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Utenzi
Utenzi or utend̠i is a form of narrative poetry in Swahili language, Swahili. Its name derives from the fact that it usually describes heroic deeds, like the medieval European ''Chanson de geste, gesta'' (lit. "deeds"). ''Utendi'', plural ''tendi'', meaning "act" or "deed", is derived from the Swahili verb ''ku-tenda'' "to do". Well-known examples of ''utenzi'' are the ''Utendi wa Tambuka'' by Bwana Mwengo (one of the earliest known literary works in Swahili, dated 1728), the ''Utenzi wa Shufaka'', and the ''Utenzi wa vita vya Uhud'' (the epic of the battle of Uhud) compiled around 1950 by Haji Chum. Reciting utenzi is a popular pastime on weddings and other ceremonies and feasts; often, specialized narrators are invited to do this. Utenzi verse form consists of four-line stanzas, with each line having eight syllables. The last syllables of the first three lines rhyme with each other, while the fourth line has a rhyme that is constant throughout the whole of the epic. This last rhym ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Utenzi Wa Shufaka
Utenzi wa Shufaka (Swahili language, Swahili: "Poem of Mercifulness") is an utenzi (classical narrative poem) in Swahili literature. It is composed of 285 stanzas of four lines of eight-syllables each. The poet-narrator of utenzi offers details of his lineage but never identifies himself. The only old manuscript of the poem known is held in the library of the Deutsche Morgenländische Gesellschaft, German Oriental Society in Halle, Saxony-Anhalt, Halle. This copy, which is written in Arabic script, was sent by Ludwig Krapf from Africa (most probably, German East Africa) in 1854. The poem was published in 1887, followed by a Latin-script transliteration in 1894 by Carl Gotthilf Büttner. Jan Knappert offered the first English language, English translation in 1967, though he also introduced a number of significant mistranslations. The original title is Chuo cha Utenzi ("A book of poetry in utenzi meter"). This was changed by Büttner to a title he felt was more descriptive. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Utenzi
Utenzi or utend̠i is a form of narrative poetry in Swahili language, Swahili. Its name derives from the fact that it usually describes heroic deeds, like the medieval European ''Chanson de geste, gesta'' (lit. "deeds"). ''Utendi'', plural ''tendi'', meaning "act" or "deed", is derived from the Swahili verb ''ku-tenda'' "to do". Well-known examples of ''utenzi'' are the ''Utendi wa Tambuka'' by Bwana Mwengo (one of the earliest known literary works in Swahili, dated 1728), the ''Utenzi wa Shufaka'', and the ''Utenzi wa vita vya Uhud'' (the epic of the battle of Uhud) compiled around 1950 by Haji Chum. Reciting utenzi is a popular pastime on weddings and other ceremonies and feasts; often, specialized narrators are invited to do this. Utenzi verse form consists of four-line stanzas, with each line having eight syllables. The last syllables of the first three lines rhyme with each other, while the fourth line has a rhyme that is constant throughout the whole of the epic. This last rhym ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Utendi Wa Tambuka
''Utend̠i wa Tambuka'', also known as ''Utenzi wa Tambuk''aThe symbol ''d̠'' is a transliteration of the Arabic for the Swahili sound ''dh'' (). Often this sound is written simply ''z'', hence the different spellings. ("The Story of Tambuka"), ''Utenzi wa Hirqal'' or ''Kyuo kya Hereḳali'' (the book of Heraclius), is an epic poem in the Swahili language, dated 1728. It is one of the earliest known documents in Swahili. Known by various titles in English, including ''The Book of the Battle of Tambuka'' and ''The Story of Heraclius'', the story recounts numerous events of the Byzantine-Arab Wars and Byzantine-Ottoman Wars between the Muslims and Romans (the contemporary name for the Byzantines). The Byzantines were represented by the Emperor of the Byzantine Empire, Heraclius. The story covers a period from 628 (the Battle of Mu'tah) to 1453 (the Fall of Constantinople). "Tambuka" is the Swahili rendering of Tabuk, a city located in north-western Saudi Arabia. The oldest ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Swahili Literature
Swahili literature is, generally speaking, literature written in the Swahili language, particularly by Swahili people of the East African coast and the neighboring islands. It may also refer to literature written by people who write in the Swahili language. It is an offshoot of the Bantu culture. The first literary works date back to the beginning of the 18th century, when all Swahili literature was written in the Arabic script. Jan Knappert considered the translation of the Arabic poem Hamziya from the year 1652 to be the earliest Swahili written text. Starting in the 19th century, missionaries and orientalists introduced the Latin script for writing the Swahili language. Characteristics Swahili literature has been an object of research by many western scholars since the 19th century. There is a debate regarding objectivity as a few scholars tried to establish a canon of Swahili writing. One of the main characteristics of Swahili literature is the relative heterogeneity of t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Swahili Language
Swahili, also known by its local name , is the native language of the Swahili people, who are found primarily in Tanzania, Kenya and Mozambique (along the East African coast and adjacent litoral islands). It is a Bantu language, though Swahili has borrowed a number of words from foreign languages, particularly Arabic, but also words from Portuguese, English and German. Around forty percent of Swahili vocabulary consists of Arabic loanwords, including the name of the language ( , a plural adjectival form of an Arabic word meaning 'of the coast'). The loanwords date from the era of contact between Arab slave traders and the Bantu inhabitants of the east coast of Africa, which was also the time period when Swahili emerged as a lingua franca in the region. The number of Swahili speakers, be they native or second-language speakers, is estimated to be approximately 200 million. Due to concerted efforts by the government of Tanzania, Swahili is one of three official languages (th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Chanson De Geste
