Persian Cyclic Meters with More than Two Hemistiches

Cyclic meters in Persian Poetry are generally consisted of two half-lines or hemistiches, but this paper deals with cyclic meters consisting of more than two hemistiches. This paper deals with such poly-hemistich Persian meters which totally belong to contemporary poets. These meters have been introduced and analyzed based on numerous evidences taken from Panahi’s corpus (2016-2020).
 
1. Introduction
This paper, based on Abolhassan Najafi (2014; 2016; 2015), dealt with a kind of cyclic meter in Persian poetry which has more than two hemistiches. Cyclic meters are generally consisted of two just half-lines or hemistiches, but this paper deals with cyclic meters consisting of more than two hemistiches. Such poly-hemistich Persian meters totally belonging to contemporary poets are analyzed here. These meters have been introduced based on numerous evidences taken from Panahi’s corpus (2016- 2020).
 
2. Theoretical Framework
Cyclic meters are usually defined as meters bearing just two hemistiches or half-lines, and these two half-lines are metrically and even syntactically so similar that may be changed easily.
The other important metrical feature of cyclic meter is the fact that the final quantity in each half-line may be optionally light (or short), heavy (long) or super-heavy. That is, the rule applying on the final quantity of each Persian line is also applied on the final syllable of each half-line in lines with cyclic meter.
 
3. Methodology
It is worth mentioning that cyclic meter is a metrical phenomenon observed in Persian quantitative poetry but not in Arabic meter. There is, however, another kind of cyclic meter in Persian which has not been considered yet in Persian metrical studies. This meter is just like the traditional cyclic one but it is consisted of more than two hemistiches.
 
4. Result and Discussion
Each hemistich of these lines is syntactically and metrically independent so that one can replace them with each other easily. In this paper, based on the five-volume book by Gholamreza Panahi (2016-2020), such poly-hemistich Persian meters which totally belong to contemporary poets, have been introduced and analyzed. Based on numerous evidences taken from Panahi’s corpus, these meters have been divided into two varieties:
1) A major group with equal hemistiches- for example three hemistiches and each hemistich is mostaf’elon fa’ulon.
2) A minor group with different hemistiches- for example three hemistiches metered as mafa’elon mafa’el, and one final hemistich metered as mafa’elon mafa. 
 
5. Conclusions and Suggestions
Cyclic meters are generally consisted of two half-lines or hemistiches, but this paper dealt with cyclic meters consisting of more than two hemistiches. In this paper, based on the five-volume book by Gholamreza Panahi (2016-2020), such Persian meters totally belonging to contemporary poets, have been introduced and analyzed. These meters have been divided into two varieties: 1) A major group with equal hemistiches; and 2) A minor group with different hemistiches.
 
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