HUDA' (caravan song) as the origin of Arabic songs

Abstract

It is almost impossible for us to define the origins of singing and poetry and the like, because they hide themselves behind the mist of their ancient legends and disclose no real features.
Although somewhat fruitless to investigate, the origin must be observed along the history of music and literature. Arabic songs, as I consider, rest their primitive form on either Huda' (caravan song) or Buka' (lamenting song). Each has its affirmative reasons to be first, but here I dare to choose the former as the more suitable one and try to report in this essay the origin and early development of Arabic songs, assuming that Huda' would be in typical concordance with Arabian nature, that is “DESERT”. When travelling in the desert what relations can exist between camel and camel-driver in the deep silence of the desert in addition to the footsteps of the camels and rhythmical swaying on the camel-back?