As before stated (p. v., note), the metre is Hexameter Hazaj Catalectic ; the last foot may be fa'ûlun as well as mafâ'il. (Blochmann, Persian Prosody, p. 31.) Though written in the classical period, the poem contains many pre-classic forms, e.g. مر before the nominative, 1. 755; the kasra of the izâfat lengthened to ى, A1.832 ; the preposition بر with the izafat, 1. 38; را as the sign of the genitive, 1. 554 ; pronominal affixes separated from their verb, 1. 443 ; the preposition در placed after its noun, to which به is prefixed, 1. 109. Contractions are frequent, e.g. bagzasht, 1. 28; bastad, 1. 61; nanhâda, 1. 161 ; nabwad, 1. 142 ; tust for tu ast, 1. 269 ; batar for badtar, 1. 323 ; bûd for bûd, 1. 914 ; arni for arini, 1. 193 ; alastub rabbakum, 1. 419 ; ta'allallâ, 1. 13. The tashdid of words like دق , حقّ, and درّ is dropped if the metre requires it. (Blochmanu, p. iv.) The tashdid is added ob metrum in امّيد,A1. 821; and, if the readings in the text are correct, to اسم in 1. 706, and to بصر and سمع in lines 144 and 403- But this is doubtful. (See Blochmann, p. 9.) In 1. 385 the izâfat after mute لا is not sounded. (Lumsden, Persian Grammar, ii. 249-) In 1. 84 and 1. 320 ة is treated as a mute لا. In 1. 368 and 1. 552 ه is treated as an alif i waçl. (Blochmann, p. 13.) Blochmann says ی doubled by an affixed izâfat or yae tankir should not be marked with hamza, but the MSS. of this poem mark it with hamza or with tashdid, as in 1. 703 ; or leave it unmarked, as in 11. 642 and 336. (See Lumsden, ii. 247). Note that hamza is often used when ی is a single vowel, e. g. 11. 3 and 435. This, according to Blochmann, is its only correct use with ی. Line 347 will not scan as it stands, but the MSS. offer no alternative reading for تمامست. Probably ت here is not sounded, as in كنشت,A1. 305, and هفتصد,A1. 544. The MSS. generally insert the hamza, indicating an izâfat or yae tankir, after mute لا, but sometimes omit it, as in 1. 456.