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E-book Songs on the Road : Wandering Religious Poets in India, Tibet, and Japan

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Penilaian

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Wandering religious poets – that is to say, poets for whom wande-ring is a way of life and whose poetry deals with religious themes – can be found in a variety of ancient and modern cultures. In India, Tibet, and Japan the ascetic or saint who travels from place to place has been the subject of both veneration and fear for hund-reds, or even thousands, of years, as is evident in poetry by and about such persons. In oral cultures in particular, wandering poets have played important roles as custodians of myths, lore, and reli-gious traditions, and as institutors of new ones. While for some poets travelling is a dire necessity, for others the journey functions as a spiritual quest towards a transcendent goal, or a pilgrimage involving an inner journey and spiritual transformation.1In their introduction to Wandering Poets in Ancient Greek Culture (2009), the editors Richard Hunter & Ian Rutherford provide an overview of the phenomenon of travelling poets and poetic itinerancy (from Latin iter ‘journey, road’) in ancient Hellas. The poet, singer or rhapsodist (poi?t?s, aoidós, rhaps?idós) may have travelled to a city to get commissions, or to partake in a poetic contest, or perform in a festival at a sanctuary;2 he could also accompany his patron on a journey. Like its author travels across the land, so too should his poetry and the fame it gave to both poet and patron spread far and wide.3 In the Odyssey, the singer is a figure worthy of respect, counted among the craftsmen (d?mioergoì) invited from abroad to do services to men.4 Among mythical travelling poets we find Arion,5 Thamyris,6 and Orpheus, founder of the Orphic mysteries.The importance given to the poet in ancient Hellenic culture is partly to be derived from this culture’s Indo-European heritage, as is evident when we compare it with the ancient Celtic, Germanic, and Indo-Iranian cultures. The Celtic bard (from Proto-Celtic*bardos ‘praise-maker’) was a powerful figure, patronized by kings. The skald had a similar status and function in Old Norse culture.7 The Old English poem Widsith describes how the scop, corresponding to the skald, has travelled widely and been rewarded for his fame-spreading songs by generous patrons. Likewise, in ancient India there were itinerant bards or rhapsodes (ku??lavas, s?tas, m?gadhas). In the final book of V?lm?ki’s epic R?m?ya?a, the exiled princes Ku?a and Lava (eponyms of ku??lavas) wander about among the people, reciting the epic that celebrates the gestaof their father, R?ma.

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Ketersediaan

Informasi Detail

Judul Seri

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No. Panggil

294.3 EDH s

Penerbit

London : Stockholm University Press., 2021

Deskripsi Fisik

154 hlm

Bahasa

English

ISBN/ISSN

9789176351369

Klasifikasi

294.3

Tipe Isi

text

Tipe Media

computer

Tipe Pembawa

online resource

Edisi

-

Subjek

Buddhism

Info Detail Spesifik

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Pernyataan Tanggungjawab

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Versi lain/terkait

Lampiran Berkas

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