Kakawin

Kakawin are long narrative poems composed in Old Javanese, also called "Kawi", written in verse form with rhythms and meters derived from Sanskrit literature.[1] Poets used a formalized literary language, rather than the vernacular. Poets composed and performed the poems at the courts of central and east Java kings between the 9th and 16th centuries,[1] and in Bali.[2]

Although the poems depict events and characters from Hindu 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.[3]

  1. ^ a b Taylor, Jean Gelman (2003). Indonesia: Peoples and Histories. New Haven and London: Yale University Press. pp. 32–33. ISBN 0-300-10518-5.
  2. ^ http://wwwsshe.murdoch.edu.au/intersections/issue5/creese.html Helen Creese, "Images of Women and Embodiment in Kakawin Literature", Intersections: Gender, History and Culture in the Asian Context, Issue 5, May 2001
  3. ^ 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