The ZEJEL is of Spanish origin and is a rather light verse, similar to the Irish LIMERICK.

Eight syllable lines are common, but others have been used. The zejel can have any number of verses. The first strophe is known as the cabeza, and it introduces the theme of the poem: aa (or aaa)

The mudanza is the monorhymed tercet that begins each of the subsequent strophes: bbb, ccc, ddd, eee, etc.... Finally, the vuelta is one or more lines rhyming with the cabeza. This form is known to Arabs as zahal.



Example by Bob Newman:


Proposition
Mostly, sex tops men’s agenda.
I’m not one to buck the trend - a
Red-blooded repeat offender.

Hurrying for the morning train,
Spirit not damped by teeming rain,
There’s only one thing on my brain:
All the time I think of gender.

At the office, deep in filing,
Boredom on frustration piling,
Even then, a woman smiling
Makes me feel all warm and tender.

Are you female and eighteen plus?
A good sport and adventurous?
We have a great deal to discuss.
Come back to my hacienda!