Lessons in Poetry, Part 2

His Holiness Pope Shenouda III opens by talking about the role of the “Teacher of Generations” Center in preserving and publishing the Pope’s heritage, then moves to the subject of the science of Arabic poetic meters, focusing on the meter called “al-tadarak” which al-Akhfash added to al-Khalil’s list of meters.

Explanation of the meter and its weight

• The lecturer defines the al-tadarak meter and details its weight with the foot patterns: (fa’il fa’il fa’il fa’il …), and explains that the meter can appear in different forms (fa’ulun, fi’lun…) depending on the arrangement of feet.
• He clarifies vocal examples and asks students to apply the meter to short verses, showing the repetition of the melody and the unity of rhythm in poetry.

Practical technical matters

• He explains rules for transforming a verb to silence letters or to convert the cause, and how that affects the meter (such as cases of fatha, dhamma, kasra).
• He notes that some changes in vowelization (vowelled/static) do not affect the poetic essence, and calls to focus on the rhythmic feeling rather than formal details when performing.

Examples and models

• The lecturer cites examples from famous poems (such as “Ya Layl” and lines by Ahmed Shawqi) and analyzes how they align with the meter’s feet.
• He asks his students for applied readings to distinguish the feet and highlight the appropriate melody.

References and learning sources

• He mentions several useful references for learning prosody and meters: a book on al-Khalil by Mahmoud Mustafa, and the book “The Music of Arabic Poetry”, and well-known bookstores such as the Muhammad Ali Sabih & Sons bookstore.

Educational and spiritual dimension (from a Coptic Orthodox faith perspective)

• The pedagogical message appears important: preserving linguistic and poetic heritage is part of caring for the spiritual and cultural identity of the church community.
• The lecture’s encouragement to read and practice promotes contemplation of language as a means of spiritual expression and cultural formation within the Coptic Orthodox tradition.

Conclusion and practical recommendation

• The lecture is practical and educational aiming to enable the listener to distinguish the al-tadarak meter and apply it practically.
• It is recommended to continue practice and refer to the mentioned sources to enable the preservation of poetic heritage and its employment in celebrations or cultural activities of the community.

For better translation support, please contact the center.