Poetic Meters of Afghan Persian Folk Couplets

Folk couplets are considered to be one of the most important parts of our oral literature, which were formed over many centuries among the people of Khorasan, and were passed down orally from generation to generation. For the reason that the composers of the couplets were common people; in terms of prosody, there are many differences in these couplets. Scrutinizing this point can help us in understanding these folkloric couplets and future research in this field. The purpose of research in the field of vernacular couplets is to clarify the quality and prosody of vernacular couplets in the Persian language in Afghanistan. In this study, firstly, the issue of short initial vowel tension: inflectional v, and added fraction in the Persian dialect of Afghanistan is discussed and then the different rhythms of these folk couplets such as couplet scale, prosody of quatrain, and scale 0f syllable, were comprehensively investigated. And with we have shown it by example. For this purpose, the couplets that had been written, are collected by the field research method and books. Thus, songs of the kosher (Asadullah Shour), Tajik couplets (Enayatullah Shahrani), Sangardi hai Panjshir (Nilab Rahimi), folk couplets of the people of Ghor (Nabi Saqi) and Couplets of the people of Hazara (Mohammad Jawad Khavari) have been analysed.

There are only a few publications on this particular subject, and no one has explicitly studied the meters in Afghan folk couplets. The present paper is regarded as the first ongoing effort to fill this study gap.

3-The Meter in the Folk Couplets
Rhyme and poetic meters are commonly regarded as the foundation of all poems (Zolfaghari, 2016: 13). As a result, ordinary people refer to any melodious sentence as a poem. In this regard, Nasir al-Din al-Tusi considers these two poetic elements to be the underpinning of poems (2014:7). Most folk couplets are composed using a prosodic meter called Bahr-e Hazaj-e Mosaddas-e Mahzuf or Maqsur 1 which has six arkān (prosodic pillars): Mafāilon- . These prosodic meters are used explicitly in folk couplets and in Masnavi (a poem written in rhyming verses) and folk couplets. These meters are widely used in Baba Tahir's Do-baytis, Nizami's Khosro va Shirin, Golshan-e Rāz by Shabestari, Shirin va Khosro by Amir Khosro Dehlavi, Vis va Rāmin by Fakhruddin As'ad Gurgani, Farhad va Shirin by Vahshi Bāfqi, and Yousof va Zulikhā by Jāmi (Mahyar, 2017: 96-97). According to modern poetic prosody rules, the overlong syllable is equal to a long syllable, so it is called Mahzuf rather than Maqsur (Hadi, 2016: 46). This poetic meter is used in the bulk of Afghan folk couplets. The most significant aspect of Afghan folk couplets to notice is the lengthening of two vowels, /e/ and /o/: These short vowels become long vowels via elongation, and this transformation influences the meters and rhythm of the couplets.

1-3-Ezāfe Particle (ē)
In most instances, the short vowel /e/elongation in Afghani Persian results in it being heard as /ē/. In poetic prosody handbooks, the mark [-] is appended to the short syllable, which creates a saturated Ezāfe, and is classified as a long vowel (Mahyar, 2017: 27). Concerning this subject, Abbas Mahyar quotes a verse from a sonnet by Hafiz:

Boti Dāram Ke Gerdē Gol Ze Sonbol Sāyebān Dārad Bahārē Ārezash Khatti Be Khunē Arghavān Dārad
[I have an idol whose flower-like face is surrounded by a canopy And her spring of cheeks has a purplish blood line] The saturated Ezāfe can be noticed in the following syllables inside the stanza above: dē, rē, nē, which are components of the words Gerdē, Bahārē, and Khunē. It is worth mentioning that in Afghanistan, the verse is pronounced as follows (i.e., by applying the saturated Ezāfe rule):

Boti Dāram Ke Gerdē Gol Ze Sonbol Sāyebān Dārad Bahārē Ārezash Khatti Be Khunē Arghavān Dārad
If the verse is pronounced in this mode, the meter will be patterned on Hazaj's complete or basic meter (Mafāilon-Mafāilon-Mafāilon-Mafāilon). Another example is seen in a half-verse by Hafiz: The second and seventh syllables in this half-verse look short at first appearance, but according to the principle known as "poetic license," we must lengthen these short syllables as long. The syllables above are indeed pronounced identically in the Persian variant of Afghanistan: Shabē Tārik-o Bimē Moj-o Gerdabi Chonin Hāyel. Here, the meter follows the fundamental poetic meter of Hazaj (Mafāilon-Mafāilon-Mafāilon-Mafāilon). This discussion has led me to conclude that the "saturated Ezāfe " essentially refers to a "close-mid front unrounded vowel". Persian poets used short vowels instead of long vowels because, like the Persian speakers in Afghanistan, they pronounced the short vowels as "close-mid front unrounded vowels." For example, according to the following, the Ezāfe in the Mē, Tē, and Mē in words Zakhmē, Dastē, and Mardomē contain a close-mid front unrounded vowel.

