|
The literature of Burma (or Myanmar) spans over a millennium. Burmese literature was historically influenced by Indian and Thai cultures, as seen in many works, such as the ''Ramayana''. The Burmese language, unlike other Southeast Asian languages (e.g. Thai, Khmer), adopted words primarily from Pāli rather than from Sanskrit. In addition, Burmese literature has the tendency to reflect local folklore and culture. Burmese literature has historically been a very important aspect of Burmese life steeped in the Pali Canon of Buddhism. Traditionally, Burmese children were educated by monks in monasteries in towns and villages. During British colonial rule, instruction was formalised and unified, and often bilingual, in both English and Burmese known as Anglo-Vernacular. Burmese literature played a key role in disseminating nationalism among the Burmese during the colonial era, with writers such as Thakin Kodaw Hmaing, an outspoken critic of British colonialism in Burma. Beginning soon after self-rule, government censorship in Burma has been heavy, stifling literary expression.〔 ==Classical literature== The earliest forms of Burmese literature were on stone engravings called ''kyauksa'' ((ビルマ語:ကျောက်စာ)) for memorials or for special occasions such as the building of a temple or a monastery. Later, palm leaves called ''peisa'' () were used as paper, which resulted in the rounded forms of the Burmese alphabet. During the Bagan Dynasty, King Anawrahta adopted Theravada Buddhism as the state religion, and brought many Pali texts from Ceylon. These texts were translated, but Pali remained the literary medium of the Burmese kingdom. Furthermore, Pali influenced Burmese language in structure, because of literal translations of Pali text called ''nissaya'' (). The earliest works of Burmese literature date from the Bagan dynasty. They include proses recording monarchical merit acts and poetic works, the earliest of which was ''Yakhaing minthami eigyin'' (Cradle Song of the Princess of Arakan), dated to 1455. During the Bagan and Inwa dynasties, two primary types of literature flourished, ''mawgun'' () and ''eigyin,'' () and ''pyo'' (), religious works generally derived from the Jataka tales.〔 Non-fiction and religious works prevailed during this period although ''kagyin'' (), a war poem by a monarch, was an early form of this genre in history.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Shield Dance Song (ka jin) inc. audio )〕 As literature grew more liberal and secular, poetry became the most popular form of literature in Burma. The flexibility of the Burmese language, because of its monosyllabic and tonal nature, and its lack of many consonantal finals allowed poetry to utilise various rhyming schemes. By the 15th century, four primary genres of poetry had emerged, namely ''pyo'' (poems based on the Jataka Tales, ''linka'' ( metaphysical and religious poems), ''mawgun'' (historical verses written as a hybrid of epic and ode), and ''eigyin'' (lullabies of the royal family). Courtiers also perfected the ''myittaza'' (), a long prose letter. Buddhist monks were also influential in developing Burmese literature. Shin Aggathammadi rendered in verse the Jataka stories. During this time, Shin Maha Thilawuntha (1453–1520) wrote a chronicle on the history of Buddhism. A contemporary of his, Shin Ottama Gyaw, was famous for his epic verses called ''tawla'' () that revelled in the natural beauty of the seasons, forests and travel. Yawei Shin Htwe, a maid of honour, wrote another form of poetry called ''aingyin'' on the 55 styles of hairdressing. After the conquest of Siam by the Toungoo Dynasty, Thailand became a Burmese colony. This conquest incorporated many Thai elements into Burmese literature. Most evident were the ''yadu'' or ''yatu'' (), an emotional and philosophic verse and the ''yagan'' (), which imitated the themes of the ''yadu'' genre, which was more emotionally involved, could be inspired by mood, place, incident, and often addressed to sweethearts and wives. Famous writers of ''yadu'' include Nawadei I (1545–1600) and Prince Natshinnaung (1578–1619).〔 Some parts of Laos and Cambodia also became Burmese colonies during Second Burmese Empire and thereby influenced Burmese literature. In the areas of law, there were two major types of literature, ''dhammathat'' (), which appeared prior to the 13th century, and ''shauk-htone'' (), which were compilations of brief accounts of historic cases and events in simple narrative to serve as guides and legal precedents for rulers.〔 As the Konbaung Dynasty emerged in the 18th century, the Third Burmese Empire was founded. This era has been dubbed the "Golden Age of Literature". After a second conquest of Ayutthaya (Thailand), many spoils of war were brought to the Burmese court. The ''Ramayana'' () was introduced and was adapted in Burmese. In addition, the ''Ramayana'' inspired romantic poems, which became popular literary sojourns among the royal class. Burmese literature during this period was therefore modelled after the ''Ramayana'', and dramatic plays were patronised by the Burmese court.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Ramayana in Myanmar's Heart )〕 The Burmese adapted Thai verses and created four new classical verses, called: ''taydat'' (), ''laygyo'' (), ''dwaygyo'' () and ''bawle'' ().〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Burmese literature」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
|