The Qasida: A World Anthology

THE QASIDA: A World Anthology Translations, Introduction by Paul Smith The qasida is a form of praise poetry from pre-Islamic Arabia. It sometimes runs to more than 50 lines and sometimes more than 100. It was later inherited by the Persians, the Turks, the Afghans and Urdu Poets where it was developed immensely by Sufi, court and tribal poets. The qasida resembles a ghazal in many ways except that it is longer. Included with each poet is a brief biography plus a list of further reading. Th...