Namak Shuras Be Zakhmē Tāza Nandāz Mara Koshti Be Shahr Āvāza Nandāz Mara Koshti Be Dastē Khod Kafan Kon Be dastē Mardomē Bigana Nandāz
[Don't put salt on a fresh wound; it's salty / If you murder me, don't tell anybody in the city. If you murdered me, put your hands around me and bury me/ Don't permit the poor to get near m]. This poetry is recited in this manner: Mafāilon-Mafāilon-Fa'ulon.

2-3-Coordinating Conjunction (ō)
The coordinating conjunction /ō/ is elongated in the Persian accent of Afghans and is akin to the close-mid back rounded vowel, and, when coupled with the short syllable preceding it, creates a long syllable, which some literary scholars consider a poetic license (Hadi, 2016: 35). In my opinion, such literary academics had solely addressed the Iranian Persian spoken in Tehran. However, when we study the Afghan accent, we see that they are entirely incorrect. In the following folk-couplet, we can see that the vowel after the word Sayl is a coordinating conjunction, but it has been combined with the consonant "L" and has formed the long syllable, Lō. The second half-verse of the poem is pronounced as: "Chara Saylō Tamasha  [No one is more wretched than the lover. No one is more homeless, lonely, or exiled than a lover. I've witnessed all the miseries or pains in the universe No pains compare to that of a lover] This poetry is recited in this manner: Mafāilon-Mafāilon-Fa'ulon.
In such instances, the reciters extend the folk couplets' meters to conform to the prosodic standards. Dr. Shafiei Kadkani believes that the practice of prolonging the words in poems dates back to the ancient past and has been carried on to the present day; it was apparently a characteristic of pre-Islamic poetry (2007: 479). Some academics who were unfamiliar with Afghanistan and ancient Iranian Persian ascribed this characteristic to the Persian that was widespread during the early years of Islam until the 7th century A.H. They mistakenly claimed that the features of vowels and syllables in Middle Persian were such that the main difference between /ē/ and /e/ (Ezāfe) and the difference between /ō/ and/o/ (close-mid back rounded vowel) was the duration of pronunciation. As a result of the lengthening, these vowels became close-mid front unrounded vowels or close-mid back rounded vowels (Vahidiyan Kamiyar, 1978: 65-66). According to Dr. Shou'r, there are three meters in Afghan folk couplets: the standard folk couplet meter, the quatrain meter, and the semi-prosodic meter (1974: 44-47). Based on the preceding, he gives an example of a semi-prosodic or syllabic meter that agrees with the folk couplets' typical meter (Mafāilon-Mafāilon-Fa'ulon). (Sho'ur, 1974: 45) [How are you rushing down this alley? You addressed me in your Afghani dialect If I could grasp the Afghani language I could put your white face and breast to sleep] 2 Running 3 Chest According to Dr. Vahidiyan Kamiyar, "some scholars think that Persian folk poetry is based on syllabic meters, while others claim that they are semi-syllabic or semi-prosodic." Some experts, on the other hand, believe the Persian folk meters are syllabic, despite the fact that there are pauses between the half-verses. Others contend that the Persian folk poem's poetic meters are both prosodic and multiplicative, with stress being the most crucial component. Others, in addition to emphasizing the syllabic elements of Persian folk poetry meters, cast doubt on prior ideas and emphasize the possibility of viewing these poems as prosodic." (1978: 21). Per the Khanlari, "the meters of folk songs, which are now prevalent in Tehran and other Iranian provinces, are neither syllabic nor prosodic, but folk poetry's meter pursues two principles: the principle of syllable quantities (this principle is the foundation of Persian official poetry) and the principle of stress" (2017: 73). These Iranian researchers' hypotheses are based primarily on their research of Iranian or local folk lyrics. I believe these Dr. Vahidiyan Kamiyar's comments are false: "in any case, the patterns of folk couplets, comparable to today's folk couplets, were totally prosodic and had nothing to do with syllabic meters." (1978: 25). In his work "the study of meter in folk poetry," he attempted to demonstrate that Persian poetic meters have been prosodic from the beginning of civilization. He also sought to characterize the early Persian songs, such as Sorūd-e Kūdakān-e Balkh, or the Balkh kid's hymn, as prosodic, although other experts believe this lyric is syllabic. Despite this, some historians believe that the Persian folk couplets may be studied by adopting Turkish poetry's syllabic meters. This is because Persian folk poetry meters are pretty close to Turkish poetry meters (syllabic-pausal-stressed meter) and share many norms (Arzhang Pour Azari, 2015: 72). According to our study, Afghan folk couplets feature two meters: prosodic and syllabic.

