Lesson 95 · C1
Malhun
Long before Standard Arabic was everyone's literary language, craftsmen in Fes, Meknes and Marrakesh composed long poems in Darija and sang them in the workshop. That's malhun. This lesson explains what it is, how a poem is built, and what grammar poetry uses when it speaks the language of the street.
- Explain what malhun is and where it comes from.
- Name the parts of a qasida.
- Recognise the poetic prohibition with la.
- Tell poetic register from street register.
Twenty-four words
The vocabulary of the qasida, the poet's verbs, poetic grammar, the trades that spread malhun, and the world of the zawiya.
The qasida
- الْقْصِيدَة l-qsida poem; qasida
-
الْحَرْبَة
l-7erba
refrain
“The spear”.
- الْقْسَمْ l-qsem stanza
- السَّرَّابَة s-sarraba prelude
-
النَّاظْمْ
n-nadem
malhun poet
“The one who strings (verses)”.
- الشّْيخْ sh-shikh master
What the poet does
-
نْظَمْ
ndem
to compose (verse)
“To string”, like pearls.
- لَحّْنْ la77en to set to music
- غْنَّى ghenna to sing
- حْفَظْ 7fed to know by heart
Poetic grammar
-
لَا تْلُومْنِي
la tlumni
reproach me not
Poetic prohibition.
- يَا الْقَلْبْ ya l-qelb O heart
-
يَا الدُّنْيَا
ya d-dunya
O world
Classic apostrophe.
- الزّْجَلْ z-zajal zajal; dialect poetry
The craftsmen
- الصَّنْعَة التَّقْلِيدِيَّة s-sen3a t-taqlidiyya handicraft
- الْحِرْفِي l-7irfi craftsman
- الْخْرَّازْ l-kherraz shoemaker
- الدّْبَّاغْ d-debbagh tanner
- الدّْرَّازْ d-derraz weaver
- الْقَافْلَة l-qafla caravan
Setting
- الزَّاوْيَة z-zawya zawiya; Sufi lodge
- الْوَلِي الصَّالْحْ l-wali s-sale7 saint
- الْأُمِّي l-ummi illiterate
- الْمَوْهُوبْ l-mawhub inspired; God-given
When the street writes poetry
Four sentences about malhun. The last two say the same thing in two registers. Which is poetic?
- فْالْمَلْحُونْ، الشَّاعْرْ هُوَ اللِّي كَيْنْظْمْ وْ كَيْلَحّْنْf l-mal7un, sh-sha3er huwa lli kayndem u kayla77en
- النّْجَّارْ وْ الْخْرَّازْ كَانُو كَيْغَنِّيوْ فْالْحَانُوتْn-nejjar u l-kherraz kanu kayghenniw f l-7anut
- فْالشّْعْرْ كَيْقُولُو: لَا تْلُومْنِيf sh-she3r kayqulu: la tlumni
- وْ فْالزّْنْقَة: مَا تْلُومْنِيشْu f z-zenqa: ma-tlumnish
How do la tlumni and ma-tlumnish differ? Which would you say to a friend?
The rule
Darija poetry keeps forms the street has dropped:
Prohibition with la + imperfect: la tlumni, “reproach me not”. On the street, ma-tlumnish. The same form lives on in proverbs: la tbi3 jeld l-7uli qbel ma tqetlu.
Vocative ya and apostrophe to what can't hear: ya l-qelb, ya d-dunya.
Free order: the verb moves so the line rhymes.
Parts: s-sarraba (prelude), l-qsem (stanzas), l-7erba (refrain after each stanza).
Two registers
| Form | Say it | Means |
|---|---|---|
| لَا تْلُومْنِي ← مَا تْلُومْنِيشْ | la tlumni → ma-tlumnish | reproach me not (poetry → street) |
| لَا تْبِيعْ جْلْدْ الْحُولِي قْبَلْ مَا تْقْتْلُو | la tbi3 jeld l-7uli qbel ma tqetlu | don't sell the lamb's skin before you've killed it |
| يَا الْقَلْبْ، صْبَرْ | ya l-qelb, sber | O heart, be patient |
| يَا الدُّنْيَا، شْحَالْ غَدّْارَة | ya d-dunya, sh7al ghaddara | O world, how treacherous you are |
| الْحَرْبَة كَتْعَاوْدْ مُورَا كُلّْ قْسَمْ | l-7erba kat3awed mura koll qsem | the refrain comes back after each stanza |
| النَّاظْمْ هُوَ اللِّي كَيْلَحّْنْ | n-nadem huwa lli kayla77en | the poet is the one who sets the music |
| الْحِرْفِيِّينْ كَانُو كَيْحْفْظُو الْقْصَايْدْ | l-7irfiyyin kanu kay7efdu l-qsayed | craftsmen knew the qasidas by heart |
| فَنّْ مَوْهُوبْ مْنْ عَنْدْ اللَّهْ | fenn mawhub men 3end llah | a God-given art |
Row 2: a proverb with the same poetic prohibition.
What English gives you, and what it costs
Free: English has a poetic register too: “fear not”, “O heart”. The contrast la tlumni / ma-tlumnish is like “reproach me not” / “don't blame me”.
Free: ballads and folk song: popular poetry with its own conventions.
Costly: the refrain-and-stanza structure is sung, not read. Listen to recordings.
Your mistake, not someone else's
You like the sound of it and take it into conversation. la tlumni among friends sounds like a stage.
×— تْعَطّْلْتِي! — لَا تْلُومْنِيPoetic form in a chat.
