Muwashahat and Jarcha
A. Background:
1. oldest lyric poetry in a romance language (XI y
XII centuries); Samuel Stern discovered them in 1948; hidden due to lack of
vowels
2. of popular origen
3. final verses written in mozarabic (vernacular spoken in Al-Andalus)
4. ending of a much longer poem written in classical Arabic or Hebrew
B. Muwashahat
1. lyric poem that flourished in Al-Andalus
2. written in classical arabic or hebrew
2. strophic poem consisting of 5 strophes
3. rhyme scheme: AAABB, CCCBB, DDDBB, EEE[BB]
4. the final pair is the jarcha, written in mozaribic.
5. **NOTE: the Muwashahat and the other poetic form called zajal
are not native to the arabic poetic tradition due to its form (strophic poem
with vocalic rhyme, two characteristics not permitted arabic poetry. Very much a
poetry of Al-Andalus.
C. Composition of the Muwashahat
1. Series of soical and linguistic oppositions: classical arabic/hebrew vs vernacular; official vs popular; male vs female voice thus forming series of dialectics indicative of the complex socio-cultural situation of Al-Andalus
2. Learned poets would make us of popular poetry (jarchas) for inspiration in the creation of the Muwashahat.
3. Dialogic voices of two forms within a single unified whole:
a. many times the theme of the muwashahatel is a
panegyric (homenaje) placed in the male voice and directed toward a patron or
protector, or an expression of homosexual/heterosexual love.
b. la jarcha in the female voice expresses in popular form concepts of love or
the poet without the protection of his patron
E. Aspects of the jarchas
1. feminine voice directed to usually absent lover,
or to another female (mother, sister, friend)
2. Unrequited love, sadness at absence of lover, love's suffering
3. Images include love as a sickness, an urban environment, heartache, the dawn,
light of da
4, A simple style, brief with a question or exclamation
A site with other examples of jarchas (in Spanish)
Structure of a Muwashahat (moaxaja):
d __________
d __________ }
mudanza (dyuz)
d __________
b __________ } vuelta (qufl)
a __________
e __________
e __________
} mudanza
e __________
b __________
a __________
} jarcha