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Questions and Answers
The case endings -u, -a, and -i are always pronounced at the end of prose sentences.
The case endings -u, -a, and -i are always pronounced at the end of prose sentences.
False
At the end of a line in Arabic poetry, it is common for a short -i to rhyme with a long vowel.
At the end of a line in Arabic poetry, it is common for a short -i to rhyme with a long vowel.
True
The indefinite case endings -un, -an, and -in maintain their final -n at the end of a line in poetry.
The indefinite case endings -un, -an, and -in maintain their final -n at the end of a line in poetry.
False
The pronoun anā can never be scanned as ana in Arabic poetry.
The pronoun anā can never be scanned as ana in Arabic poetry.
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In Arabic poetry, it is common for the two halves of a bayt to be completely independent with no connection between them.
In Arabic poetry, it is common for the two halves of a bayt to be completely independent with no connection between them.
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Al-Khalīl ibn Aḥmad al-Farāhīdī identified 16 types of poetic meter.
Al-Khalīl ibn Aḥmad al-Farāhīdī identified 16 types of poetic meter.
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The majority of early classical Arabic poetry is composed using six different meters.
The majority of early classical Arabic poetry is composed using six different meters.
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The term 'watid' in Arabic prosody refers to a long syllable.
The term 'watid' in Arabic prosody refers to a long syllable.
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Rhyme is not a significant feature in classical Arabic poetry.
Rhyme is not a significant feature in classical Arabic poetry.
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Western prosodists analyze poetic meters predominantly by the use of vowelled letters.
Western prosodists analyze poetic meters predominantly by the use of vowelled letters.
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The mnemonic words called tafāʿīl represent the feet of an Arabic poem.
The mnemonic words called tafāʿīl represent the feet of an Arabic poem.
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The meter 'madīd' is one of the most frequently observed in Arabic poetry.
The meter 'madīd' is one of the most frequently observed in Arabic poetry.
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Couplets dominate the structural composition of traditional Arabic poetry.
Couplets dominate the structural composition of traditional Arabic poetry.
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Study Notes
Arabic Poetic Meters (ʿArūḍ)
- ʿArūḍ (or ʿilm al-ʿarūḍ) is the study of poetic meters in Arabic poetry.
- It determines if a poem's meter is correct (sound) or flawed.
- Al-Khalīl ibn Aḥmad al-Farāhīdī, an early Arab lexicographer and philologist, established the laws of ʿarūḍ.
- His book, Al-ʿArḍ, described 15 meters; a 16th meter, the mustadārik, was later described by Al-Akhfash al-Akbar.
- Arab prosodists analyze poetry using vowel/consonant combinations, called watid (peg) or sabab (cord). These form larger units for poetic feet (rukn).
- Western prosody analyzes meters by syllable length (long – , short u), which can be optional (anceps x). Certain meters can also have long or short pairing options (biceps).
- 85-90% of classical Arabic poetry uses four meters: ṭawīl (most common), kāmil, wāfir, and basīṭ.
- Rhyme is crucial in classical Arabic poetry, often with identical rhyme in each couplet.
- Meters are represented using mnemonic words called tafāʿīl, usually eight (4+4 or 3+3).
- Arabic meters are categorized as buḥūr.
- Specific European scansion symbols are used to show long, short and anceps syllables (−, u, x).
- The meters in circles 1 and 2 (excluding madīd) are the most frequent. Less common meters marked by * are largely theoretical.
Minor Prosodic Rules
- Case endings (-u, -a, -i) are frequently pronounced in poetry, even at sentence ends—they're commonly omitted in prose.
- Vowels at the end of a line are considered long. A short i can rhyme with a long i. The fatḥa (a) at the end of a line is written like a long vowel (alif).
- The n in certain suffixes (-un, -an, -in) is dropped at end-of-line, changing to ū, ā, ī. This rule does not apply at the end of the first hemistich (half-line).
- "His" (-hu) is often scanned with a long vowel (-hū). "I" (anā) can be scanned as ana.
- A long ī can occasionally rhyme with a long ū (e.g., al-nīlu to maqbūlu).
- Lines in a bayt (couplet) can sometimes run together without a break.
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Description
Explore the fascinating world of Arabic poetic meters with this quiz on ʿarūḍ. Learn about the foundational work of Al-Khalīl ibn Aḥmad al-Farāhīdī and the various meters that structure Arabic poetry. Test your knowledge on the characteristics, importance of rhyme, and analysis methods used in this rich literary tradition.
