Disclaimer
This page is still in its formative stages and most of the information
is not necessarily complete in itself ... I present a semi-formal,
though non-historical, approach to urdU
prosody - but it is by no means an expert's thesis. All this information
is culled mostly from my memory and the meagre notes from having read Agha Sadiq's treatise on urdU prosody " nikAt-e fann" a long time ago. If
you are reading all this for the first time, you can safely skip the " Historical Background" perspectives
that I have interspersed in the actual text; especially because there
exists the possibility of notational confusion if you read both the
perspectives together.
If you are least interested in knowing the basis for generating the
meters, you can, after having read the section on vazn, directly jump to the urdU
Prosody (Meters and their Derived Forms) page.
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vazn (weight)
To arrive at a
semi-formal notion of vazn, let us
assume that the symbols k, v, and V stand for a Consonant, Short
Vowel, and Long Vowel respectively as used in urdU or hindI. Then, syllables may be
classified as:
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Short
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Long
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Ultralong
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Closed
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k
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kvk
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kVk
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Open
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kv
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kV
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--
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For the purposes of urdU prosody a distinction is not
really made between the Closed
and Open flavours. If at any
point a distinction needs to be maintained, it will be explicitly
mentioned at that point. Specifially, the closed syllable is indicated
by a c subscript. Further, only the Short and Long forms are really "relevant" in urdU prosody. The Ultralong (kVk) is instead decomposed as Long + Short (kV + k). All other long syllables
with trailing consonant clusters (e.g. kVkk, kVkkk etc.) are considered
equivalent to kVk.
We denote the Long as L and Short as S and classify them as syllabic atoms. There is no notion of any
equivalence or conversion relationship between the L and S atoms - and thus they both
need to be treated independently as first class entities. There is
however a "popular" notion of attributing the value 1 to S and the value 2 to L. This, in my opinion, is sadly
misleading and seems to suggest that the vazn of an L atom is twice that of an S atom. Nothing could be more farther
than the truth ... (this is notwithstanding the fact that there are
indeed many urdU meters that
allow a legal subsitution of an SS
pair in place of an L at
specific locations).
Definition: The vazn of a lafz (word) is defined as the
syllabic equivalent defined in terms of the L and S. Syllabification in a lafz is defined in a manner such
that the number of vowels in a lafz
determines the number of syllables. While the first syllable in a lafz may start with a vowel (in
which case the associated consonant is the void consonant), all following
syllables begin with a single
consonant. In other words, each consonant cluster in a word determines a
syllable boundary, with the last consonant beginning the next syllable.
Thus, the lafz "par" has a vazn of L, while the lafz "pAr" has a vazn of LS. Similarly, the lafz "pardah" has a vazn LL.
Historical Background
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Every word, or lafz, is made up
of repeated instances of two basic atomic entities, namely
- mutaharrik
movable, a consonant accented with the short vowels a, i, or u. Denoted
by M. It is related to the word harakat which
stands for motion. A harakat is then said to be present on the consonant.
- sAkin
quiescent, a consonant not followed by a vowel. Denoted by S.
It is related to the word sukUnat which stands for rest or
tranquility. A sukUnat is then said to be following the consonant.
For instance, in
the word "par'', p occurs as a M, while r occurs as a S. Similarly the
word "kAr'' can be decomposed into ka[M]a[S]r[S]. Notice the splitting
of the sound "kA'' into a MS pair.
Every lafz can
thus be split into its constituent M and S parts. Any such combination
of M and S defines the vazn, or weight, of the
corresponding lafz. Loosely put, the vazn is a measure of the time taken
in pronouncing the lafz.
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Equivalence of vazn
The primary focus in fann-e
`arUz, or the art of prosody, is matching up the vazn of two different lines. The
basis for this is the definition of equivalence of vazn for two different alfAz
(plural of lafz). Thus two alfAz are said to be hamvazn,
or equal in vazn, iff their syllabic patterns
defined in terms of the L and S atoms are identical.
