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Reading the Miraculous Powers of Japanese Poetry Spells, Truth Acts, and a Medieval Buddhist Poetics of the Supernatural
Japanese Journal of Religious Studies 32/: –33 © 2005 Nanzan Institute for Religion and Culture R. Keller Kimbrough Reading the Miraculous Powers of Japanese Poetry Spells, Truth Acts, and a Medieval Buddhist Poetics of the Supernatural The supernatural powers of Japanese poetry are widely documented in the lit- erature of Heian and medieval Japan. Twentieth-century scholars have tended to follow Orikuchi Shinobu in interpreting and discussing miraculous verses in terms of ancient (arguably pre-Buddhist and pre-historical) beliefs in koto- dama 言霊, “the magic spirit power of special words.” In this paper, I argue for the application of a more contemporaneous hermeneutical approach to the miraculous poem-stories of late-Heian and medieval Japan: thirteenth- century Japanese “dharani theory,” according to which Japanese poetry is capable of supernatural effects because, as the dharani of Japan, it contains “reason” or “truth” (kotowari) in a semantic superabundance. In the first sec- tion of this article I discuss “dharani theory” as it is articulated in a number of Kamakura- and Muromachi-period sources; in the second, I apply that the- ory to several Heian and medieval rainmaking poem-tales; and in the third, I argue for a possible connection between the magico-religious technology of Indian “Truth Acts” (saccakiriyā, satyakriyā), imported to Japan in various sutras and sutra commentaries, and some of the miraculous poems of the late- Heian and medieval periods. keywords: waka – dharani – kotodama – katoku setsuwa – rainmaking – Truth Act – saccakiriyā, satyakriyā R. Keller Kimbrough is an Assistant Professor of Japanese at Colby College. In the 2005– 2006 academic year, he will be a Visiting Research Fellow at the Nanzan Institute for Religion and Culture. -
Rędende Iudithše: the Heroic, Mythological and Christian Elements in the Old English Poem Judith
University of San Diego Digital USD Undergraduate Honors Theses Theses and Dissertations Fall 12-22-2015 Rædende Iudithðe: The eH roic, Mythological and Christian Elements in the Old English Poem Judith Judith Caywood Follow this and additional works at: https://digital.sandiego.edu/honors_theses Part of the European Languages and Societies Commons, and the Literature in English, British Isles Commons Digital USD Citation Caywood, Judith, "Rædende Iudithðe: The eH roic, Mythological and Christian Elements in the Old English Poem Judith" (2015). Undergraduate Honors Theses. 15. https://digital.sandiego.edu/honors_theses/15 This Undergraduate Honors Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Theses and Dissertations at Digital USD. It has been accepted for inclusion in Undergraduate Honors Theses by an authorized administrator of Digital USD. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Rædende Iudithðe: The Heroic, Mythological and Christian Elements in the Old English Poem Judith ______________________ A Thesis Presented to The Faculty and the Honors Program Of the University of San Diego ______________________ By Jude Caywood Interdisciplinary Humanities 2015 Caywood 2 Judith is a character born from the complex multicultural forces that shaped Anglo-Saxon society, existing liminally between the mythological, the heroic and the Christian. Simultaneously Germanic warrior, pagan demi-goddess or supernatural figure, and Christian saint, Judith arbitrates amongst the seemingly incompatible forces that shaped the poet’s world, allowing the poem to serve as an important site for the making of a new Anglo-Saxon identity, one which would eventually come to be the united English identity. She becomes a single figure who is able to reconcile these opposing forces within herself and thereby does important cultural work for the world for which the poem was written. -
Christianity and Oral Culture in Anglo-Saxon Verse
Oral Tradition, 24/2 (2009): 293-318 The Word Made Flesh: Christianity and Oral Culture in Anglo-Saxon Verse Andy Orchard As far as the history of English literature goes, in the beginning was Cædmon’s Hymn, and Cædmon’s Hymn, at least as an inaugural event, seems something of a damp squib.1 Not just because Bede’s description of the unexpected inspiration of the apparently Celtic-named putative parent of English verse has so many analogues in the form of similar and sometimes seemingly more miraculous stories (see, for examples, Atherton 2002; Ireland 1987; Lester 1974; O’Donnell 2005:29-60 and 191-202), including a Latin autobiographical account of the “inspiration” of the drunk Symphosius (whose Greek-derived name means “drinking-party animal” or suchlike), supposedly similarly spurred to song at a much earlier North African booze-up of his own, the narrative of which seems to have been known in Anglo-Saxon England at around the same time Cædmon took his fateful walk to commune with the common herd (Orchard forthcoming a). And not just because for many readers there is a lingering sense of disappointment on first acquaintance, since however well-constructed we are increasingly told that Cædmon’s Hymn may be (Howlett 1974; Conway 1995; but see O’Donnell 2005:179-86), the fact that the repetition of eight so seemingly trite and formulaic epithets for God (seven of them different, however) has seemed to some a tad excessive in a poem of only nine lines (Fry 1974 and 1981; Stanley 1995). Still further factors seem to undermine the iconic status of Cædmon’s Hymn, including its variant forms and the rumbling (if unlikely) suggestions that it is no more than a back-translation from Bede’s somehow superior Latin, at the margins of which it so often appears in the manuscripts (Kiernan 1990; Isaac 1997). -
