When the Scorpion Climbs: Evolutions of Arabic Saj’a Rhymes for Forecasting Seasonal Times
Traditional naked-eye astronomy was a rich element of Arab culture that figured prominently in the daily lives of herdsmen, farmers and fishermen, and others (Varisco 2000). These cultural practices were passed down from ancestors to successors, and the knowledge was preserved through oral poetry an...
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2024
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| Acceso en línea: | http://sedici.unlp.edu.ar/handle/10915/172052 |
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I19-R120-10915-172052 |
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Universidad Nacional de La Plata |
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Inglés |
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Ciencias Astronómicas Historia astronomía árabe indígena levantamiento heliaco prosa árabe rimada (sajʿ) pronóstico estacional astronomía popular indigenous Arabian astronomy heliacal rising Arabic rhymed prose (sajʿ) seasonal forecasting folk astronomy |
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Ciencias Astronómicas Historia astronomía árabe indígena levantamiento heliaco prosa árabe rimada (sajʿ) pronóstico estacional astronomía popular indigenous Arabian astronomy heliacal rising Arabic rhymed prose (sajʿ) seasonal forecasting folk astronomy Adams, Danielle K. When the Scorpion Climbs: Evolutions of Arabic Saj’a Rhymes for Forecasting Seasonal Times |
| topic_facet |
Ciencias Astronómicas Historia astronomía árabe indígena levantamiento heliaco prosa árabe rimada (sajʿ) pronóstico estacional astronomía popular indigenous Arabian astronomy heliacal rising Arabic rhymed prose (sajʿ) seasonal forecasting folk astronomy |
| description |
Traditional naked-eye astronomy was a rich element of Arab culture that figured prominently in the daily lives of herdsmen, farmers and fishermen, and others (Varisco 2000). These cultural practices were passed down from ancestors to successors, and the knowledge was preserved through oral poetry and rhymed prose, both of them ancient and honored Arab traditions. Abbasid (750-1258 CE) historians were the first to document traditional Arab astronomical knowledge, the most complete extant work being the Kitab al-Anwā’ (1956) of Ibn Qutayba (d. 889 CE). His work and the remnants of other works (see Ibn Sīda 1898-1903; al-Marzūqī 1914; Quṭrub 1985; and al-Ṣūfī 1981) reveal the breadth of application of local star knowledge to the prediction of seasonal weather changes that in turn forecast various elements of floral, faunal and social cycles (Henninger 1954; Pellat 1955; Varisco 1991).Observed in the waxing twilight of dawn, the cosmical settings of stars were culturally significant and featured strongly in poetry and the Qur’ān, but heliacal risings were prevalent within the medium of rhymed prose (sajʿ). Possibly a precursor to the first forms of classical Arabic poetry, sajʿ featured a rhyme at the end of each phrase without any internal meter or required number of syllables. Within the context of heliacal risings, sajʿ was formulaic, beginning with the phrase, “When [star] rises, …” The rhymed phrases that followed this opening connected the seasonal time of the heliacal rising of the star or asterism with characteristics of the floral, faunal and social activities that were undertaken during that time. This structure made pieces of sajʿ easy to transmit and remember, preserving the intimate knowledge of life in the desert among the Arabs, who observed “the blowing of the winds, the rising of the stars, and the changing of the seasons” (al-Marzūqī 1914, 2:179-180). Attributions of authorship were never identified within the literature that remains extant, indicating that the these rhymed prose sayings developed organically out of Arabian society.In this paper, the author examines the development of rhymed prose over time for the celestial complex of the Scorpion (al-ʿaqrab) as an example of the ongoing social process of construction of these pieces of rhymed prose and their evolving utility for seasonal forecasting. Over time, there developed pieces of sajʿ for the Scorpion as a whole and for each of its four constituent parts: the Pincer (az-zubānā), the Crown (al-iklīl), the Heart (al-qalb), and the Raised Tail (ash-shawla). The sajʿ for the Scorpion provides insight into the processes of change in social astronomical systems that continue to evolve over time rather than remaining static. As such, these living skies of Arabia are windows into the integral roles that indigenous astronomies play within a society. |
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Articulo Articulo |
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Adams, Danielle K. |
| author_facet |
Adams, Danielle K. |
| author_sort |
Adams, Danielle K. |
| title |
When the Scorpion Climbs: Evolutions of Arabic Saj’a Rhymes for Forecasting Seasonal Times |
| title_short |
When the Scorpion Climbs: Evolutions of Arabic Saj’a Rhymes for Forecasting Seasonal Times |
| title_full |
When the Scorpion Climbs: Evolutions of Arabic Saj’a Rhymes for Forecasting Seasonal Times |
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When the Scorpion Climbs: Evolutions of Arabic Saj’a Rhymes for Forecasting Seasonal Times |
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When the Scorpion Climbs: Evolutions of Arabic Saj’a Rhymes for Forecasting Seasonal Times |
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when the scorpion climbs: evolutions of arabic saj’a rhymes for forecasting seasonal times |
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2024 |
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http://sedici.unlp.edu.ar/handle/10915/172052 |