The ''chanson de geste'' (, from Latin 'deeds, actions accomplished') is a medieval narrative, a type of epic poem that appears at the dawn of French literature. The earliest known poems of this genre date from the late 11th and early 12th centuries, shortly before the emergence of the lyric poetry of the troubadours and trouvères, and the earliest verse romances. They reached their highest point of acceptance in the period 1150–1250.Hasenohr, 242. Composed in verse, these narrative poems of moderate length (averaging 4000 lines) were originally sung, or (later) recited, by minstrels or jongleurs. More than one hundred ''chansons de geste'' have survived in approximately three hundred manuscripts''La Chanson de Roland,'' 12. that date from the 12th to the 15th century. Origins Since the 19th century, much critical debate has centered on the origins of the ''chansons de geste'', and particularly on explaining the length of time between the composition of the ''chansons'' a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bwana Mwengo
This is a list of English language words that come from the Niger-Congo languages. It excludes placenames except where they have become common words. Bantu origin *banjo – probably Bantu ''mbanza'' *basenji – breed of dog from the Congo * boma – probably from Swahili *bwana – from Swahili, meaning an important person or safari leader *chimpanzee – loaned in the 18th century from a Bantu language, possibly Kivili ''ci-mpenzi''. *dengue – possibly from Swahili ''dinga'' * goober – possibly from Bantu (Kikongo and Kimbundu ''nguba'') *gumbo – from Bantu (Kimbundu ''ngombo'' meaning "okra") *impala – from Zulu ''im-pala'' *impi – from Zulu language meaning war, battle or a regiment *indaba – from Xhosa or Zulu languages – 'stories' or 'news' typically conflated with 'meeting' (often used in South African English) * isango – Zulu meaning gateway *jumbo – from Swahili (''jambo'' or ''jumbe'' or from Kongo ''nzamba'' "elephant") *kalimba *Kwanzaa – re ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Haji Chum
Hajji ( ar, الحجّي; sometimes spelled Hadji, Haji, Alhaji, Al-Hadj, Al-Haj or El-Hajj) is an honorific title which is given to a Muslim who has successfully completed the Hajj to Mecca. It is also often used to refer to an elder, since it can take years to accumulate the wealth to fund the travel (and did particularly before the advent of mass air travel), and in many Muslim societies to a respected man as an honorific title. The title is placed before a person's name; for example, Saif Gani becomes ''Hajji Saif Gani''. Hadži is also used in Orthodox Christianity for people who go on pilgrimage to the grave of Christ in Jerusalem. It can then be added to the pilgrim's first name, e.g., Hadži-Prodan, Hadži-Đera, Hadži-Ruvim, Hadži-Melentije Stevanović Hajji is derived from the Arabic ', which is the active participle of the verb ' ("to make the pilgrimage"). The alternative form ' is derived from the name of the Hajj with the adjectival suffix -''ī'', and this wa ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Wedding
A wedding is a ceremony where two people are united in marriage. Wedding traditions and customs vary greatly between cultures, ethnic groups, religions, countries, and social classes. Most wedding ceremonies involve an exchange of marriage vows by a couple, presentation of a gift (offering, rings, symbolic item, flowers, money, dress), and a public proclamation of marriage by an authority figure or Celebrant (Australia), celebrant. Special wedding garments are often worn, and the ceremony is sometimes followed by a wedding reception. Music, poetry, prayers, or readings from religious texts or literature are also commonly incorporated into the ceremony, as well as Wedding superstitions, superstitious customs. Common elements across cultures Some cultures have adopted the traditional Western custom of the white wedding, in which a bride wears a white wedding dress and veil. This tradition was popularized through the marriage of Queen Victoria. Some say Victoria's choice of ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Stanza
In poetry, a stanza (; from Italian language, Italian ''stanza'' , "room") is a group of lines within a poem, usually set off from others by a blank line or Indentation (typesetting), indentation. Stanzas can have regular rhyme scheme, rhyme and Metre (poetry), metrical schemes, but they are not required to have either. There are many different : Stanzaic form, forms of stanzas. Some stanzaic forms are simple, such as four-line quatrains. Other forms are more complex, such as the Spenserian stanza. Fixed verse, Fixed verse poems, such as sestinas, can be defined by the number and form of their stanzas. The stanza has also been known by terms such as ''batch'', ''fit'', and ''stave''. The term ''stanza'' has a similar meaning to ''strophe'', though ''strophe'' sometimes refers to an irregular set of lines, as opposed to regular, rhymed stanzas. Even though the term "stanza" is taken from Italian, in the Italian language the word "strofa" is more commonly used. In music, groups of ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Meter (poetry)
In poetry, metre ( Commonwealth spelling) or meter (American spelling; see American and British English spelling differences#-re, -er, spelling differences) is the basic rhythm, rhythmic structure of a verse (poetry), verse or Line (poetry), lines in verse. Many traditional verse forms prescribe a specific verse metre, or a certain set of metres alternating in a particular order. The study and the actual use of metres and forms of versification are both known as prosody. (Within linguistics, "Prosody (linguistics), prosody" is used in a more general sense that includes not only poetic metre but also the rhythmic aspects of prose, whether formal or informal, that vary from language to language, and sometimes between poetic traditions.) Characteristics An assortment of features can be identified when classifying poetry and its metre. Qualitative versus quantitative metre The metre of most poetry of the Western world and elsewhere is based on patterns of syllables of particular typ ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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