Arabic Metrics
A Study of the Ancient Tradition
abstract
Knowledge of the grammar of verse, which reached its highest speculative level with the theory of al-Halıl ibn Ahmad in the 8th century, is the secret heart of Arabic poetry – never hitherto systematically scrutinised – on which the challenges and disputes of poets and their critics have been nourished over the centuries. Beginning with a reading of medieval metrical treatises, the historical framework of the discipline of versification and the reconstruction of its technical foundations are offered here, followed by an analysis of each of the sixteen metres and finally an examination of the ways in which rhyme is composed.