The Musical Cadence in Popular Poetry between Depth and Superficiality

Abstract

Abu Nasr al-Farabi views the relationship between poetry and music as follows: “Melodies ... are most often combined with utterances through which these things are intended, and these are what we call poetic utterances.”[1] Al-Farabi adopted this position because he fully understood the importance of music to poetry. This is clearly demonstrated by what he himself narrated about Alqama ibn Abdah—one of the poets of the pre-Islamic period and a contemporary of Imru’ al-Qays—when he went to one of the Ghassanid princes, al-Harith ibn Abi Shamir, to ask him for a favor. “He did not pay attention to his request until he set his poetry to a melody and sang it before him, whereupon he granted his request.”[2]

This incident reflects the nature of the relationship between poetry and music and demonstrates the extent of their interconnection. The listener is more attentive to utterances accompanied by music, while poetry without music remains incomplete; through music, it acquires its perfection and completeness. Thus, “the effects of poetic utterances, when melodies are combined with them, are more complete. Consequently, the effects of poetic utterances become more perfect and more capable of achieving the intended purpose more rapidly.”[3]