✓— تْعَطّْلْتِي! — مَا تْلُومْنِيشْ“Don't blame me!”.
In proverbs it's fine: la tbi3… works in anyone's mouth.
Malhun, seen from Darija
Real extracts from the Darija Wikipedia articles “ملحون” and “سيدي قدور العلمي”. No verses are reproduced: we couldn't find a qasida with verifiable, freely usable text. Listen to malhun recordings with this vocabulary in front of you.
لْمَلْحُونْ هُوَ فَنّْ مْغْرِيبِي أَصِيلْ دْ لْغْنَا دْ لْقْصَايْدْ، تَيْنَاقْشْ مْوَاضِيعْ وْ قْضَايَا دِينِيَّة وْلَا اجْتِمَاعِيَّة وْلَا سِيَاسِيَّة. فْ لْمَلْحُونْ، الشَّاعْرْ هُوَ لِي كَيْنْظْمْ لْكْلَامْ وْ كَيْلْحّْنُو.
زْدَاهْرْ هَادْ لْفَنّْ فْ لْمْدُونْ لْقْدِيمَة بْحَالْ فَاسْ، مْكْنَاسْ، مْرَّاكْشْ، وْ سْلَا فْ لْمْغْرِيبْ، وْ تْلْمْسَانْ فْ لْجْزَايْرْ.
بْدَا لْمَلْحُونْ فْ تَافِيلَالْتْ، لِي كَانُو يْدُوزُو مْنْهَا لْݣَافْلَاتْ دْ لْبِيعْ وْ الشّْرَا […].
[…] مْنْ النَّاسْ لِي سَاهْمُو فْ لَانْتِشَارْ دْ لْمَلْحُونْ هُمَا لْحِرْفِيِّينْ، وْ لِي تَيْدِيرُو الصّْنَاعَة التَّقْلِيدِيَّة (النّْجَّارْ، اللّْبَّاطْ، الْخْرَّازْ، الدّْبَّاغْ، الدّْرَّازْ…).
سِيدِي قْدُّورْ الْعَلْمِي (مْزْيُودْ فْ 1742 فْ مْكْنَاسْ، مَاتْ فْ 1850) وَاحْدْ مْنْ أَكْتَرْ الشُّوعَارَا لْمَغَارْبَا فْ الشُّهْرَة دْيَالُو، ؤُ تّْشْهَرْ سِيرْتُو بْ لْأَغَانِي دْيَالُو.
كَانْ كَاتْبْ دْ لْأَغَانِي مْنْ نُوعْ لْمَلْحُونْ، ؤُ أَسّْسْ زَاوْيَة صُوفِيَّة فْ مْكْنَاسْ. هَادْ الزَّاوْيَة كَانَتْ وَحْدَة مْنْ لْمَرَاكْزْ لِي نْتَاشْرْ مْنْهَا لْمَلْحُونْ.
«ملحون» y «سيدي قدور العلمي», Wikipedia en darija (ary.wikipedia.org), autores de Wikipedia. Extractos con cortes marcados […]; vocalización de Learning Darija · CC BY-SA 4.0
Did you follow?
What is malhun, according to the article?
Show answers
A Moroccan art of singing qasidas on religious, social or political themes.
Where did it flourish?
Show answers
Fes, Meknes, Marrakesh, Salé, and Tlemcen.
Where did it begin?
Show answers
In the Tafilalt, along the trade caravan routes.
Who was Sidi Qaddur al-Alami?
Show answers
A malhun poet from Meknes (1742–1850) who founded a zawiya.
Check
Two here, three more in the C1 book.
Exercises 1 and 2 are here, with answers. Exercises 3 to 5 are in the C1 book, the PDF this site lives on: you can see the first item of each below.
1Sort
Poetry or street?
لَا تْلُومْنِيمَا تْلُومْنِيشْيَا الْقَلْبْآ قَلْبِيلَا تْبِيعْمَا تْبِيعْشْيَا الدُّنْيَاآ خُويَا
Poetry
Street
2Match
Each term to its definition.
| 1 | الْحَرْبَة | a | فِينْ بْدَا الْمَلْحُونْ |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | النَّاظْمْ | b | كَتْعَاوْدْ مُورَا كُلّْ قْسَمْ |
| 3 | تَافِيلَالْتْ | c | نْشْرُو الْمَلْحُونْ |
| 4 | الْحِرْفِيِّينْ | d | كَيْنْظْمْ وْ كَيْلَحّْنْ |
3True or false?
According to the articles.
- In malhun the poet both composes and sets the music.
4Switch register
As the brackets say.
- مَا تْلُومْنِيشْ (شِّعْرْ)
5Introduce it
Explain malhun in six sentences to someone who's never heard it.
الْمَلْحُونْالْقْصِيدَةالْحَرْبَةالْحِرْفِيِّينْكَيْغَنِّيوْ
The rest is in the C1 book
The C1 bookShow answers
| 1. Sort | Poetry: لَا تْلُومْنِي · يَا الْقَلْبْ · لَا تْبِيعْ · يَا الدُّنْيَا / Street: مَا تْلُومْنِيشْ · آ قَلْبِي · مَا تْبِيعْشْ · آ خُويَا |
|---|---|
| 2. Match | 1-b, 2-d, 3-a, 4-c |
The C1 book: In preparation
Write and I will tell you the day it is out. One email, no list.
I can now
- Explain what malhun is.
- Name l-7erba, l-qsem, s-sarraba.
- Recognise la + verb as a poetic prohibition.
- Keep poetry out of small talk.