Old English Literature: a Brief Summary
Volume II, Issue II, June 2014 - ISSN 2321-7065 Old English Literature: A Brief Summary Nasib Kumari Student J.k. Memorial College of Education Barsana Mor Birhi Kalan Charkhi Dadri Introduction Old English literature (sometimes referred to as Anglo-Saxon literature) encompasses literature written in Old English (also called Anglo-Saxon) in Anglo-Saxon England from the 7th century to the decades after the Norman Conquest of 1066. "Cædmon's Hymn", composed in the 7th century according to Bede, is often considered the oldest extant poem in English, whereas the later poem, The Grave is one of the final poems written in Old English, and presents a transitional text between Old and Middle English.[1] Likewise, the Peterborough Chronicle continues until the 12th century. The poem Beowulf, which often begins the traditional canon of English literature, is the most famous work of Old English literature. The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle has also proven significant for historical study, preserving a chronology of early English history.Alexander Souter names the commentary on Paul's epistles by Pelagius "the earliest extant work by a British author".[2][3] In descending order of quantity, Old English literature consists of: sermons and saints' lives, biblical translations; translated Latin works of the early Church Fathers; Anglo-Saxon chronicles and narrative history works; laws, wills and other legal works; practical works ongrammar, medicine, geography; and poetry.[4] In all there are over 400 survivingmanuscripts from the period, of which about 189 are considered "major".[5] Besides Old English literature, Anglo-Saxons wrote a number of Anglo-Latin works. -
English Alliterative Verse: Poetic Tradition and Literary History
ENGLISH ALLITERATIVE VERSE English Alliterative Verse tells the story of the medieval poetic tradition that includes Beowulf, Piers Plowman, and Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, stretching from the eighth century, when English poetry first appeared in manuscripts, to the sixteenth century, when alliterative poetry ceased to be composed. Eric Weiskott draws on the study of meter to challenge the traditional division of medieval English literary history into ‘Old English’ and ‘Middle English’ periods. The two halves of the alliterative tradition, divided by the Norman Conquest of 1066, have been studied separately since the nineteenth century; this book uses the history of metrical form and its cultural meanings to bring the two halves back together. In combining literary history and metrical description into a new kind of history he calls ‘verse history,’ Weiskott reimagines the historical study of poetics. eric weiskott is Assistant Professor of English at Boston College. In addition to publishing widely on alliterative verse and early English literary history in journals such as Anglo-Saxon England, ELH, Modern Language Quarterly, Modern Philology, Review of English Studies, and Yearbook of Langland Studies, Weiskott is also a practicing poet. Most recently, his poems have appeared in burnt- district, Cricket Online Review, and paper nautilus. His first poetry chapbook was Sharp Fish (2008). With Irina Dumitrescu, he has co- edited a volume of essays with the working title Early English Poetics and the History of Style. cambridge studies -
A History of English Literature MICHAEL ALEXANDER
A History of English Literature MICHAEL ALEXANDER [p. iv] © Michael Alexander 2000 All rights reserved. No reproduction, copy or transmission of this publication may be made without written permission. No paragraph of this publication may be reproduced, copied or transmitted save with written permission or in accordance with the provisions of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, or under the terms of any licence permitting limited copying issued by the Copyright Licensing Agency, 90 Tottenham Court Road, London W 1 P 0LP. Any person who does any unauthorised act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages. The author has asserted his right to be identified as the author of this work in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. First published 2000 by MACMILLAN PRESS LTD Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire RG21 6XS and London Companies and representatives throughout the world ISBN 0-333-91397-3 hardcover ISBN 0-333-67226-7 paperback A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library. This book is printed on paper suitable for recycling and made from fully managed and sustained forest sources. 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 09 08 07 06 05 04 03 02 O1 00 Typeset by Footnote Graphics, Warminster, Wilts Printed in Great Britain by Antony Rowe Ltd, Chippenham, Wilts [p. v] Contents Acknowledgements The harvest of literacy Preface Further reading Abbreviations 2 Middle English Literature: 1066-1500 Introduction The new writing Literary history Handwriting -
