114 



Essay on the Metrical Compositions 



original measures— the 8 Arkan or feet of which they a*-e composed — 

 the sounds or syllables forming the feet — and the mode of constructing 

 a metrical sentence or verse on this treble base — together with the ap- 

 plication of the Arkan in scansion. 



The 8 poetical feet Husht Arkan — composing the measures. 

 1 Fa-u-lan J^; 



2 Fa-i-lan ...U, 



3 Mu-fa-i-lan 



a 



4 Mus-taf-i-lun ^U.gj^< 



5 Mu-fa-i-la-tun 



6 Mu-ta-fa-i-lun J^Wl* 



7 Fa-i-la-tun 



8 Maf-u-la-tu <^W* 



The sounds — Asiil (lit. the roots) composing the feet. 

 Of these there are three denominations — viz. Sabab, Watad, and Fdsilah. Of 

 the first there are two kinds — viz. Sabab-i-khafif and Sabab-i-sakil— Sabab-i- 

 khafif is a word of two consonants, the first of which is accented with a moveable 



y 



vowel (Mhtaharrik) and the last quiescent (Sdkin) as ^ kam. Sabab-i-sakil 



is when both are accented, as }j Azo. 



There are two classes of Watad, viz. Watad-i-majmu and Watad-i-mafruk-^ 

 Watad-i-majmu is a word of three consonants, the two first of which are accented 



with,moveable vowels leaving the last quiescent, as Alan. Watad-i-mafruk 



is also a word of three consonants, the first and last of which are accented and the 



medial quiescent, as (J"\j Ras-a. 



Of Fdsilah there are also two classes, viz. Fdsilah-i-soghra and Ftisilah-i-kubra. 

 Fdsilah-i-soghra is a word of four consonants, the three first of which are accented 



with moveable vowels and the last quiescent as CJ^'^ Habalan. Fdsilah-i-kubra 

 is a word of five consonants, the first four of which are accented and the fifth 

 quiescent as , Samakatan. 



The method by which the Persians form the light feet from these roots is based 

 on the principle of equalizing quiescent by quiescent and vowelized (if I may so 

 express myself) consonants. 



For example— the foot Mu-fa-i-lan (No. 3) J^^^ as denoted by its 



vowel and quiescent marks, is composed of one Watad-i-majmu, followed by two 

 Sabab-i-khafif— thai is to say, it comprizes in all seven consonants, the two first of 

 which are vowelized; the third quiescent or gezmated ( Watad-i-majmu) ; the fourth 

 vowelized, the fifth quiescent {Sabab-i-khafif ) ; the sixth vowelized ; the seventh 

 quiescent (Sabab-i-khafif). 



The feet thus composed form in their turn, as above stated, the various measures 

 in which poems are written. These are ail minutely laid down and examples of 

 the different metres separately adduced in the Persian treatise on the Arspoetica . 

 For example, the measure Hazaj (No. 6.) consists of the foot Mu-fa-i-lan (No. 3) 

 repeated 4 times in the hemistich ; and the measure Mutaddrik (No. 19) of tho 

 foot Fa-i lan (No. 2) the same number of times. The 2 following hemistichs, written 

 in the above measures, may suffice to exhibit the use of these standards in versifi- 



