Rhyme and intonation: abysses of imagery　韻と抑揚、イメージの深淵

Poet-singers do more than just sing or speak poetry to convey certain messages. Rhymes, or identical and similar sounds, are used repeatedly at certain points in the lyrics to create inflection. Poet-singers also use rhetorical tricks to evoke certain images in their listeners. These are extremely important elements that create a poet-singer’s songs and stories.

The world of Ethiopian imagery—“wax and gold”（エチオピアのイメージの世界「蠟と金」）
　
In Azmari’s songs, we hear “wax and gold” (semennawerqe in Amharic). The word “wax” refers to a specific word, verse, or paragraph that is understood literally in the lyrics. Gold, on the other hand, refers to the depths of the poem, the world of imagery revealed as the wax gradually melts. The listener listens carefully to the “wax” part and performs rhetorical work in their mind to derive the “gold.” The motifs of “gold” are often related to the resignation of life and death, or the view of impermanence.

Mongolian oral literature and rhyming tradition（モンゴルの韻踏む文学、口承文芸）
　
Mongolia is the land of rhyming: everything rhymes; from proverbs, yurööl (wish-prayer), and magtaar(eulogy) to nomadic quarrel songs, shaman’s prayer songs, and spirit invocation songs. Among them is a finger-play song called “dembee,” which could be called a kind of rap battle. This rhyming is also a default in contemporary poetry recitation and popular music. This rhyming technique has been developed and implemented in contemporary rap.