4-Prosodic Meter
The majority of Afghan folk couplets feature prosody meters. Many of them have been written in couplet meters, such as Mafāilon-Mafāilon-Fa'ulon, or Bahr-e Hazaj-e Mosaddase Mahzuf, while others have been created in quatrain meters.

1-4-Folk Couplet Meters
Most Afghan Persian folk couplets are composed using this meter (Mafāilon-Mafāilon-Fa'ulon, or Bahr-e Hazaj-e Mosaddas-e Mahzuf). For example, Hazaragi couplets (Khavari, 2015: 11), Ghor folk couplets (Saqi, 2009: 12), and the majority of Afghan folk couplets are composed in this meter. This is why Shams Qais Rāzi writes regarding the couplet meters in al-Mu'jam fi Ma'ayir Asha'r al-Ajam: "In essence, none of the designed meters and poetry composed after Khalil are more pleasant and attractive than this meter" (2009: 142).  (Khavari, 2016:440) Due to the fact that the poets of these folk couplets are ordinary people who are unfamiliar with prosodic meters, there are phonation disparities in several of these couplets. This form of poetry is often read while hearing music; hence, many of these prosody flaws are addressed when reading (Sho'ur, 1974: 75). Some of these couplets could well be adjusted to conform to the prosody standards. According to Dr. Vahidiyan Kamiyar, "...they recite couplets without prosody standards and totally following couplet meter, and if a long vowel violates the poem's rhythm, they pronounce it short and, depending on the context, prolong the short vowel" (1978: 21).

Mosāferi Ajab Delgir-o Zār As Agar Shāzadeh Bashe Khār-o Zār As Hazārān Tushak-o Qlāiche Bāshe Be Zire Pāykayash Mānande Khār As
[Being a traveler is a sad and miserable life. Even if the traveler is a royal, he is ignored and left to weep. Even if hundreds of carpets are under his feet, he is still treading on thorns].

Pishe Khāna Biyā Shabtal Draw Ku Do Sibe Sine Ra Dar Mah Graw Ku Do Sibe Sine Ra Dar Mah Graw Ku Biyā Yak Lāze Da Baghal Ma Khaw Ku
8 The locks of hair 9 She has loosened her hair [Come and pick the clovers next to the house. Come and pledge apple-shaped breasts to the Moon. Come and pledge apple-shaped breasts to the Moon. Come and lie in my arms for a while] (Khavari)

2-1-4-Quatrain Meters:
Various Afghan Persian folk couplets, such as "Sangerdis" and often "Falaks," are composed in standard meters, particularly those relating to the Akhrab baseline. According to Dr. Sho'ur, the couplets of the central regions, including the "northern" part, adhere to the couplet prosody; nevertheless, "Falaks" and "Sangerdis" are formed using quatrain meters (1974: 43-46). Yet, our research indicates that Falaks not only adhere to the prosodic principles of quatrains but are also composed using the meters of folk couplets:  (Shahrani, 1991: 517) On the other hand, the examination of meters in "Northern" folk couplets reveals the presence of quatrain-based poems among them (Khorasani, 2019: 26): The following is composed in a meter called Bahre Hazaj-e Mosaman-e Akhrab-e Abtar (Mafu'lo, Mafāi'lo, Mafā'ilon Fa')

Dandāne Sadaf Darune Dānat Bāsham Har Gap Bezani Sar-e Zabānat Bāsham Gar Khāb Shavi Be Jāye Khābat Bāsham Bidār Shavi Ke Dar Kenārat Bāsham
[I wish to be one of those pearly teeth in your mouth I wish to be on your tongue when you talk I wish to be in your bed when you go to sleep I wish to be by your side when you wake up] Or consider the following Northern couplet, which is composed of a prosodic meter that is called Bahr-e Hazaj-e Mosaman-e Akhrab-e Makfouf-e Majbub (Mafo'ulo Mafāi'lo, Mafāi'lo Fa'al):

Daman-e Mara Sakht Gerefti Ke Naraw Ruzi Ke Delat Jaye Degar Mayel Shod
Gush-e Del-e Man Rast Nahadi Ke Boraw [As my heart was still a hostage of your heart You implored me, even begging me not to go But when your heart was drawn to others You murmured to my heart, "now go"] The meters of the above couplets derive from the quatrain poetry and Akhrab's basis (Shams Qais Razi, 2009: 144). Although one of the characteristics of oral literature is its worldwide unifying factor, and determining the geographical origin of these poems is difficult, it is possible to argue that Falaks and Sangerdis more often replicate the prosody rules from other regions of Afghanistan's quatrains and folk couplets. Here are some examples of folk couplets composed in quatrain meters: The following is a folk couplet composed in a prosodic meter called Bahr-e Hazaj-e Akhrabe Maqbuz-e Abtar (Mafo'ulo, Mafāe'lon, Mafāi'lon Fa'):