Thus, "sabab" (sa[S] bab[L]) is hamvazn with "bahut" (ba[S] hut[L]).
However, "sabab" (sa[S] bab[L]) is not hamvazn
with "ShAd" (ShA[L] d[S]) even though the number of L and S atoms in both the words is the same.
Historical Background
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Two alfAz are said to be hamvazn,
or equal in vazn, iff
- They have
the same count of hurUf (letters from the Persian
alphabet).
- The harakAt
(phenomenon of having harakat) and the sakanAt (phenomenon
of having sakUnat) of one of the alfAz can be exactly matched up with
that of the other.
Note that the
presence of fatha (the zabar or the vowel
"a''), kasra (the zer or the vowel "i''), or zamma
(the peSh or the vowel "u'') on a consonant does not modify the vazn.
For instance, "pa'', "pi,'' and "pu'' are equivalent as far as the vazn
is concerned.
To consider an
example of hamvazn alfAz,
The
lafz "sabab'' (sa[M]ba[M]b[S]) is hamvazn with "tarah'' (ta[M]ra[M]h[S])
But "sabab''
(sa[M]ba[M]b[S]) is NOT hamvazn with "saKht'' (sa[M]Kh[S]t[S])
As another
example, notice that "GhAlib'' is NOT hamvazn with "hakIm'', as MSMS
does not match up with MMSS, inspite of the fact that the sum
durations of both the alfAz are the same! In the same vein "GAlib''
IS hamvazn with "nAsiKh'', as both are MSMS.
The vazn forms the
sole foundation of the considerations that are based on metre. Hence to
be able to judge the hamvazn-ness of two different lines, one should be
aware of the correct duration of the pronunciations as employed
in actual speech. Simply knowing the correct pronunciation is not
enough. For instance, the sound "ko'' in "mujHkO'' and "kOrA'' are not
equivalent in vazn! In the former case, depending on the use and
position in the eventual metre, it is equivalent either to a M or MS,
whereas in the latter it is equivalent to MS. In other words the hurdle
towards learning to proof-read verse is knowing how to read it correctly
in the first place! The only solution seems to be learning the correct
durations by constantly listening to the masters in prosody.
As a consequence
of this, note the following special cases
- "gA'o.n''
and words of that ilk should actually be matched with MSS as they are
actually "gA.nv'' (ga[M]a[S]v[S]) etc..
- Similar to
the one above are the words like "banA'o'' etc. which actually scan as
"banAv'' (ba[M]na[M]a[S]v[S]).
- "dulhan''
actually scans as MMS since the "lh'' actually stand for the single sa.Nsk.rt consonant "lH''. Thus the
breakup for "dulhan'' is du[M]lHa[M]n[S].
Similarly, there
are a host of alfAz which have multiple auzAn (plural of
vazn). I hope I will be able to come out with a list some day soon ... |
taqtI` (scansion) and vazn
The notion of vazn assumes
importance only in the context of the rules of scansion or taqtI`. A brief heuristic treatise
on taqtI` is available for digression.
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ajzA-e arkAn (elements of the feet)
A rukn
(singular for arkAn) or the foot, is the primary entity
using which a baehr (metre) can be defined. This
immediately brings us to the topic of the ajzA (the
elements or the basis) that constitute a rukn. For historical reasons, only
specific syllabic patterns are classified as legal elements. These are
enumerated below.
sabab-e KhafIf
These scan as L. For instance, "dil", "jA", etc.
sabab-e saqIl
These scan as SS. Note, this occurs only during tarkIb (composition). e.g. "gul-i
Chaman" where the "gul-i" has the vazn SS. Otherwise, there is no urdU or fArsI word that contains two
simultaneous short independent syllables. This is, for all practical
purposes, an optional element since it occurs only via the form fAsila-e suGhra (see below). (Note,
however, that some Arabic nouns loaned into urdU do admit such a syllablic
structure.)