View That the Present Study Affirms
1 CYNEWULF'S ASCENSION (CHRIST II): A CRITICAL EDITION Roland T. Williams A Dissertation Submitted to the Graduate School of Bowling Green State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY August 197U Approved by Doctoral Committee Advisor Department of Englzi ¿f7 iJ-l—dJ —;; WWUNG GREEN Stint UNIVERSITY LIBRARY ABSTRACT Ascension (Christ II) is one of four Old English poems (the other three are Fates of the Apostles, Juliana, and Elene) with the name "Cynewulf" embedded in runes, acrostic-fashion, near the end. The purpose of the dissertation is to present a text of Ascension, transcribed from the Exeter Book facsimile. Included, too, are textual notes and commentary, introduction, translation, and glossary. Although the poem has been edited as part of the Exeter Book, as one of Cynewulf's signed works, and in collections of Old English literature, it has never been issued before as a separate work. The first 1,664 lines of the Exeter Book have been divided by scholars into Christ I (Advent), Christ II (Ascension), and Christ III (The Last Judgment) and were considered for many years to be a trilogy called Christ. Since Benjamin Thorpe published the first edition of the Exeter Book in 1842, scholars have repeated ly attempted to discover whether Cynewulf wrote one, two, or all three parts. For the reason that Cynewulf's name appears only at the end of Ascension, current scholarship holds that Cynewulf wrote only this poem, a view that the present study affirms. The introduction includes a discussion of the background of the Exeter Book, problems relating to authorship, dating, dialect, and runic writing, and a critical analysis which ejqjlores the structure, diction, imagery, and theme of the poem. -
Download The
THE WIND OF VIRTUE OVER THE REALM: THE CONCEPT OF FENG AS A LEGITIMIZING MEDIUM IN HANAZONO’S PREFACES TO THE FŪGAWAKASHŪ by Yoon-Kyung Kim B.A., The University of British Columbia, 2002 A THESIS SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF ARTS in THE FACULTY OF GRADUATE AND POSTDOCTORAL STUDIES (Asian Studies) THE UNIVERSITY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA (Vancouver) August 2017 © Yoon-Kyung Kim, 2017 Abstract This thesis explores the political messages contained in the seventeenth imperial anthology of Japanese poetry (waka), the Fūgawakashū (1346). Through reaffirmation of values presented in previous anthologies, imperial waka anthologies served as a source of mutual legitimization for the commissioning regime and the compiling poets. I examine how Retired Emperor Hanazono (1297-1348, r. 1308-1318), as the head of the Jimyōin faction and the guardian of the Kyōgoku school of poetry, establishes ties between the Fūgawakashū and canonical texts of Japan and China to legitimize his Kyōgoku-Jimyōin faction against the rival Nijō-Daikakuji faction. I argue that Hanazono uses the Confucian concept of feng (風, J. fū) as the organizing principle for his claims in the Fūgawakashū. I discuss the origin of the title “fūga,” which pays homage to the Chinese anthology, the Shijing 詩經 (c. 600 BCE). In the two prefaces composed in kana and mana in the fashion of Kokinwakashū (c. 905) and ShinKokinwakashū (1205), Hanazono identifies governance through the virtue of great men, or feng, as the true function of poetry. By reiterating some arguments from the Kokinwakashū and ShinKokinwakashū prefaces and omitting some aspects to which the Nijō school adheres, Hanazono weaves a poetic lineage that connects the Shijing, Kokinwakashū tradition, and the Fūgawakashū. -
Literature in Britain and Ireland to 1150 Clare A
Cambridge University Press 978-0-521-19058-9 - The Cambridge History of Early Medieval English Literature Edited by Clare A. Lees Excerpt More information Introduction: literature in Britain and Ireland to 1150 clare a. lees Taking to sea The Parker Manuscript of the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle for 891 records that Dub Sláine, Mac Bethad and Máel Inmain crossed the Irish Sea in a rudderless boat, without sails and with little food. The three risk-takers did not care whether or not their food ran out or where their journey or pilgrimage ‘for Godes lufan’ took them, yet they landed in Cornwall and travelled on to the Anglo-Saxon court of King Alfred the Great. Immediately after this, the annal notes the death of the best teacher among the Scotti at that time, Suibhne (Swifneh in 1 Old English). These celebrated stories of three men in a boat and of the excellence of Irish scholarship are not without precedent in the history of early medieval travel and cultural exchange. In the seventh century, the scholar- poet Aldhelm, bishop of Malmesbury, who may himself have benefited from Irish training, describes the English as travelling to Ireland like swarms of bees to learn from its scholars. The Chronicle entry for 891 opens, however, with an update on the activities of the Viking forces on the continent and the battle at Louvain (now in modern Belgium) between the Vikings, the East Franks, the Saxons and the Bavarians. The cultural world of the Anglo-Saxons, the earliest people to call themselves English, was informed as much by its interests and relations with the continental kingdoms as with its neighbours. -
