Qasida
From Freepedia
A qasida (also spelled qasidah) in Arabic "قصيدة", in Persian قصیده, is a form of poetry from pre-Islamic Arabia. It typically runs more than 50 lines, and sometimes more than 100. It was later inherited by the Persians, where it became a rhymeless poem of more than 100 lines and was used and developed immensely.
Properly, either all the lines rhyme in couplets, or every second line of the four-line verse rhymes.
The pre-Islamic qasida maintained a single elaborate meter throughout the poem, and every line rhymed. These poems are considered some of the most elaborate in the world.
In his 9th century Kitab al-shi'r wa-al-shur'ara (Book of Poetry and Poets) the Arabic writer ibn Qutaybah says that qasida are formed of three parts. They start, he says, with a nostalgic opening in which the poets reflects on what has passed known as nasib. Then there is a takhallus or release and a rahil or travel section in which the poet contemplates the harshness of nature and life away from the tribe. Finally there is the message of the poem often either praise of the tribe fakhr, jokes about other tribes hija' or some moral maxims hikam. While a lot poets have intentionally or unintentionally deviated from this plan in their qasida it is recognisable in many.
One of the most popular and well known qasidas is the Qasida Burda ("Poem of the Mantle") by Imam al-Busiri.