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I19-R120-10915-1720522024-10-25T20:04:03Z http://sedici.unlp.edu.ar/handle/10915/172052 When the Scorpion Climbs: Evolutions of Arabic Saj’a Rhymes for Forecasting Seasonal Times Quando sobe o escorpião: Evoluções das rimas árabes Saj'a para prever tempos sazonais Cuando sube el escorpión: evoluciones de las rimas árabes Saj'a para pronosticar tiempos estacionales Adams, Danielle K. 2024-09-26 2024-10-25T18:04:15Z en Ciencias Astronómicas Historia astronomía árabe indígena levantamiento heliaco prosa árabe rimada (sajʿ) pronóstico estacional astronomía popular indigenous Arabian astronomy heliacal rising Arabic rhymed prose (sajʿ) seasonal forecasting folk astronomy Traditional naked-eye astronomy was a rich element of Arab culture that figured prominently in the daily lives of herdsmen, farmers and fishermen, and others (Varisco 2000). These cultural practices were passed down from ancestors to successors, and the knowledge was preserved through oral poetry and rhymed prose, both of them ancient and honored Arab traditions. Abbasid (750-1258 CE) historians were the first to document traditional Arab astronomical knowledge, the most complete extant work being the Kitab al-Anwā’ (1956) of Ibn Qutayba (d. 889 CE). His work and the remnants of other works (see Ibn Sīda 1898-1903; al-Marzūqī 1914; Quṭrub 1985; and al-Ṣūfī 1981) reveal the breadth of application of local star knowledge to the prediction of seasonal weather changes that in turn forecast various elements of floral, faunal and social cycles (Henninger 1954; Pellat 1955; Varisco 1991).Observed in the waxing twilight of dawn, the cosmical settings of stars were culturally significant and featured strongly in poetry and the Qur’ān, but heliacal risings were prevalent within the medium of rhymed prose (sajʿ). Possibly a precursor to the first forms of classical Arabic poetry, sajʿ featured a rhyme at the end of each phrase without any internal meter or required number of syllables. Within the context of heliacal risings, sajʿ was formulaic, beginning with the phrase, “When [star] rises, …” The rhymed phrases that followed this opening connected the seasonal time of the heliacal rising of the star or asterism with characteristics of the floral, faunal and social activities that were undertaken during that time. This structure made pieces of sajʿ easy to transmit and remember, preserving the intimate knowledge of life in the desert among the Arabs, who observed “the blowing of the winds, the rising of the stars, and the changing of the seasons” (al-Marzūqī 1914, 2:179-180). Attributions of authorship were never identified within the literature that remains extant, indicating that the these rhymed prose sayings developed organically out of Arabian society.In this paper, the author examines the development of rhymed prose over time for the celestial complex of the Scorpion (al-ʿaqrab) as an example of the ongoing social process of construction of these pieces of rhymed prose and their evolving utility for seasonal forecasting. Over time, there developed pieces of sajʿ for the Scorpion as a whole and for each of its four constituent parts: the Pincer (az-zubānā), the Crown (al-iklīl), the Heart (al-qalb), and the Raised Tail (ash-shawla). The sajʿ for the Scorpion provides insight into the processes of change in social astronomical systems that continue to evolve over time rather than remaining static. As such, these living skies of Arabia are windows into the integral roles that indigenous astronomies play within a society. La astronomía tradicional a simple vista fue un elemento rico de la cultura árabe que ocupó un lugar destacado en la vida cotidiana de los pastores, agricultores y pescadores, entre otros (Varisco 2000). Los historiadores abasíes (750-1258 d. C.) fueron los primeros en documentar el conocimiento astronómico árabe tradicional; el trabajo existente más completo es el Kitab al-Anwā’ (1956) de Ibn Qutayba (m. 889 d. C.). Su trabajo y los remanentes de otros trabajos (ver Ibn Sīda 1898-1903; al-Marzūqī 1914; Quṭrub 1985; y al-Ṣūfī 1981) revelan la amplitud de la aplicación del conocimiento de las estrellas locales para la predicción de cambios climáticos estacionales que a su vez pronostican varios elementos de los ciclos florales, faunísticos y sociales (Henninger 1954; Pellat 1955; Varisco 1991).Observados en el crepúsculo creciente del amanecer, los escenarios cósmicos de las estrellas eran culturalmente significativos y figuraban con fuerza en la poesía y el Corán, pero los levantamientos helíacos prevalecían en el medio de la prosa rimada (sajʿ). Posiblemente un precursor de las primeras formas de poesía árabe clásica, sajʿ presentaba una rima al final de cada frase sin ninguna métrica interna o número requerido de sílabas. En el contexto de las salidas heliacas, sajʿ era una fórmula, comenzando con la frase, "Cuando [la estrella] sale, ..." Las frases rimadas que siguieron a esta apertura conectaron el tiempo estacional de la salida heliaca de la estrella o asterismo con las características del floral, fauna y actividades sociales que se desarrollaron durante ese tiempo. Esta estructura hizo que las piezas de sajʿ fueran fáciles de transmitir y recordar, conservando el conocimiento íntimo de la vida en el desierto entre los árabes, quienes observaron “el soplo de los vientos, la salida de las estrellas y el cambio de las estaciones” (al- Marzūqī 1914, 2:179-180).En este artículo, el autor examina el desarrollo de la prosa rimada a lo largo del tiempo para el complejo celestial del Escorpión (al-ʿaqrab) como un ejemplo del proceso social en curso de construcción de estas piezas de prosa rimada y su utilidad evolutiva para la predicción estacional. Con el tiempo, se desarrollaron piezas de sajʿ para el Escorpión como un todo y para cada una de sus cuatro partes constituyentes: la Tenaza (az-zubānā), la Corona (al-iklīl), el Corazón (al-qalb) y el Elevado Cola (ash-shawla). El sajʿ para el Escorpión proporciona información sobre los procesos de cambio en los sistemas astronómicos sociales que continúan evolucionando con el tiempo en lugar de permanecer estáticos. Como tal, estos cielos vivos de Arabia son ventanas a los roles integrales que desempeñan las astronomías indígenas dentro de una sociedad. Sociedad Interamericana de Astronomía en la Cultura Articulo Articulo http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/ Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0) application/pdf 33-41 |