Wafir
Wāfir (
Form
The metre comprises paired hemistichs of the following form (where "–" represents a long syllable, "u" a short syllable, and "uu" one long or two shorts):[2]
- | u – uu – | u – uu – | u – – |
Thus, unlike most classical Arabic metres, wāfir allows the poet to substitute one long syllable for two shorts, an example of the prosodic element known as a biceps. Thus allows wāfir lines to have different numbers of syllables from each other, a characteristic otherwise only found in kāmil, mutadārik and some forms of basīṭ.[3]
Wāfir is traditionally represented with the mnemonic (tafāʿīl) Mufāʿalatun Mufāʿalatun Faʿūlun (مُفَاعَلَتُنْ مُفاعَلَتُنْ فَعولُنْ).
History
Historically, wāfir perhaps arose, along with ṭawīl and mutaqārib, from
The metre, like other Arabic metres, was later borrowed into other poetic traditions. For example, it was adopted in Hebrew, where it is known as hamerubeh[6] and became one of the pre-eminent metres of medieval poetry.[7] In the Arabic and Arabic-influenced vernacular poetry of Sub-Saharan Africa it also features,[8] for example in Fula[9] and Hausa.[10] It also underpins some oral poetic traditions in Palestine today.[11] However, it was not used in Urdu, Turkish, or Persian (or perhaps, rather, it can be said to have merged for linguistic reasons with hazaj).[12]
Examples
The following Arabic epigram by
- كتمتُ اسم الحبيب من العباد * وردّدت الصبابة في فؤادي
- فوا شوقي إلى بلدِِ خليّ * لعلّي باسْم من أهوى أنادي
- katamtu sma l-ḥabībi mina l-‘ibādī / wa-raddadtu ṣ-ṣabābata fī fu’ādī
- fa-wā-shawqī ’ilā baladin khaliyyin / la‘allī bi-smi man ’ahwā ’unādī
- | u – – – | u – uu – | u – – || u – – – | u – uu – | u – – |
- | u – – – | u – uu – | u – – || u – – – | u – – – | u – – |
- I have hidden the name of my love from the crowd: / for my passion my heart is the only safe space.
- How I long for an empty and desolate place / in order to call my love's name out aloud.
An example of the metre in Fula is the following poem by Ïsa ɓii Usmānu (1817-?):[9]
- Kulen Allaahu Mawɗo nyalooma jemma, / Mbaɗen ka salaatu, hooti mbaɗen salaama
- He dow ɓurnaaɗo tagle he Aalo’en fuu, / Sahaabo’en he taabi’i, yimɓe himma.
- Nufaare nde am mi yusɓoya gimɗi, anndee, / mi woyra ɗi Naana; ɓernde fu firgitaama
- He yautuki makko, koowa he anndi juulɓe / mbaɗii hasar haqiiqa, cunninaama.
- | u – – – | u – uu – | u – – || u – uu – | u – uu – | u – – |
- | u – – – | u – uu – | u – – || u – – – | u – uu – | u – – |
- | u – uu – | u – uu – | u – – || u – uu – | u – uu – | u – – |
- | u – uu – | u – uu – | u – – || u – – – | u – – – | u – – |
- Let us fear Allah the Great day and night, / let us continually invoke blessing and peace
- Upon the best of creatures and all his kinsfolk, / his companions and followers, men of zeal.
- Know ye, my intention is to compose verses / and with them to lament for Nāna; every heart is startled
- At her passing, everyone knows that the Moslems / have suffered loss indeed, and have been saddened.
References
- ISBN 978-90-272-8904-9.
- JSTOR j.ctt9qfxj6.5.
- ISBN 978-0-415-18572-1.
- ProQuest 1282115359.
- ISBN 978-0-521-24015-4.
- ISBN 978-0-8130-3649-6.
- ISBN 978-0-486-27147-7.
- JSTOR 20720593.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-521-25646-9.
- JSTOR 594988.
- JSTOR 43195707.
- ISBN 978-3-0343-0373-6.
- JSTOR j.ctt9qfxj6.23.