An Introduction to Poetry Forms of the Middle East

As taught by
Lord Andres Castillo Suarez de Sevilla

Qasida
A qasida is a form of long poem, generally at least 50 lines in length and in many cases as
many as 100, written in rhyming couplets (or in a Persian variation, the first couplet rhymes and
then the second line of all the other couplets rhymes with this initial couplet) which all maintain
the same meter. The subject of the qasida is the praise of a king or other nobleman, and the
poem is written in a manner similar to that of an eulogy in that it is not critical and simply wishes
to inform others of the great deeds that the king or nobleman had done. The praise follows a
single subject, which is brought up logically and then concluded by the end of the poem.

Ghazal
A ghazal is made up of a series of couplets (also known as a Sher), the second line of
each ending in the repetition of a refrain of one or a few words (known as a Radif) preceded by a
rhyme (known as the Qaafiyaa, which does not necessarily immediately precede the Radif.) The
first couplet introduces the theme of the ghazal, and both lines of this first couplet end in the
Radif and Qaafiyaa. (This creates a rhyme scheme that can be abbreviated as AA BA CA…)
Each couplet must be a complete sentence (or series of sentences), with no continuation in the
next couplet (though all couplets must share the same meter.) The final couplet (which is called
the Maqta) traditionally refers to the poet’s pen name (Takhallus) in a creative way.

A traditional ghazal also deals with a very specific subject: an illicit, unattainable love.
In some ghazals which are influenced by Islamic mysticism the subject of this love can be a
higher being or a mortal beloved, and the love is generally construed as being more spiritual than
sexual or physical. A number of ghazals were written with the subject of the love being a young
man instead of a woman or higher being; this was a product of the large number of slaves that
were taken in raids during the early years of Islam.

Marsia
The Marsiya or Marsia is an elegiac poem written to commemorate the martyrdom and valor of
Hazrat Imam Hussain and his comrades of the Karbala. It generally consists of six-line units containing a
rhyming quatrain and a couplet on a different rhyme. These poems are generally considered to be
poems of mourning, and as such even a short poem written to mourn the death of a friend can be called
marsia.