Contents

 Introduction
 Example I : Ode to Iran by Pejman Bakhtiari
 Example II: An ode in praise of Imam Husain (peace b upon him)
by the Sufi poet Shah Niyaz Niyazi
 Example III: An ode to the Persian poet Ahmad Shamlu on his
demise
 Introduction

Qasida is a poetic form that was conceived and developed in pre-Islamic Arabia way before
Islam was introduced. Nevertheless this art form was perpetuated in the world through the
literary movement that accompanied Islam on its conquest of the world. Qasida is basically
a laudatory and elegiac poem that is found in Arabic, Persian and Urdu literatures. An
orthodox Qasida is an elaborately structured ode of 60 to 100 lines. It maintains a single
end rhyme that runs through the entire piece; the same rhyme also occurs at the end of the
first half-line of the first verse. It is strange that any kind of meter is acceptable in Qasida.
To know more about Qasida, continue to read this insightful article on it.

History Of Qasida
The Qasida opens with a short prelude that is known as 'Nasib', which is elegiac in mood
and is intended to gain the audience's involvement. After this conventional beginning
follows the 'Rahil', this consists of descriptions of the poet's horse. It concludes with a piece
on 'Fakhr', or self-praise, the main theme, called 'Madih', or panegyric. The Qasida has
always been seen as a respectable Art Form. This art form saw a decline with the coming of
Ghazal and Nazam. Thus, by the end of the 8th century the Qasida had begun to decline in
popularity. Qasida were also written in Persian, Turkish, and Urdu until the 19th century.

The qaṣīdaᵗ (also spelled qaṣīdah; is originally an Arabic word Arabic: ‫قصيدة‬, plural qasā'id,
‫ ;ق ـصــائـد‬that was passed to some other languages such as Persian: ‫ قصــیده‬or ‫چكامه‬, chakameh,
in Turkish: kaside) is an ancient Arabic word and form of writing poem that was passed to
other cultures after the Arab Muslim expansion. the word qasidah is still being used in its
original birthplace - Arabia- and in all Arabic speaking countries.

Well known qasā'id include the Qasida Burda ("Poem of the Mantle") by Imam al-Busiri
and Ibn Arabi's classic collection "The Interpreter of Desires".

The classic form of qasida maintains a single elaborate metre throughout the poem, and
every line rhymes. It typically runs more than fifty lines, and sometimes more than a
hundred. The genre originates in Arabic poetry and was adopted by Persian poets, where it
developed to be sometimes longer than a hundred lines.
Arabic qaṣīda means "intention" and the genre found use as a petition to a patron. A qasida
has a single presiding subject, logically developed and concluded. Often it is a panegyric,
written in praise of a king or a nobleman, a genre known as madīḥ, meaning "praise".

In his ninth century "Book of Poetry and Poets" ( Kitab al-shi'r wa-al-shu'ara' ) the Arabian
writer Ibn Qutaybah describes the (Arabic) qasida as formed of three parts;

 a nostalgic opening in which the poet reflects on what has passed, known as a nasib.
A common concept is the pursuit by the poet of the caravan of his beloved: by the
time he reaches their camp-site they have already moved on.
 a release or disengagement, the takhallus, often achieved by describing his transition
from the nostalgia of the nasib to the second section, the travel section or rahil, in
which the poet contemplates the harshness of the land and life away from the tribe.
 the message of the poem, which can take several forms: praise of the tribe ( fakhr),
satire about other tribes (hija) or some moral maxim (hikam).

While many poets have intentionally or unintentionally deviated from this plan it is
recognisable in many.

Persian variation

After the 10th century Iranians developed the qasida immensely and used it for other
purposes. For example, Naser Khosro used it extensively for philosophical, theological, and
ethical purposes, while Avicenna also used it to express philosophical ideas. It may be a
spring poem (Persian ‫بهاریه‬, baharieh) or autumn poem (Persian ‫خزانیه‬, khazanieh). The
opening is usually description of a natural event; the seasons, a natural landscape or an
imaginary sweetheart. In the takhallos poets usually address themselves by their pen-name.
Then the last section is the main purpose of the poet in writing the poem. Ismaili and
twelver Shias recite qusidas, many of which are written by Rumi, Nasir kusraw and many
others. Farsi Qasida, dam Hama dam Ali Ali was written by rumi in Turkey in praise of
imam Ali. This is a verse:

Saki e ba wafa manam

Dam Hama dam Ali Ali

Sufi e ba safa manam

Dam Hama dam Ali Ali

Translation

I am a humble poet. In rapture my soul cries Ali Ali

I am a Sufi pure of heart. In rapture my soul cries Ali ali

The ode or elegy can be written for a person or a thing that is the central character of the
poem. In the following part we will look at the various odes made to different people/object
of emulation like the country of the poet, a holy guide or an exemplary poet.
 Example I :Ode to Iran by Pejman Bakhtiari

"Ey Iran" - Oh Iran - ‫ای ایران‬

Oh Iran, oh bejeweled land   ‫ای ایران ای مرز پرگه‬
Oh, your soil is the wellspring of the arts ‫ای خاکت سرچشمه هنر‬

Far from you may the thoughts of evil be ‫دور از تو اندیشه بدان‬
May you remain lasting and eternal ‫پاینده مانی تو جاودان‬

