Poetry
Tawla
Not translated into English
Shin Uttamagyaw · 1500
Synopsis
The poem, in nine stanzas, is a journey through the forest: the landscapes and scenes met along the way are described in poetic language, then spiritualised. It accompanies the Buddha's return to Kapilavastu, and paints, season by season, a nature observed at close quarters, until it shows the entire universe coming to pay homage to the Buddha.
Context
The tawla, a poem of the journey through the forest, is one of the genres of classical Burmese poetry; this one is held to be the masterpiece of the genre and of the Burmese poetry of its time. No date of composition is established: the year given here is approximate, between the author's birth in 1453 and his death in 1542. Historians of literature note the precision of his gaze on nature and the way in which he turns it into spiritual material.
Who it is for
Nine stanzas in classical Burmese, short but dense with Buddhist allusions; no French translation.
Prizes and reception
Regarded as a masterpiece of Burmese letters, it is the only poem known by its author.