vatad-e majmU`
These scan as SL. For instance, "sabab", "Chaman",
etc.
vatad-e mafrUq
These scan as LS. For instance, "bAt", or the
"dAGh-e" in "dAGh-e dil" etc.
fAsila-e suGhrA
These scan as SSL. This is essentially a
composition of SS and L. However, it has been retained for
historical reasons - specifically since the feet are defined in terms of
this element.
fAsila-e-kubrA
These scan as SSSL. Rarely, do such words occur in urdU or fArsI. Again, this is a composition
of SS and SL. However, it also is retained for
historical reasons and is, for all practical purposes, an optional
element.
Note that a single S is not
defined in this basis at all!
In actual practice, one
needs to use only the following ajzA:
| sabab-e
KhafIf |
L
|
| vatad-e majmU` |
SL |
| vatad-e mafrUq |
LS |
| fAsila-e suGhrA |
SSL |
Historical Background
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One harfI
(lettered) alfAz
On what has been said about the lafz, it is
obvious that any lafz comprised of only one harf (letter)
will obviously start with S. This is not permitted in urdU, but
instances can be found in other languages like sa.Nsk.rt or english.
However, here the discussion being restricted to urdU, the scheme that
is generated is specifically tailor-made for urdU poetry. As a
consequence, a one harf long basis is not defined at all.
Two harfI alfAz
Since any lafz in urdU is not permitted to
start with a S, there exist only two(!) kinds in this category.
sabab-e-KhafIf
This is the
class of alfAz that scan as MS. For instance, "dil'', "jA'',
etc..
sabab-e-saqIl
The alfAz
belonging to this class scan as MM. Note that this can occur only
during tarkIb (composition). e.g. "gul-i-Chaman'', where
the "gul-i'' has the weight MM.
Three harfI alfAz
Here again, only two cases are considered.
vatad-e-majmU`
These scan as MMS.
Thus "sabab'', "chaman'' etc. belong to this class.
vatad-e-mafrUq
These scan as MSM.
This occurs during izAfat (annexation). Thus in
"dAGh-e-dil'', "dAGh-e'' scans as da[M]a[S]Gh-e[M].
The other possible cases, but not recognized,
are
- Those that
scan as MSS. If such a lafz
occurs in the middle of a misra` (line) the second S is
converted to M, so that it will read MSM. However at the end of
the misra` it retains its original form - MSS.
- Those that
scan as MMM.
Four harfI alfAz
Here only one case is enumerated.
- fAsila-e-suGhrA
- These scan
as MMMS. e.g. chamanI (cha[M]ma[M]ni[M]i[S]).
- This can be
split up as MM + MS.
The other
possible cases are,
- MMMM
= MM + MM.
- MMSM
- MMSS In the middle of a misra` the second S is
converted to M, so that it scans as MMSM. At the end of the
misra` though it remains MMSS.
- MSMM
= MS + MM
- MSMS
= MS + MS
- MSSM
= this necessarily gets converted to MSMM.
- MSSS In the middle of a misra` the last S is dropped
and the penultimate S is converted to a M. Thus it will read MSM.
However at the end of the misra` it is transformed into MSS by
dropping the last S.
Five harfI alfAz
Rarely do such long words occur in urdU or
fArsI. Here again only one case is enumerated.
fAsila-e-kubrA
These scan as MMMMS.
Notice that
fAsila-e-suGhrA
<=> sabab-e-saqIl + sabab-e-KhafIf
fAsila-e-kubrA
<=> sabab-e-saqIl + vatad-e-majmU`
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arkAn-e `aShra: (The 10 feet)
As mentioned above, a rukn (foot) is primarily composed
of the following individual juz (singular for ajzA):
| sabab-e
KhafIf |
L |
| vatad-e majmU` |
SL |
| vatad-e mafrUq |
LS |
| fAsila-e suGhrA |
SSL |
Repeated application of
these elements, taken singly or together, generate a rukn. In other words, a rukn is generated using the
following productions
<rukn> ::=
<juz><rukn> | <juz>
<juz> ::= L | SL |
LS | SSL
The grammar defined
above is not unambiguous since two different derivation trees exist for,
say, LSL (LS + L or L + LS).
