"Principles of Performance Education": A Voyage into Arabic Poetry
This was the outcome of the workshop presented by Dr. Abdullah Ghalees, which lasted for three days at the Kuwait National Library as part of the “Summer Cultural 18” festival organized by the National Council for Culture, Arts and Letters.
The workshop was held in the main hall of the Kuwait National Library and covered the science of ‘arudh (Arabic prosody), considered one of the linguistic sciences related to the meters and rhythms of poetry. This science was founded by Al-Khalil bin Ahmad Al-Farahidi, who systematized the meters used in Arab poetry and established a scientific methodology for regulating and studying them.
The workshop’s material explained that ‘arudh is based on a phonetic foundation that distinguishes between vowel and consonant sounds. Through their regularity, prosodic units known as “asbab” (causes) and “awtad” (pegs) are formed, which in turn constitute the “taf‘ilat” (feet), the basic molds of poetic meters. Participants were introduced to the sixteen major meters of Arabic poetry, which are divided into pure meters based on a single foot, and composite meters consisting of two different feet, with explanations of their key characteristics and formation. The workshop also addressed the mechanism for determining the prosodic meter of a poetic verse, starting with the regulation of vowel marks and distinguishing between mobile and static sounds, up to scansion based on pronunciation rather than orthography, since the prosodic scale relies on spoken sound.
Practical applications in the workshop included examples from various poetic meters, including the “Tawil” meter, along with explanations of the concepts of “zihaf” (metrical alteration) and ‘illa (metrical defect), the differences in changes affecting the feet, and how these changes impact the rhythm and cadence of the verse.
For his part, Dr. Abdullah Ghalees stated that ‘arudh is a science that requires learning and training, noting that its benefits extend beyond poets to critics, students of the Arabic language, and heritage enthusiasts. He emphasized that poetic meter represents a form of mental exercise that helps develop thinking skills, enables the recitation of poetic verses, and enhances their appreciation.
He added that educational curricula in Kuwait do not allocate space for the study of ‘arudh in basic education stages, considering that offering such workshops can help introduce new generations to this aspect of Arabic linguistic sciences. He pointed to a previous experience of his teaching ‘arudh at the Al-Babtain Library, where several participants benefited, including some who did not write poetry before attending the course but later managed to compose poetry and publish a collection.
Ghalees stressed the importance of having qualified specialists teach ‘arudh, who are capable of simplifying its rules and answering students’ questions. He warned against learning it from those lacking sufficient expertise, as an incorrect teaching approach may alienate learners from the science rather than draw them closer to it.
He mentioned that he published “Al-Marja’ al-Wafi fi al-Awzan wa al-Qawaafi” (The Comprehensive Reference on Meters and Rhymes) about two years ago. Additionally, he has participated in poetry and research judging committees in Kuwait, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia, served as editor-in-chief of “Al-Bayan” magazine from 2019 to 2021, and has authored numerous works and participated in scientific and literary activities.
