Rhymed prose is a literary form and
literary genreA literary genre is a category of literary composition. Genres may be determined by literary technique, tone, content, or even length. Genre should not be confused with age category, by which literature may be classified as either adult, young-adult, or children's. They also must not be confused...
, written in
unmetricalIn poetry, the meter is the basic rhythmic structure of a verse. Many traditional verse forms prescribe a specific verse meter, or a certain set of meters alternating in a particular order. Prosody is a more general linguistic term, that includes poetical meter but also the rhythmic aspects of...
rhymeA rhyme is a repetition of similar sounds in two or more words and is most often used in poetry and songs. The word "rhyme" may also refer to a short poem, such as a rhyming couplet or other brief rhyming poem such as nursery rhymes.-Etymology:...
s. This form has been known in many different cultures. In some cases the rhymed prose is a distinctive, well-defined style of writing. In modern literary traditions the boundaries of
poetryPoetry is a form of literary art in which language is used for its aesthetic and evocative qualities in addition to, or in lieu of, its apparent meaning...
are very broad (
free verseFree verse - also known as vers libre - is a term describing various styles of poetry that are written without using a strict rhyme scheme, but still recognizable as poetry by virtue of complex patterns of one sort or another that readers will perceive to be part of a coherent whole.-Types:Philip...
,
prose poetryProse poetry, as it is usually understood, is poetry written in prose that departs from some of the usual practices associated with prose discourse, for the sake of heightened imagery or emotional effect.-Characteristics:...
, etc.), and some works may be described both as prose and poetry.
In classic
Arabic literatureArabic literature is the writing produced, both prose and poetry, by writers of the Arabic language. It does not usually include works written using the Arabic alphabet but not in the Arabic language such as Persian literature and Urdu literature...
the rhymed prose is called
saj'Saj‘, سـجـع is a form of rhymed prose in Arabic literature. It is named so because of its evenness or monotony, or from a fancied resemblance between its rhythm and the cooing of a dove. It is a highly artificial style of prose, characterized by a kind of rhythm as well as rhyme...
.
Rhymed prose is a literary form and
literary genreA literary genre is a category of literary composition. Genres may be determined by literary technique, tone, content, or even length. Genre should not be confused with age category, by which literature may be classified as either adult, young-adult, or children's. They also must not be confused...
, written in
unmetricalIn poetry, the meter is the basic rhythmic structure of a verse. Many traditional verse forms prescribe a specific verse meter, or a certain set of meters alternating in a particular order. Prosody is a more general linguistic term, that includes poetical meter but also the rhythmic aspects of...
rhymeA rhyme is a repetition of similar sounds in two or more words and is most often used in poetry and songs. The word "rhyme" may also refer to a short poem, such as a rhyming couplet or other brief rhyming poem such as nursery rhymes.-Etymology:...
s. This form has been known in many different cultures. In some cases the rhymed prose is a distinctive, well-defined style of writing. In modern literary traditions the boundaries of
poetryPoetry is a form of literary art in which language is used for its aesthetic and evocative qualities in addition to, or in lieu of, its apparent meaning...
are very broad (
free verseFree verse - also known as vers libre - is a term describing various styles of poetry that are written without using a strict rhyme scheme, but still recognizable as poetry by virtue of complex patterns of one sort or another that readers will perceive to be part of a coherent whole.-Types:Philip...
,
prose poetryProse poetry, as it is usually understood, is poetry written in prose that departs from some of the usual practices associated with prose discourse, for the sake of heightened imagery or emotional effect.-Characteristics:...
, etc.), and some works may be described both as prose and poetry.
Arabic culture and influences
In classic
Arabic literatureArabic literature is the writing produced, both prose and poetry, by writers of the Arabic language. It does not usually include works written using the Arabic alphabet but not in the Arabic language such as Persian literature and Urdu literature...
the rhymed prose is called
saj'Saj‘, سـجـع is a form of rhymed prose in Arabic literature. It is named so because of its evenness or monotony, or from a fancied resemblance between its rhythm and the cooing of a dove. It is a highly artificial style of prose, characterized by a kind of rhythm as well as rhyme...
. An elaborate Arabic kind of rhymed prose is
maqamaMaqāma are an Arabic literary genre of rhymed prose with intervals of poetry in which rhetorical extravagance is conspicuous. The 10th century author Badī' al-Zaman al-Hamadhāni is said to have invented the form, which was extended by al-Hariri of Basra in the next century...
. It influenced other cultures of the
Muslim worldThe term Muslim world has several meanings. In a cultural sense it refers to the worldwide community of Muslims, adherents of Islam. This community numbers about 1.3-1.5 billion people, roughly one-fifth of the world population. This community is spread across many different nations and ethnic...
, such as
PersianPersian literature spans two-and-a-half millennia, though much of the pre-Islamic material has been lost. Its sources have been within historical Persia including present-day Iran as well as regions of Central Asia where the Persian language has historically been the national language...
(as exemplified by
SaadiAbū Muṣliḥ bin Abdallāh Shīrāzī , better known by his pen-name as Saʿdī , was one of the major Persian poets of the medieval period...
's
GulestanGulistan is a landmark literary work in Persian literature. Written in 1259 C.E., it is one of two magna opera of the Persian poet Sa'di, considered one of the best medieval Persian poets. The Gulistan is a collection of poems and stories, just as a rose-garden is a collection of roses. It is...
) and
TurkishTurkish literature is the collection of written and oral texts composed in the Turkish language, either in its Ottoman form or in less exclusively literary forms, such as that spoken in the Republic of Turkey today...
(:tr:Seci).
Maqama also influenced the medieval
Hebrew literatureHebrew literature consists of ancient, medieval, and modern writings in the Hebrew language. Beyond comparison, the most important such work is the Hebrew Bible ....
