A Theory of Reduplication: Eightfold Meters in Classical Persian Poetry. Issue 3 (May 2017)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Ahmed, Amr Taher
• Is Part Of: Iranian studies. Volume 50:Issue 3(2017)
• Page Start: 391
• Page End: 414
• Publication Date: 2017-05
• Subjects: Iran -- Periodicals; 955
• DOI: 10.1080/00210862.2017.1291882
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0021-0862

Abstract

Abstract : It is a known fact that classical Persian poets were partial to poetic meters composed of eight feet, known as muthamman . On this topic, however, two issues remain unsolved: How did the Persian poets devise these meters in the first place? Despite their flagrant predilection for eightfold meters, why did the Persians never use such meters as sarīʿ and qarīb in this form? This paper argues that the Persians, influenced by the structure of the Arabic eightfold base meters, crafted their muthamman meters after a specific process of reduplication. This theory also accounts for the lack of eightfold sarīʿ and qarīb meters, their structure being incompatible with the reduplication process.