Abr Az Del-e Daryā-ye Kurasan Khizad Dor Az Lab-o Dandān-e Javanān Rizad Yazdan Begire Morgh-e Sahar Faryade Yār az Baghal-e Jure 10 Be Nālān Khizad
[The cloud is ascending from Daryāye Khorāsān. The pearl is dripping from the youth's lips and teeth. I wish God would silence the rooster's sing and sound It wakes the beloved up from the lover's arms by yelling] (Sho'ur, 1974: 98)

Tā Az To Jodā Shodam Nadāram Hāli Ān Kist Ke Āvarad Be Man Ahvāli Ahvāl-e Torā Kabutarān Miārand Ku Kaftar-e Maleqi-ye Zibā Bāli
[I'm not in a good mood since I broke up with you. Who is the volunteer who delivers your news to me? I get your news from the pigeon. Where is the pigeon post with its gorgeous wings?] (Nilab Rahimi, 1986: 25)

5-Syllabic Meters
Short Folk Couplets (Midah Do-bayti) in Afghan Persian are popular among ordinary people. These poems are composed in syllabic meters. This sort of folk couplet relates to the same couplets that Tabari's History narrated from Balkh children and are among the early works of Dari Persian poems:

Āvāre Bāz Āmaziya Khoshk-o Nazār Āmaziya
[He's just arrived from Khotalān. He's coming upset. The homeless man is returning. The lover is returning.] Short couplets have been popular among people from the beginning of the Dari Persian language in their original form and with the same syllabic rhythms. Short couplets are often four half-verses with seven syllables, like in Balkh's folk song (according to the above narration). These couplets are more frequent in northern Afghanistan and among children and adults. Children recite these songs during games, and adults chant them together with music (Sho'ur, 1974: 389-392). The following is an example of such couplets composed for children:

Raftam Be Bāghe Peste Didam Shoghāl Neshasteh Yak Sang Zadam Da Gushesh Didam Gushesh Shekaste
[I walked to the pistachio farm I saw jackal was sitting there I smacked its ear with a rock I saw its ear got hurt] (Shou'r, 1974: 391) Folk couplets, according to some scholars, are the continuance of the same syllabic poetry that have developed into prosody through time (Zulfaqari, 2016: 70). Although folk couplets are an advanced version of these syllabic poems, they remain popular in Afghanistan and are frequent among children and adults in their original form. The employment of rhyme in contemporary couplets is the only alteration to this traditional pattern.  'ur, 1974: 391) Chashm-e Siyāye Zāghat Mādar Nabine Dāghat Mādar Bine Nabine Āshoq Nabine Dāghat [You got crown-like black eyes. I hope your mom never weeps for you. Whether she weeps or not The lover is the one who should see your mourning.] (Shahrani, 2016: 26) Sometimes the short folk couplets use six syllabic meters. For instance:

Az Dur Didam Torā Por Nur Didam Torā Ātash-e Jānam Shodi Ākhar Migirm Torā
[I saw you from afar Glowing such a glowing You've lit a fire in my heart And one day I'll marry you.] (Sho'ur, 1974: 395) Some folk couplets can be recited as ten-syllabic or twelve-syllabic:

Āmad Joft-e Kabutarāy-e Khayl Jodā Pārsāl Qati 11 Budim Emsāl Jodā Pārsāl Qati Budim-o Yakjā Gashtim Emsāl Jodā Shodim-o Porghamdel Mā
[The pigeon duo split up. We were together last year but split up this year. We were together last year and only together. We've been split up and sad this year.] (Sho'ur, 1974: 75) Māh [Look at how the moon has nested in the sky This unbeliever's gorgeous idol has combed her hair. She has combed and trimmed her locks. Just look at her crimson cheeks, which derive us crazy] [Shahrani, 2016: 278]

6-Conclusion
Afghan folk couplets typically include two sorts of meters: prosodic meters (couplet meters and quatrain meters) and syllabic meters. Most of them are composed in couplet meters, while others are composed in Akhrab quatrain meters. Sangardis and Falaks are generally recited based on quatrain meters. However, quatrain meters are not limited to these two, and couplets with the same meter could be found in poetry from different locations. The second form of the couplet is one with syllabic prosody. These are the same syllabic couplets as in "Balkh kids' folk song," that is, the couplets that have survived among our people from the beginning to the present in the same form as the first and are known as short couplets (Midah Do-bayti). Because the couplet composers are common people unfamiliar with the norms of prosody, several of these brief couplets have prosody flaws. Of course, these prosodic flaws can be remedied with a little modification. Lengthening short vowels (e and o) in Afghan Persian turns the coordinating conjunction and Ezafe marker to close-mid back rounded vowel and close-mid front unrounded vowel, and specific prosody inadequacies (known as the poetic license in other dialects of the Persian language) can be eliminated in this way. 11 Together 12 Look, See