In principle, infinite arkAn can be generated. For
practical purposes, however, ten basic ones are recognized. Each one has
a name which is a "mnemonic" to the vazn
that it encodes.
Tri-atomic arkAn
There are two of them.
fA`ilun (sabab-e KhafIf + vatad-e
majmU`)
This scans as L SL.
e.g. "zindagI" (zin[L]da[S]gI[L]), "raOShnI" (raO[L]Sh[S]nI[L]), etc.
fa`Ulun
(vatad-e majmU` + sabab-e KhafIf)
This scans as SL L.
e.g. "tamannah" (ta[S]man[L]nah[L]), "muhammad" (mu[S]ham[L]mad[L]),
etc.
Quadra-atomic arkAn
There are six of them.
mafA`Ilun (vatad-e majmU` + sabab-e
KhafIf + sabab-e KhafIf)
This scans as SL L L.
e.g. "razAmandI" (ra[S]zA[L]man[L]dI[L])
fA`ilAtun (sabab-e KhafIf + vatad-e majmU` +
sabab-e KhafIf)
This scans as L SL L.
e.g. "AdmIyat" (A[L]d[S]mI[L]yat[L])
fA`i lAtun
(vatad-e mafrUq + sabab-e KhafIf + sabab-e KhafIf)
Same as above, just a different scansion grouping LS L L. This is retained for
historical reasons since the operations that generate the various meters
and their derived forms rely on the actual manner in which the syllabic
atoms are grouped together.
mustaf`ilun
(sabab-e KhafIf + sabab-e KhafIf + vatad-e majmU`)
This scans as L L SL.
eg. "jAdUgarI" (jA[L]dU[L]ga[S]rI[L])
mustaf`i lun
(sabab-e KhafIf + vatad-e mafrUq + sabab-e KhafIf)
Same as above, just a different scansion grouping L LS L. This is retained for
historical reasons since the operations that derive the various meters
and their flavours rely on the actual manner in which the syllabic atoms
are grouped together.
maf`UlAtu
(sabab-e KhafIf + sabab-e KhafIf + vatad-e mafrUq)
This scans as L L LS.
e.g. "raOShan fikra" (raO[L]Shan[L] fik[L]ra[S])
Penta-atomic
arkAn
There are two of them.
mutafA`ilun (fAsilla-e suGhrA +
vatad-e majmU`)
This scans as SSL SL.
e.g. "sitam-O jafA" (si[S]ta[S]m-O[L]ja[S]fA[L])
mafA`ilatun
(vatad-e majmU` + fAsila-e suGhrA)
This scans as SL SSL.
e.g. "jafAtalabI" (ja[S]fA[L]ta[S]la[S]bI[L])
Historical Background
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Five harfI arkAn
There are two of them
- fA`ilun
- This scans
as MS MMS.
- e.g.
"zindagI'' (zi[M]n[S]da[M]gi[M]i[S]), "rauShanI''
(rau[MS]Sha[M]ni[M]i[S]), etc..
- fa`Ulun
- This scans
as MMS MS.
- e.g.
"tamannA" (ta[M]ma[M]n[N]na[M]a[S]), "mahammad''
(ma[M]ha[M]m[S]ma[M]d[S]), etc..
Seven harfI arkAn
There are eight of them
- mafA`Ilun
- This scans
as MMS MS MS.
- e.g.
"razAmandI'' (ra[M]za[M]a[S]ma[M]n[S]di[M]i[S])
- fA`ilAtun
This scans as MS
MMS MS.
e.g.
"AdamIyat'' (a[M]a[S]da[M]mi[M]i[S]ya[M]t[S])
- mustaf`ilun
This scans as MS
MS MMS.
e.g.
