1 - Burmese Poetry, 1450–1885: Its' Scope and Nature

Summary

It was with both pride and humility that I accepted the kind invitation extended to me by the Director of the Ostasiatisches Seminar, University of Frankfurt, to come and deliver a lecture on any aspect of Burmese literature. I was especially proud when I learnt that this was to inaugurate a course in Burmese language and literature at the University: this, I believe, is the only course of its kind outside Burma. At the same time I was filled with humility at the thought of having to do justice to this momentous occasion. With such mixed feelings, I shall now read the paper “Burmese Poetry, AD 1450-1885: Its Scope and Nature”.

The Burmese have a vast store of literature on stone, on palm leaf, and in printed book form from the twelfth century to modern times. Today, however, I will address myself to only a few representative kinds of Burmese imaginative literature, all drawn from the poetry which dominated the scene from AD 1450 to 1885, before the West had made its impact on Burmese culture: in other words, the poetry that made its debut in what is usually referred to as the Golden Age of Burmese literature, and ended with the downfall of the Burmese monarchy. This poetry was written on palm leaf with a stylus, as printing was not widely used in Burma before the end of the nineteenth century.

The two major contributory factors in the birth and development of this imaginative literature are Buddhism and the Burmese kings. The establishment of Theravada, or conservative, Buddhism long before the eleventh century in Burma, and its dissemination of education not only in the religious language, Pali, but also in the language of the country, gave the Burmese a script of their own, produced numerous poets, and provided themes for the poetry.