Le Voyage Magnifique

The Sha'ir or Syair or Sjair from 17th century, Malysia, is a poetic narrative that not only tells the human story, often in romantic adventures but also expounds on local conflict and gives religious instruction. Because this form originated in a maritime trading center, the characters are often cosmopolitan. Shorter versions are known to use birds, fish, animals in allegory. The form originally performed, presenters would sit before an audience with an open book and sing the verses out loud.

The elements of the Sha'ir are:
1. metric, accentual, folk meter often using 4 stresses with the beginning syllable stressed and ending in an unstressed syllable. More important than stress is, all lines should be similar length.
2. stanzaic, written in any number of quatrains.
3. mono-rhymed. aaaa bbbb cccc etc
4. used to communicate romantic adventures, local conflicts, allegories and religious instructions.

~ Judi Van Gorder