"jAdUgarI'' (ja[M]a[S]du[M]u[S]ga[M]ri[M]i[S])
- mutafA`ilun
This scans as MMMS
MMS.
e.g.
"sitam-O-jafA'' (si[M]ta[M]mo[M]o[S]ja[M]fa[M]a[S])
- mafA`ilatun
This scans as MMS
MMMS.
e.g.
"jafAtalabI'' (ja[M]fa[M]a[S]ta[M]la[M]bi[M]i[S])
- maf`UlAtu
This scans as MS
MS MSM.
e.g. "rauShan
fikra'' (rau[MS]Sha[M]n[S]fi[M]k[S]ra[M])
- fA`i'lAtun
This scans as MSM
MS MS. Notice that though this apparently reads the same as
fA`ilAtun, the placement of the ajzA differ! The sum vazn is the same
though, and this is thus a different form of fA`ilAtun.
- mustaf`i'lun
This scans as MS
MSM MS. This is the another form of mustaf`ilun, and hence scans
differently from it.
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aOzAn-e baehr (meters)
The 19 baehr (meters) that are in common
use are listed below. It is not that one cannot have any other baehr. These ones have been more or
less brought into common use for purely historical reasons. On a
mathematical basis though infinite other baehr can be generated.
The baehr are generated using the
production rule
<baehr> ::=
<rukn>+
where each <rukn> is instantiated separately using any one of the
ten arkAn defined above.
The list below enumerates the most commonly used ones. Note that these buhUr (plural of baehr) are considered the "base"
forms. Further flavours are derived from these base forms via
pre-defined operations on the rukn
that make up the baehr. For
the purposes of this section it is sufficient to enumerate the base
forms only.
- mutaqArib
fa`Ulun * 4
Total span is SLL * 4
- hazaj
mafA`Ilun
* 4
Total span is SLLL *
4
- ramal
fA`ilAtun * 4
Total span is LSLL *
4
- rajaz
mustaf`ilun * 4
Total span is LLSL *
4
- kAmil
mutafA`ilun * 4
Total span is SSLSL
* 4
- vAfir
mafA`ilatun * 4
Total span is SLSSL
* 4
- tavIl
fa`Ulun mafA`Ilun
* 2
Total span is SLL
SLLL * 2
- madId
fA`ilAtun fA`ilun
* 2
Total span is LSLL
LSL * 2
- basIt
mustaf`ilun
fA`ilun * 2
Total span is LLSL
LSL * 2
- munsareh
mustaf`ilun
maf`UlAtu * 2
Total span is LLSL
LLLS * 2
- maqtazab
maf`UlAtu
mustaf`ilun * 2
Total span is LLLS
LLSL * 2
- mazAre`
mafA`Ilun
fA`i'lAtun * 2
Total span is SLLL
LSLL * 2
- mujtas
mustaf`i'lun
fA`ilAtun * 2
Total span is LLSL
LSLL * 2
- KhafIf
fA`ilAtun
mustaf`i'lun fA`ilAtun * 1
Total span is LSLL
LLSL LSLL * 1
- sarI`
mustaf`ilun
mustaf`ilun maf`UlAtu * 1
Total span is LLSL
LLSL LLLS * 1
- mutadArik
fA`ilun * 4
Total span is LSL * 4
- qarIb
mafA`Ilun mafA`Ilun fA`ilAtun * 1
Total span is SLLL
SLLL LSLL * 1
- muShAkil
fA`ilAtun mafA`Ilun mafA`Ilun * 1
Total span is LSLL
SLLL SLLL * 1
- jadId
fA`ilAtun fA`ilAtun mustaf`ilun * 1
Total span is LSLL
LSLL LLSL * 1
- rubA'I
Derived from the hazaj meter,
this is really a group of 24 meters all rolled into one four-line verse.
Though not used in Ghazals, a discussion on the rubA'I is not out of place here.
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(except
ofcourse for the stupid server generated tags)