SOAS Research Online

Abstract

Jordan is rich in folksongs, and , so far as I know, no one has already made a systematic study of this subject, though some writers have written articles on one type of song or another. In this thesis I have aimed at carrying out a general study of folksongs. I have done my best to produce an Arabic text which represents the most important if not every type of folksong. This study required a prolonged research work, a deep thought and a frequent sifting operation that lasted for a period of four years. The result has been rewarding: an Arabic text of 344 quarto pages , a full glossary and an English systematic study in which I have tried to cover the linguistic , artistic and social aspects of these songs. On the linguistic and artistic sides, I have tried to find the metres in the various songs and to assess how far they imitate the classical example. My conclusions have been that almost all the classical metres are employed either in full, majzu' or mashtur form in addition to other metres not known to classical Arabic. The chapter dealing with rhyme , rhetoric and themes, has further demonstrated how strong a relation there is between these folksongs and classical poetry. In the chapter on the social value of these songs, I have tried to trace the more important customs, activities and practices that characterise the life of the Jordanian people in general and country dwellers in particular. This is a wide subject which is worthy of a more extensive and specialised study. I thought it necessary to end the English part of the thesis with a word on Nimr al-'Udwan and Hilaiwuh al Kufr-Ini. Of Nimr's poems, I have collected only 54 but I believe that others are still extant and that their composer is worthy of a whole thesis devoted to him and to his verses.