Metrical Patterns in Shahriar’s Divan

Document Type : Research article

Author

Professor, Department of Persian Language and Literature, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Mashhad, Khorasan Razavi, Iran.

Abstract

In the view of classical literary scholars, meter has traditionally been regarded as the distinctive feature that separates poetry from prose. In his interviews, Shahriar explicitly affirmed this perspective, maintaining that a text devoid of meter cannot be considered true poetry. This study seeks to address three essential questions concerning the prosodic characteristics of Shahriar’s verse. The first question concerns the overall frequency and distribution of metrical patterns both across his entire Diwan and within individual poetic genres. The findings reveal a considerable diversity of metrical forms in his works. Excluding Shahriar’s free verse poetry—which lies beyond the scope of this study—he employs thirty‑eight distinct classical meters. The highest number of these meters appears in his ghazals, whereas the lowest occurs in his masnavis. The second question investigates the extent of metrical variation within each genre. Shahriar’s choice of meter in each genre reflects genre-specific considerations: certain meters are more frequently used due to thematic and structural appropriateness, while others appear less often. Each genre is examined individually to reveal its metrical tendencies. The third question explores whether there is an intrinsic relationship between meter, theme, and genre—specifically, whether particular meters or genres are inherently suited to express certain themes. Our analysis demonstrates that such intrinsic correlation does not exist; rather, it is poets themselves who, through creative exploration and discovery, actualize the latent emotional and semantic potentialities of various meters. The art of poetry thus lies in revealing and realizing these capacities. Based on his diverse poetic experience, Shahriar proves to be a remarkable discoverer of such metrical possibilities. This article aims to highlight and substantiate Shahriar’s distinctive ability in this regard.

Highlights

While remaining faithful to the classical framework of Persian prosody, Shahriar adopted a flexible and exploratory approach by employing the same meters across different genres and themes. He is not only a skilled ghazal poet but also reveals the hidden capacities of meters through conscious selection in other genres. This research demonstrates that a great poet is a "discoverer" of metrical potentials and can expand the semantic range of each meter through linguistic creativity. Therefore, evaluating Shahriar solely within the domain of ghazal is insufficient, and attention to his metrical experiments in other genres provides a more comprehensive understanding of his poetic artistry.

Keywords

Main Subjects

References

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Persian Language and Literature
Volume 79, Issue 253 - Serial Number 253
Spring–Summer 2026
July 2026
Pages 156-179

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History

  • Receive Date: 17 January 2026
  • Revise Date: 15 February 2026
  • Accept Date: 17 April 2026
  • Publish Date: 22 June 2026

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