Medieval Arabic-Islamic Poetics: the Transformation of the Amatory Prelude
Medieval Arabic-Islamic Poetics: The Transformation of the Amatory Prelude Sahar Ishtiaque Ullah Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY 2018 Copyright 2017 Sahar Ishtiaque Ullah All rights reserved ABSTRACT Medieval Arabic-Islamic Poetics: The Transformation of the Amatory Prelude Sahar Ishtiaque Ullah The dissertation investigates the medieval poetics of the amatory prelude beginning with the thirteenth century Qaṣīdat al-Burdah – or The Mantle Ode – by the poet Muhammad ibn Sa'īd al-Būṣīrī (d. 1294). Poets expanded the trope of the abandoned ruins to include urban space; incorporated sacred beloveds as poetic beloveds; and foregrounded the self-conscious authorial voice within the prelude. The first chapter locates the thirteenth century Qaṣīdat al-Burdah within the larger Arabic poetic legacy that extends to the ancient pre-Islamic period. The second chapter considers the discursive formation of sacred poetic beloveds, such as the Prophet Muhammad, incorporated among the repertoire of the amatory prelude’s classical and ancient poetic beloveds. The third chapter analyzes the authorial voice and role of the lyric “I” in the preludes of Shaʻbān al-Āthārī (d. 1425) and ʻĀʼishah al-Bāʻūniyyah (d. 1517) who pay homage to their literary predecessors including Ibn al-Fāriḍ (d. 1235), al-Būṣīrī, and Ṣafī al-Dīn al-Ḥillī (d. 1349) by mirroring their metrical composition. The fourth chapter interrogates the intersection of poetics and literary criticism in the medieval Arabic-Islamic devotional invocation that is the hallmark of medieval prolegomena. The preludes within the genre of instructive poems on rhetoric known as the badīʿiyyāt encapsulated literary criticism’s definition of “ingenious beginnings.” Ṣalāḥ al-Dīn al-Ṣafadī (d. -
Copyright and Use of This Thesis This Thesis Must Be Used in Accordance with the Provisions of the Copyright Act 1968
View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.ukbrought to you by CORE provided by Sydney eScholarship COPYRIGHT AND USE OF THIS THESIS This thesis must be used in accordance with the provisions of the Copyright Act 1968. Reproduction of material protected by copyright may be an infringement of copyright and copyright owners may be entitled to take legal action against persons who infringe their copyright. Section 51 (2) of the Copyright Act permits an authorized officer of a university library or archives to provide a copy (by communication or otherwise) of an unpublished thesis kept in the library or archives, to a person who satisfies the authorized officer that he or she requires the reproduction for the purposes of research or study. The Copyright Act grants the creator of a work a number of moral rights, specifically the right of attribution, the right against false attribution and the right of integrity. You may infringe the author’s moral rights if you: - fail to acknowledge the author of this thesis if you quote sections from the work - attribute this thesis to another author - subject this thesis to derogatory treatment which may prejudice the author’s reputation For further information contact the University’s Director of Copyright Services sydney.edu.au/copyright ‘As if it never were’: The Construct and Poetics of Time in Anglo-Saxon Literature A. M. Wallace A thesis submitted in fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in English Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences The University of Sydney 2014 Abstract This thesis examines the construction and poetics of time in Anglo-Saxon literature through a holistic approach to works of history, science, exegesis, and poetry. -
Mannerism in Arabic Literature” a Structural
MANNERISM IN ARABIC LITERATURE” A STRUCTURAL ANALYSIS OF SELECTED POETRY 3rd CENTURY AH/9th CENTURY AD - 5th CENTURY AH/11 th CENTURY AD STEFAN SPERL PhD SCHOOL OF ORIENTAL AND AFRICAN STUDIES ProQuest Number: 10752678 All rights reserved INFORMATION TO ALL USERS The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. In the unlikely event that the author did not send a com plete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion. uest ProQuest 10752678 Published by ProQuest LLC(2018). Copyright of the Dissertation is held by the Author. All rights reserved. This work is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States C ode Microform Edition © ProQuest LLC. ProQuest LLC. 789 East Eisenhower Parkway P.O. Box 1346 Ann Arbor, Ml 48106- 1346 ABSTRACT The thesis contains six chapters: introduction, Tour chapters on selected works by Tour poets, and conclusion. The Arabic texts discussed are added as an appendix and numbered from I to XIX. Chapter One discusses the form and function of the panegyric gasIda in the early Abbasid period. The organic unity of the individual poem is postulated in a structural model which serves as a working hypothesis for subsequent analyses. Chapters Two and Three contrast panegyrics by Bu^tur (d. about 284 AH/897 AD) and Mihyar al-Daylamr (d. 428 AH/ 1036 AD). Three poems by Bu^turl are analysed with particular attention to the structural function of the initial section. A work by Mihyar, shown to follow similar principles of con struction, is explored with respect to imagery.