How to read classical Arabic poetry

Classical Arabic poetry follows conventions that make it easier to follow once you know them. This short guide explains the main ideas.

1. The line and the verse

Each verse (bayt) has two halves: the sadr (first half) and the ajuz (second half). On our poem pages the two halves are shown side by side.

2. One rhyme throughout

All verses of a qasida end with the same rhyme letter, called the qafiya. We show the rhyme letter on each annotated poem, for example "the poem of the letter lam" (lamiyya).

3. The metre

Classical poetry uses patterns of long and short syllables known as the bihar (sing. bahr). The most common are al-tawil, al-basit, al-kamil and al-wafir. The metre is named on each annotated poem when it is clear.

4. The structure of the qasida

A long ode often opens with the nasib, where the poet stops at an abandoned campsite and remembers his beloved; it then moves to the rahil, the journey on a camel, and ends with the main purpose: praise, boasting, elegy, satire or wisdom.

5. Common themes

Love and longing (ghazal), boasting (fakhr), praise (madh), elegy (ritha'), satire (hija'), description (wasf), wisdom (hikma) and asceticism (zuhd).

6. Reading tips

Read the glossary first, then the poem, then the summary. Many words in classical poems describe desert objects whose meaning is lost today; the glossary on each Arabic page explains them in simple Arabic.

Try an annotated poem: Al-Nabigha's apology ode or Al-Farazdaq's praise of Zayn al-Abidin.