Rashid Fahd Al Qathami
Associate Professor of Literature, Department of Arabic Language and Literature, Terba University College, Taif University, Saudi Arabia
Issue: 35 | Pages: 133-146 | June 2025 | https://doi.org/10.54940/ll45931434 | PDF
Received: 24/02/2025 | Revised: 06/04/2025 | Accepted: 15/04/2025
Corresponding Author: [email protected]
Abstract
This study examines the rhythmic structure in the Zā’iyyah (Z-poem) of Al-Shammākh ibn Ḍirār al-Dhubyānī. The analysis of rhythm seeks to engage with the inner world and essence of the poetic text, addressing both its form and content simulta-neously. Thus, the significance of this topic lies in the emotional and aesthetic impact rhythm leaves upon the reader, as well as in the pleasure it evokes when analyzing the rhythm of any poem. The study is structured into an introduction and four main sections. The first section is titled "Rhythmic Structure and Meter," the second focuses on "Rhyme in the Rhythmic Structure," the third addresses "Sound in the Rhythmic Structure," and the final section explores "Imagery in the Rhythmic Structure." The research concludes with several key findings, most notably: the use of the Ṭawīl meter to accommodate the meanings and connotations of the poem; the deployment of rhyme incorporating a fixed rawī (rhyme letter), which in this case is the letter zāy; and the employment of various metrical units, including long, short, and closed syllables, along with other rhythmic vari-ations that fall within the broader structure of rhythm. The adopted methodology is structuralist, relying on the introspective analysis of the poem’s structure and rhythm. The prima-ry aim of the study is to engage with poems that have not been extensively examined and to approach the structure of the po-em directly. More importantly, the research seeks to treat pre-Islamic and classical Arabic poetry from a textual perspective, avoiding an overemphasis on external factors such as social or historical contexts. Ultimately, this study revisits the music of ancient Arabic poetry, moving from traditional prosody (ʿarūḍ) towards broader musical horizons and multi-dimensional rhythmic insights.
Keywords
Rhythm, rhyme, meter, poetry, meter.
How to Cite
Qathami, R. The rhythmic structure in the Zaya’ of Al-Shamakh bin Dirar Al-Dhubyani. Journal of Umm Al-Qura University for Language Sciences and Literature. 2025 June; (35):133-146. https://doi.org/10.54940/ll45931434
License
1658-8126/© 2025-by the Authors. Published by-J. Umm Al-Qura Univ. Lang. Sci. and Lit.-This is an open-access article distributed under the terms and conditions of thehttps://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/-