Oh enemy, if you are of stone, I am of iron ‫ای دشمن ار تو سنگ خاره‌ای‬

May my life be sacrificed for my pure motherland ‫من آهنم‬
‫جان من فدای خاک پاک میهنم‬
Your love is my calling
My thoughts are never far from you ‫مهر تو چون شد پیشه‌ام‬
‫دور از تو نیست اندیشه‌ام‬
In your cause, when do our lives have value?
May the land of our Iran be eternal ‫در راه تو کی ارزشی دارد این‬
‫جان ما‬
The stones of your mountains are jewels and ‫پاینده باد خاک ایران ما‬
pearls
The soil of your valleys are better than gold ‫سنگ کوهت در و گوهر است‬
‫خاک دشتت بهتر از زر است‬
When could I rid my heart of your affection?
Tell me, what will I do without your affection? ‫مهرت از دل کی برون کنم‬
‫برگو بی‌مهر تو چون کنم‬
As long as the turning of the earth and the cycling
of the sky lasts ‫تا گردش جهان و دور آسمان‬
The light of the Divine will always guide us ‫به پاست‬
‫نور ایزدی همیشه رهنمای‬
Your love is my calling ‫ماست‬
My thoughts are never far from you
‫مهر تو چون شد پیشه‌ام‬
In your cause, when do our lives have value? ‫دور از تو نیست اندیشه‌ام‬
May the land of our Iran be eternal
‫در راه تو کی ارزشی دارد اين‬
Iran oh my green paradise ‫جان ما‬
Bright is my fate because of you ‫پاینده باد خاک ایران ما‬

If fire rains on my body ‫ایران ای خرم بهشت من‬

Other than your love I will not cherish in my heart ‫روشن از تو سرنوشت من‬

‫گر آتش بارد به پیکرم‬

Your water, soil and love molded my clay ‫جز مهرت در دل نپرورم‬
If your love leaves my heart it will become barren
‫از آب و خاک و مهر تو سرشته‬
Your love is my calling ‫شد گلم‬
My thoughts are never far from you ‫مهر اگر برون رود تهی شود‬
‫دلم‬
In your cause, when do our lives have value?
May the land of our Iran be eternal ‫مهر تو چون شد پیشه‌ام‬
‫دور از تو نیست اندیشه‌ام‬

‫در راه تو کی ارزشی دارد این‬

‫جان ما‬
‫پاینده باد خاک ایران ما‬
Example II: An ode in praise of Imam Husain (peace b upon him) by
the Sufi poet Shah Niyaz Niyazi
English Translation -

O heart! Hold the skirt of the emperor of Aulia (friends of Allah).

That means Imam Hussain (A.S.) ,who is the soul of Aulia.

He had other willingness and so he chose to taste martyrdom ,

There is a different ecstasy due to the Divine knowledge available with Aulia.

His position is like Huzur Nabi Kareem ( S.A.W) and Hazrat Ali (K.W.K.),
He is the pride of the Prophets ( A.S.) and also of Aulia.

He is the mirror (reflection) of Allah's elegance,

He is the reference for the faith of Aulia.

They agree to spend their belongings and life for the supreme truth ( Allah),
This lesson is to be learnt from the life of Aulia.

'Niyaz' has left his decision of the judgement day in hope of Hussain (A.S.),
The faith of Lovers of Aulia will be similar to that of Aulia.
 Example III: An ode to the Persian poet Ahmad Shamlu on his demise

The following poem is dedicated to Ahmad Shamlu in which Mr. Gheyaspour, the poet, has
astonishingly expressed our deep sorrow over Shamlu’s death.
To make the poem more understandable, some points should be explained first.

Shamlu wrote a wonderful elegy, described as the best in its kind, when Forough died. It is
called ‘an elegy for Forough’. The elegy starts with this line:

In search of you

I do cry

On the mountains’ feet

At the threshold of seas where green grass ends

So, in the following poem ‘her’ refers to Forough.

The second one is the word ‘fairies’. Some decades ago, Shamlu wrote a long poem basically
for children. It was called ‘fairies’ (Parya), which turned into a nationwide folklore poem.
In the following poem, Mr. Gheyaspour has welcomed that poem through narrating the
title and some lines of it.

The third one is the word ‘fairies’ king’, which refers to what Shamlu presented in his poem
(fairies).

The last three lines are part of Shamlu’s long poem, ‘fairies’.There can be found some other
lines in the following poem that are professionally driven from Shamlu’s works. Those who
are familiar with Shamlu’s work will find these lines in the following poem quite
impressing and will certainly praise the poet for presenting such a great combination.

“O Fairies, you know?” By: H. Gheyaspour

“In search of her

You did cry

On the mountains’ feet

At the threshold of seas where green grass ends”

In search of you, yet,

On the foot of which mountain

We should cry?

In pain

The horse of our necessity

Neighs to the heavens

By the shrine of your big name

O, you the mad wind

How agonizing you blew!

Who will find your name

On the forehead of the heavens

At the dawn of a big dream?

In search of you

Who will ride the horse of necessity

To the faraway villages

Through the fog-covered deserts?

In the roots of which person

Your tears will turn into flowers?

From among us, which one?

Which one of us?

We, these silent

Helpless orphans

And you, o the fairies

Our lovely ones,

Who came to our town, our sad-stricken town,

Do you know that

Your father

Has gone on a journey

To the peak of distant mountains

To bring you the tale of “The Fairies’ King”

To become a tale for you

A tale that is

As wide as the heavens

O, our lovely fairies

Do you know that?

“Nothing did say the fairies, but

Crying hard

Like the clouds in spring”