The Aesthetic of Prosodic and Rhythmic Structure of "at-Taweel Meter"

Abstract

This research aims at exploring the hidden reason of the popularity of (at –Tawil) meter. Statistical figures of Vadet I (1955) and Stoetzer (1986) corpora shows that this meter make up %50-35 of classical Arabic poetry. The research states that the foot mafac –ilun (u- - -) is the origin of both: prosody and rhythm. It governs the rest of all prosodic feet. Its variation (u- u -) generates all other variations in Arabic prosody, and mafa-c.ilun (u - - -) as a rhythmic structure is the basic of all constituents of musical rhythms in Arabic poetry. The (yes-no) phenomenon encourages (al-Khalil b. Ahmad 100-170A.H) to consider the essence of binarity in Arabic prosody which shows that The “Tawil” meter with its metron (fac -ulun mafac –ilun) is the origin of all Arabic meters and its rhythmic structure (fac -ulun fac –ulun fac) is also the origin of all musical rhythm. (Hazim al-Qartajanni -684 A.H) states that poetic structure should be associated with a relevant (special) poetic meter. Finally; a question been raised: why (at –Tawil) is better than the other meters ?! ; here comes the study of (Golston Ch. and Riad T.) entitled (The phonology of classical Arabic meter) they argue that the rhythmic and well-formedness of al-tawil meter as the leading and most popular meter in classical Arabic poetry is noticable because the best meters are all started by a combination of penta-elemental and hepta-elementals feet headed by the congregated peg (wated majmu').Thus; the different degrees of popularity of the Arabic meters can be understood as a direct function of rhythmic well-formedness.