Coordination of Meter and Content in the Lamentations and Elegies of Yaghma Jundaqi Journal Article

Abstract:

One of the successes of every poet in composing is their attention to the communicative network of material and spiritual elements present in their poetry, which forms the structure and system of a poetic form. Lexical connection, the method of their arrangement, the selection of appropriate meter with regard to the prevailing theme, types of music in poetry, and similar factors constitute this network. This article addresses the degree of coordination between theme and the meters used in the lamentations and elegies of Yaghma Jundaqi—a poet of the 13th century AH. He is the first poet whose diwan (collected works) includes a section dedicated to lamentations. It can be said that he was able to create a subgenre titled 'lamentation poetry' in Persian poetry. In this type of poetry, Yaghma has established a close and unbreakable connection between meter and content. This research was conducted using a qualitative thematic content analysis method on seventy-six of the poet's elegies and lamentations. Various meters, including the 'khizabi' and 'jouybari' rhythms used by the poet, are consistent with the presented themes. Additionally, gravity, lightness, the order of syllables, the length of verses, prosodic feet in terms of syllable arrangement, and the presence of repetition and diversity of prosodic meter feet in the elegies and lamentations were considered. Furthermore, the poems are composed in the meters of Ramal, Hazaj, Rajaz, Mudari, Mutaqarib, and Saree, in descending order of frequency; among these, the Hazaj and Ramal meters, which are considered the heaviest meters and are suitable for expressing grief and moving the audience, have the highest frequency.