The Camel-Section of the Panegyrical Ode Author(s): Renate Jacobi Source: Journal of Arabic Literature, Vol. 13 (1982), pp. 1-22 Published by: BRILL Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/4183059 . Accessed: 15/06/2014 23:43 Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of the Terms & Conditions of Use, available at . http://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsp . JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact
[email protected]. BRILL is collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend access to Journal of Arabic Literature. http://www.jstor.org This content downloaded from 132.74.95.21 on Sun, 15 Jun 2014 23:43:38 PM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions Journal of Arabic Literature,XIII THE CAMEL-SECTION OF THE PANEGYRICAL ODE' When comparing Arabic odes from different periods, the reader is sure to notice a certain discrepancy with regard to the main parts of the qasida: erotic prologue (nasib), camel-theme (wasf al-jamal and/or rahil), panegyric (madih). I mean the fact that the first and last section remain almost unchanged as structural units of the ode, whereas the second part, the camel-theme, changes radically from Pre-Islamic to Abbasid times. That is to say, although nasTband madzhpresent many aspects of internal change and development, and even more so, I believe, than has been recognized up to now, they continue to form substantial elements of the genre.