, a significant amount of which was produced by Jews of the
Muslim worldThe term Muslim world has several meanings. In a cultural sense it refers to the worldwide community of Muslims, adherents of Islam. This community numbers about 1.3-1.5 billion people, roughly one-fifth of the world population. This community is spread across many different nations and ethnic...
. It influenced the style of
Yehuda AlhariziYehuda Alharizi, also Judah ben Solomon Harizi or al-Harizi was a rabbi, translator, poet and traveller active in Spain in the Middle Ages...
, Ibn Zabara, Ibn Hasdai (Abraham ben Samuel ha-Levi ibn Hasdai), Ibn Sahula, Jacob ben Eleazer. The corresponding works were called
maqamat or
mahbarot (
mahberot, e.g.,
Mahbarot Emmanuel, by
Immanuel the RomanImmanuel ben Solomon ben Jekuthiel of Rome was an Italian-Jewish scholar and satirical poet. He was a member of a prominent, wealthy family and occupied an important position in Rome, possibly secretary or treasurer of the Jewish community there...
).
Arabic rhymed prose was used not only for entertainment or
eulogyA eulogy is a speech or writing in praise of a person or thing, especially one recently deceased or retired Eulogies may be given as part of funeral services, however some denominations either discourage or do not permit eulogies at services to maintain respect for traditions...
.
Chinese culture
The
Chinese formChinese literature extends back thousands of years, from the earliest recorded dynastic court archives to the mature fictional novel that arose during the Ming Dynasty to entertain the masses of literate Chinese...
of elaborate rhymed prose called
fu originated during the period of
Han dynastyThe Han Dynasty was the second imperial dynasty of China, preceded by the Qin Dynasty and succeeded by the Three Kingdoms . It was founded by the peasant rebel leader Liu Bang, known posthumously as Emperor Gaozu of Han. It was briefly interrupted by the Xin Dynasty of the former regent Wang Mang...
, when it was used to eloquently glorify the emperors. The style of the
National Anthem of the Republic of China"National Anthem of the Republic of China", is the current national anthem of the Republic of China . It discusses how the vision and hopes of a new nation and its people can and should be achieved and maintained using the Three Principles of the People...
follows that of a four-
characterA Chinese character, also known as a Han character , is a logogram used in writing Chinese , Japanese , less frequently Korean , and formerly Vietnamese , and other languages...
poemChinese poetry is the most highly regarded literary genre in China. Traditionally, it is divided into shi , ci and qu . There is also a kind of prose-poem called fu . During the modern period, there also has developed free verse in Western style...
(四言詩), also called a four-character rhymed prose (四言韻文), first appeared in the
Zhou DynastyThe Zhou Dynasty followed the Shang Dynasty and was followed by the Qin Dynasty in China. The Zhou dynasty lasted longer than any other dynasty in Chinese history—though the actual political and military control of China by the dynasty only lasted during the Western Zhou...
.
Indian culture
Rhymed prose was common in early
KhariboliKhariboli , Khariboli (also Khadiboli, Khadi-Boli, or Khari dialect, also known as Kauravi (Devanagari: कौरवी); identified as Hindi by SIL Ethnologue), Khariboli (also Khadiboli, Khadi-Boli, or Khari dialect, also known as Kauravi (Devanagari: कौरवी); identified as Hindi by SIL Ethnologue), (/ ...
HindiStandard Hindi, also known as High Hindi, Nagari Hindi or Literary Hindi is a standardised register of Hindi. It is one of the 22 languages with official status in India, and is used, along with English, for administration of the central government.Standard Hindi is a sanskritised register derived...
texts, such as
Premsagar (
Prem Sagur) by Lallu Lal and
Naasiketopaakhyan by Sadal Mishra, in early 19th century but gradually fell into disuse. The paper traces possible origins of the Hindi rhyming prose in Islamic and
SanskritSanskrit is a historical Indo-Aryan language, one of the liturgical languages of Hinduism and Buddhism, and one of the 22 official languages of India. It is also declared as a classical language by the government of India....
literature.
European cultures
Rhymed prose was a characteristic feature of the
Divine OfficeDivine Office may refer to:* Liturgy of the Hours, the recitation of certain Christian prayers at fixed hours according to the discipline of the Roman Catholic Church* Canonical hours, the recitation of such prayers in Christianity more generally...
until the end of the 12th century. A type of the "rhymed office" were offices in rhymed prose, i.e., in irregular rhythm. Later it was gradually replaced by
rhythmical officeIn the liturgy of the Roman Catholic Church, rhythmical office is a section of or a whole religious service, in which not only the hymns are regulated by a certain rhythm, but where, with the exception of the psalms and lessons, practically all the other parts show metre, rhythm, or rhyme.The...
. They were popular in
FranceFrance , officially the French Republic , is a country located in Western Europe, with several overseas islands and territories located on other continents. Metropolitan France extends from the Mediterranean Sea to the English Channel and the North Sea, and from the Rhine to the Atlantic Ocean...
and
GermanyGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered to the north by the North Sea, Denmark, and the Baltic Sea; to the east by Poland and the Czech Republic; to the south by Austria and Switzerland; and to the west by France, Luxembourg, Belgium,...
, and a number of prominent composers of rhymed offices are known.
A kind of jesting rhymed prose in
Russian cultureRussian art has been extremely influential, and is considered a source of great pride to Russians. Russians are also known for their sense of humour. Russian literature has been greatly influential to world literature...
is known as
rayokRayok literally means "small paradise" in Russian. By extension it came to mean a fairground peep show, as "The Fall" was one of the most popular topics for these. The show itself was performed with the help of a box with pictures viewed through magnifying lenses...
.
Rhymed prose is present in many books for small children.