Kakawin are long narrative poems composed in

Old Javanese Old Javanese or Kawi is the oldest attested phase of the Javanese language. It was spoken in the eastern part of what is now Central Java and the whole of East Java, Indonesia. As a literary language, Kawi was used across Java and on the island ...

, also called "'' Kawi''", written in verse form with rhythms and

meters The metre (British spelling) or meter (American spelling; see spelling differences) (from the French unit , from the Greek noun , "measure"), symbol m, is the primary unit of length in the International System of Units (SI), though its pr ...

derived from

Sanskrit Sanskrit (; attributively , ; nominally , , ) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in South Asia after its predecessor languages had Trans-cultural diffusion ...

literature. Poets used a formalized

literary language A literary language is the form (register) of a language used in written literature, which can be either a nonstandard dialect or a standardized variety of the language. Literary language sometimes is noticeably different from the spoken langua ...

, rather than the

vernacular A vernacular or vernacular language is in contrast with a "standard language". It refers to the language or dialect that is spoken by people that are inhabiting a particular country or region. The vernacular is typically the native language, n ...

. Poets composed and performed the poems at the courts of central and east

Java Java (; id, Jawa, ; jv, ꦗꦮ; su, ) is one of the Greater Sunda Islands in Indonesia. It is bordered by the Indian Ocean to the south and the Java Sea to the north. With a population of 151.6 million people, Java is the world's mo ...

kings between the 9th and 16th centuries, and in

Bali Bali () is a province of Indonesia and the westernmost of the Lesser Sunda Islands. East of Java and west of Lombok, the province includes the island of Bali and a few smaller neighbouring islands, notably Nusa Penida, Nusa Lembongan, and ...

. Although the poems depict events and characters from

Hindu Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...

mythology, the narratives are set in the local landscapes of the islands. They are rich sources of information about courtly society in Java and Bali.http://coombs.anu.edu.au/SpecialProj/APM/TXT/creese-h-02-96.html Helen Creese, "Temples of Words: Balinese Literary Traditions", ''Asia-Pacific Magazine'', No. 2 May 1996, pp. 38-43

Structure of a kakawin

A ''kakawin'' stanza consists of four lines. Each line has a set number of syllables per line, set in patterns of long and short syllables based on

rules of prosody. A syllable which contains a long vowel is called ''guru'' (Sanskrit for "heavy"), while a syllable which contains a short one is called ''laghu'' (Sanskrit for "light"). The term ''guru laghu'' denotes the structure of a line. For example, each line of the ''kakawin'' metre called "''Śardūlawikrīd ta''" consists of 19 syllables. The ''guru laghu'' of each line is as follows" ---, UU-, U-U, UU-, --U, --U, U. The notation "-" means that the syllable in question is long, while the "U" means that the syllable is short. As an example, the opening stanza of the '' Kakawin Arjunawiwaha'', which is in the metre ''Śardūlawikrīd ta'', is taken: :' :' :' :' :A tentative translation in English: :The thought of the one who knows the Highest Knowledge has leapt from the emptiness. :It is not because he wishes to fulfill his senses, as if he only wants to have the worldly things. :The success of his virtuous and good deeds are his goals. He endeavours for the happiness the world. :He is steadfast and just a ''

wayang , also known as ( jv, ꦮꦪꦁ, translit=wayang), is a traditional form of puppet theatre play originating from the Indonesian island of Java. refers to the entire dramatic show. Sometimes the leather puppet itself is referred to as . Perfor ...

'' screen away from the "Mover of the World". A syllable which contains a long vowel is automatically long (ā, ī, ū, ö, e, o, ai, and au) and thus ''guru''. But on the other hand, a syllable with a vowel followed by two consonants is also long. In addition to that the last syllable of a line may both contain a long or a short syllable. It is an ''

anceps In languages with quantitative poetic metres, such as Ancient Greek, Latin, Arabic, Sanskrit, and classical Persian, an anceps (plural ''ancipitia'' or ''(syllabae) ancipites'') is a position in a metrical pattern which can be filled by either ...

''.

List of notable ''kakawin''

{{columns-list, colwidth=25em, * Kakawin Adiparwa * Kakawin Arjunawijaya, by

Mpu Tantular Mpu Tantular (c. 14th century) was a famous Javanese poet of Javanese literature who lived in the 14th century, during the reign of king Hayam Wuruk. Tantular was a Buddhist, and was respectful to other religions. This can be seen in two items of k ...

* Kakawin Arjunawiwaha, by mpu Kanwa, ~ 1030 * Kakawin Banawa Sekar Tanakung * Kakawin Bharatayuddha, by Mpu Sedah and Mpu Panuluh, 1157 * Kakawin Bhomakawya * Kakawin Bhomantaka * Kakawin Brahmandapurana * Kakawin Dharmaśunya * Kakawin Gatotkacaśraya * Kakawin Hariwangsa * Kakawin Hariśraya * Kakawin Kalayawanantaka * Kakawin Khandawawanadahana * Kakawin Kṛsnataka * Kakawin Krsnayana * Kakawin Kunjarakarna, by Mpu Dusun * Kakawin Nagarakṛtâgama/Kakawin Desawarnana, by

Mpu Prapanca Mpu Prapanca wrote the ''Nagarakretagama'', written in Old Javanese, which tells the story of the Majapahit Kingdom and other stories of ancient Hindu- Javanese kingdoms. The Buddhist monk Prapanca wrote the chronicle in 1365 (or 1287 Saka ye ...

, 1365 * Kakawin Nirarthaprakṛta * Kakawin Nitiśastra * Kakawin Parthayajña *

Kakawin Ramayana ''Kakawin Ramayana'' is an Old Javanese poem rendering of the Sanskrit Ramayana in ''kakawin'' meter. ''Kakawin Rāmâyaṇa'' is a '' kakawin'', the Javanese form of ''kāvya'', a poem modeled on traditional Sanskrit meters.It is believed to ...

~ 870 * Kakawin Śivagŗha, 856 * Kakawin Siwaratrikalpa by Mpu Tanakung * Kakawin Smaradhana * Kakawin Subhrawiwaha * Kakawin Sumanasantaka by Mpu Monaguṇa * Kakawin Sutasoma, by

* Kakawin Wrtasañcaya by Mpu Tanakung * Kakawin Wṛttayana

Structure of a kakawin

List of notable ''kakawin''

See also

References

Further reading