Mathnawi

Mathnawi(Arabic:مثنوي,mathnawī) ormasnavi(Persian:مثنوی,mas̲navī) is a kind ofpoemwritten inrhyming couplets,or more specifically "a poem based on independent, internally rhyming lines". Most mathnawī poems follow ameterof eleven, or occasionally ten,syllables,but had no limit in their length.Typical mathnawi poems consist of an indefinite number ofcouplets,with therhyme schemeaa/bb/cc.

Mathnawī poems have been written inPersian,Arabic,Turkish,KurdishandUrducultures. Certain Persian mat̲h̲nawī poems, such asRumi'sMasnavi-e Ma’navi,have had a special religious significance inSufism.Other influential writings include the poems ofGhazaliandibn Arabi.Mathnawi's are closely tied to Islamic theology, philosophy, and legends, and cannot be understood properly without knowledge about it.

Arabic maṯnawī

Arabic mathnawi poetry, also known asmuzdawidj(Arabic:مزدوج,literally "doubled," referring to the internal rhyme scheme of the lines), emerged and was popularized during theAbbasid era.Unlike the older poetic styles in Arabic, mathnawi verses are notmonorhymes.Instead, they include an internal rhyme scheme within each bayt with an extensive use ofalliterationand follow a specific meter. Arabic mathnawi (or muzdawidj) poetry is very similar to the Persian, Urdu, and Turkish equivalents, though with one major difference: most muzdawidj poems follow an aaa/bbb/ccc pattern, while the other mathnawi poems follow an aa/bb/cc pattern.

Persian masnawī

In Persian masnawī (مثنوى), the poems strictly adhere to ameterof 11 syllables, occasionally ten. While the length of a masnawī is not prescribed and is therefore unlimited, most of the better known masnawī are within a range of 2,000–9,000 bayts (verses).The first known masnawī poem was written in theSāmānid period(4th/10th century). Despite certain dates indicating a possibility otherwise, modern scholars believe it is a continuation of anIranianverse form,not of its Arabiccounterpart(there is some debate, as the word masnawī is derived from Arabic, but most scholars believe that the Persians coined the word themselves).

Masnawī are usually associated with the didactic and romantic genres, but are not limited to them.There is a great variety among Persian masnawī, but there are several conventions that can help a reader recognize a masnawī poem. Most masnawī have a distinction between the introductory and bodyparagraphs(although it is not always easy to determine where that is), praise of the one God and prayers, aeulogyof the Prophet, reflections on the value of poetry, and occasionally a description of an object as a significantsymbol.

Certain Persian masnawī have had a special religious significance inSufism,such asRumi'sMasnavi-i Ma’nawi,which consists of 6 books/25,000 verses and which has been used inprayeramong many Sufi's, such as theWhirling Dervishes.While someIslamiclegalists find the practice unconscionable, the Sufi scholar and juristAbu Hamid al-Ghazalisupported the use of poetry asworship.

In the 21st century,Ahmad Niktalabhas been one of the expert poets of Persian masnawi.

Turkish maṯnawī

Turkish mathnawi began developing in the 8th/14th century. Persian mathnawi influenced Turkish authors as many Turkish mathnawī were, at first, creativetranslationsand adaptations of Persian mathnawī. The oldest known Turkish mathnawī is adidactic poemcalledKutadgu Bilig.

Turkish mathnawī are strongly driven by their plot, and are usually categorized into threegenres—mutaḳārib(heroic),ramal(religio-didactic), andhazadj(romantic). Some mat̲h̲nawī were written with an understanding that the audience would appreciate the importance of the subject of the poem, but some were also written purely forentertainmentpurposes.

Mat̲h̲nawī remained prominent inTurkish literatureuntil the end of theOttoman Empire,when it began to transform into more conversational and rhetorical literature. Few Turkish mat̲h̲nawī have been translated into anothermodern language.

Urdu masnawī

Urdu masnawī are usually divided into three categories- early, middle, and late.

Early Urdu masnawī began in the 11th/17th century. In the beginning of this period, many masnawī were religious in nature, but then grew to include romantic, heroic, and evensecularstories. Early Urdu masnawī were influenced by Dakkanī literature, as well as Persian mat̲h̲nawī. Because of this influence, many early Urdu masnawī were translations of Persian masnawī, although there are some original early Urdu masnawīs.

Middle Urdu masnawī became prominent in the 12th/18th century, whenUrdu literaturebroke away from the Dakkanī tradition. In the 12th/18th century, romantic masnawī became very popular. Another new convention that appeared in middle Urdu masnawī was authors using their own personal experiences as a subject for their poem.

Modern Urdu masnawī began in the 13th/19th century, during a time of literary reform. Masnawī as a whole became much shorter, and the traditional meters stopped being observed. These masnawī deal more with everyday subjects, as well as providing a medium forchildren's poetry.A well-known masnavi-writer in Urdu in recent times was Allama Dr. Syed Ali Imam Zaidi "Gauhar Lucknavi" (great-grandson ofMir Baber Ali Anees).

See also

• Diwan (poetry)

Literature

• Bruijn, J.T.P. de; Flemming, B.; Rahman, Munibur (8 April 2010)."Mathnawī".In Bearman, P.; Bianquis, Th.; Bosworth, C. E.; Donzel, E. van; Heinrichs, W. P. (eds.).Encyclopaedia of Islam(2nd ed.). Brill Online.