p. 247) that and how the foot
Mufá’alatun can change into Mafá’ílun, and if in any poem which
otherwise would belong to the metre Hazaj, the former measure
appears even in one foot only along with the latter, it is
considered to be the original measure, and the poem counts no
longer as Hazaj but as Wáfir. In the piece now under
consideration, it is the second Bayt where the characteristic
foot of the Wáfir first appears:—
U - - - | U - U U | U - - |
Naat ’anní’l-rubú’u wa sákiníhá
U - U U - | U - U U - | U - - |
Wa kad ba’uda ’l-mazáru fa-lá mazáru.
Anglicè (vol. iii. 296):—
Far lies the camp and those who camp therein; * Far is her tent
shrine where I ne’er shall tent.
It must, however, be remarked that the Hazaj is not in use as a
hexameter, but only with an ’Arúz majzúah or shortened by one
foot. Hence it is only in the second ’Arúz of the Wafír, which is
likewise majzúah, that the ambiguity as to the real nature of the
metre can arise;[FN#457] and the isolated couplet:—
U - - - | U - - - | U - - |
Yárídu ’l-mar-u an yu’tá munáhu
U - - - | U - - - | U - - |
Wa yabá ’lláhu illá ma yurídu
Man wills his wish to him accorded be, * But Allah naught accords
save what he wills (vol. iv. 157),
being hexametrical, forms undoubtedly part of a poem in Wafír
although it does not contain the foot Mufá’alatun at all. Thus
the solitary instance of Hazaj in The Nights is Abú Nuwás’
abomination, beginning with:—
U - - - | U - - - |
Fa-lá tas’au ilá ghayrí
U - - - | U - - - |
Fa-’indi ma’dinu ’l-khayri (Mac. N. ii. 377).
Steer ye your steps to none but me * Who have a mine of luxury
(vol. v. 65).
If in the second ’Arúz of the Wáfir, Maf’áílun (U - - -) is
further shortened to Mafá’ilun (U - U -), the metre resembles the
second ’Arúz of Rajaz, where, as we have seen, the latter foot
can, by licence, take the place of the normal Mustaf’ilun (- - U
-).
The Kámil bears a similar relation to the Rajaz, as the Wáfir
bears to the Hazaj. By way of illustration we quote from Mac. N.
ii. 8 the first two Bayts of a little poem taken from the 23rd
Assembly of Al Hariri:—
- - U - | - - U - | U U - U - |
Yá khátiba ’l-dunyá ’l-daniyyati innahá
U U - U - | U U - U - | - - - |
Sharaku ’l-radà wa karáratu ’l-akdári
- - U - | - - U - | - - U - |
Dárun matà má azhakat fí yaumiha
- - U - | - - U - | - - - |
Abkat ghadan bu’dan lahá min dári.
In Sir Richard Burton’s translation (vol. iii. 319):—
O thou who woo’st a World unworthy, learn * ’Tis house of evils,
’tis Perdition’s net:
A house where whoso laughs this day shall weep * The next; then
perish house of fume and fret.