Exploring Stanzas of Persian Poetry

Mosammat, Tarkib-band, and Tarji-band. I'll explain each form, starting with:

• Mosammat: Features repetition of rhyme within stanzas with a couplet structure (XAXA rhyme in each hemistich).

• Tarkib-band: A compound form with stanzas sharing a refrain that repeats throughout.

• Tarji-band: Similar to Tarkib-band but ending each stanza with a distinct rhyme that summarizes the theme.

Persian poetry’s brilliance shines not only in its celebrated ghazals and epic masnavis, but also in its ingenious strophic forms. Among these, the mosammat, tarkib-band, and tarji-band stand out for their rich sonic textures and structural elegance. Though each employs refrains and rhyme in distinct ways, all three transform repetition into a vehicle for deepening meaning and musicality.

1. Mosammat: Rhymed Stanzas with a Refrain Ending

Structure & Rhyme

• Strophes of Couplets: Each stanza (strophe) comprises several bayts (couplets).

• Internal Hemistich Rhyme: Within a stanza, all hemistichs rhyme with each other—until the very last hemistich of the final couplet.

• Refrain Rhyme: That last hemistich carries a second rhyme, identical across every stanza, creating formal unity.

• Pattern (in hemistich-rhyme notation):

  A  A  
  A  A  
  A  B   ← “B” repeats in every stanza’s final hemistich
  

This dual-rhyme scheme gives mosammat its name—literally “interlaced”—weaving two melodies of rhyme into each stanza.

Historical Use

While less ubiquitous than the ghazal, mosammat found favor in medieval courts for occasional poems, such as elegies or panegyrics, where the shifting internal rhyme built anticipation before the familiar refrain anchor. Saljuq-era divans (manuscript collections) attest to mosammat’s steady presence alongside other strophic experiments.

2. Tarkib-band: Stanzas Separated by Changing Refrains

Structure & Rhyme

• Variable Separators: Between each stanza appears a new line (or couplet) that serves as a mini-refrain—tarkīb—unique to that stanza.

• Stanza Rhyme: Within stanzas, rhymes may appear at each line’s end or in each hemistich, but the rhyme changes from one stanza to the next.

• Overall Unity: Though refrains differ, the form (stanza length and internal rhyme style) remains consistent, lending cohesion through contrast.

Purpose & Effect

Tarkib-band’s rotating refrains allow poets to spotlight multiple facets of a theme—say, the virtues of different princes or the moods of successive nights—while preserving a uniform strophic frame. The changing “refrain-lines” function like chapter titles, guiding the reader through varied scenes.

3. Tarji-band: Fixed Refrain with Varied Stanzas

Structure & Rhyme

• Constant Refrain: A single hemistich or couplet—known as the tarjiʿ—repeats verbatim between every stanza.

• Stanza Rhyme: Each stanza’s internal rhyme (end-rhyme or hemistich rhyme) can differ, giving each block its own color.

• Pattern:

  (Stanza 1…)
  [Refrain Line]  
  (Stanza 2…)
  [Same Refrain Line]  
  …  
  

Function & Flourish

By anchoring the poem with an unchanging refrain, tarji-band weaves a steady thread—often a moral maxim, a devotional invocation, or a thematic touchstone—through a series of explorations. Each stanza then unfolds a new perspective or variation on that central motif.

4. Comparing the Three

5. Why These Forms Matter

• Musical Depth: The interplay of changing and repeating elements creates rich echo effects that reward attentive reading and listening.

• Structural Play: Poets can dramatize contrasts—night vs. day, ruler vs. ruled, the soul’s doubt vs. faith—within a unified formal frame.

• Adaptability: From medieval courtly encomium to modern experimental verse, these strophic forms offer flexible tools for layering sound and sense.

Concluding Thoughts

The mosammat, tarkib-band, and tarji-band remind us that repetition in poetry need not be mere redundancy—but a means of magnifying nuance. By varying either the refrain or the stanza rhyme—or both—Persian poets achieved dazzling effects of suspense, revelation, and meditation. Today’s poets and readers can rediscover in these “stanzas of splendor” a masterclass in how to make every line both familiar and new.