Stanzas of Splendor: Exploring the Mosammat, Tarkib-band, and Tarji-band

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 …