Nawade (; also spelt Nawaday) is a title given by the
Burmese kings to the
poets laureate of ancient
Burma
Myanmar, officially the Republic of the Union of Myanmar; and also referred to as Burma (the official English name until 1989), is a country in northwest Southeast Asia. It is the largest country by area in Mainland Southeast Asia and ha ...
. Whereas there were at least five court poets who were given the title of Nawade only two are frequently discussed in academic circles.
First Nawade
The first Nawade (1498–1588), known as Nawadegyi as well as the Prome Nawade, was a warrior and tutored the brother-in-law of the
Lord of Prome.
[ According to one traditional telling, Nawadegyi was the son of Princess Narapati Medaw guardian. Nawadegyi served multiple kings, including ]Sithu Kyawhtin
Sithu Kyawhtin (, ; also known as Narapati Sithu (နရပတိ စည်သူ, )) was the last king of Ava from 1551 to 1555. He came to power by overthrowing King Narapati III in 1551, the culmination of his six-year rebellion (1545–155 ...
and Bayinnaung
, title = King of Toungoo
, image = Bayinnaung.JPG
, caption = Statue of Bayinnaung in front of the National Museum of Myanmar
, reign = 30 April 1550 – 10 October 1581
, coronation = 11 January 1551 at Taungoo, ...
(the latter of whom conferred the title upon him). He often wrote poetry that exalted the royal family, including missing ''Manawhari Pyo'' (1579) which concerns the Thudanu Prince,[
]
Second Nawade
The second Nawade, Dutiya (1756–1840), also known as Wetmasut Nawade after the town he frequented or Mawsun Nawade due to the fact that he wrote at least fifteen ''mawgun
A mawgun (, ; originated from archaic , ) is a form of Burmese poem which is often used to record a significant event meant to last.
History Early times
In the Pagan era, donors recorded their donations in the prose form of mawgun. However, since ...
'' in his lifetime.[ Three of them pertain to Burmese ]conquest
Conquest involves the annexation or control of another entity's territory through war or Coercion (international relations), coercion. Historically, conquests occurred frequently in the international system, and there were limited normative or ...
s, including ''Ar-than-naing Mawgun'' and ''Rakhine Naing Mawgun'' on the conquests of Assam
Assam (, , ) is a state in Northeast India, northeastern India, south of the eastern Himalayas along the Brahmaputra Valley, Brahmaputra and Barak River valleys. Assam covers an area of . It is the second largest state in Northeast India, nor ...
and Rakhine respectively, as well as the missing ''Dawei Naing Mawgun'' on the takeover of Dawei
Dawei (, ; , ; , RTGS: ''Thawai'', ; formerly known as Tavoy) is a city in south-eastern Myanmar and is the capital of the Tanintharyi Region, formerly known as the Tenasserim Division, on the eastern bank of the Dawei River. The city is about ...
;[ he also wrote ''Tayok Than Yuak Mawgun'' (1821), which details the arrival of a group of Chinese officials to Burma. When the manuscript of Letwe Nawrahta's ''Yodaya Naing Mawgun'' was first catalogued, the poem was misattributed to the second Nawade, and this was not rectified until decades later.][
]
Influence
The first Ayeyarwady River
The Irrawaddy River (, , Ayeyarwady) is the principal river of Myanmar, running through the centre of the country. Myanmar’s most important commercial waterway, it is about 1,350 miles (2,170 km) long. Originating from the confluence of the ...
bridge at Pyay-Sinde Road in Pyay, which was commissioned into service by the ruling ''tatmadaw
The Tatmadaw, also known as the Sit-Tat, is the armed forces of Myanmar (formerly Burma). It is administered by the Ministry of Defence and composed of the Myanmar Army, the Myanmar Navy and the Myanmar Air Force. Auxiliary services include ...
'' in 1997, was named the Nawade Bridge.
References
{{authority control
Burmese male poets
*
Burmese royal titles