A kagyin ( my, ကာချင်း; ) is a form of Burmese martial song performed during a shield dance ( my, ကာက; ). Its purpose is to inspire both the singer and their audience with national spirit and patriotism. A kagyin is sung while performing systematic defensive footwork, a sword in the right hand and a ka
[A ka () is an ancient Burmese shield.] in the left.
Kagyins were first performed in 1312 during the reign of
Thihathu
Thihathu ( my, သီဟသူ, ; 1265–1325) was a co-founder of the Myinsaing Kingdom, and the founder of the Pinya Kingdom in today's central Burma (Myanmar).Coedès 1968: 209 Thihathu was the youngest and most ambitious of the three brother ...
. The form further developed in the
Pinya Kingdom
The Kingdom of Pinya ( my, ပင်းယခေတ်, ), also known as the Vijaia State (၀ိဇယတိုင်း), was the kingdom that ruled Central Myanmar (Burma) from 1313 to 1365. It was the successor state of Myinsaing, the poli ...
under
Kyawswa I.
Format
A kagyin does not use four syllables in each line, unlike the classical Burmese verse from which it is derived.
As a
yadu
This is a list of ancient Indo-Aryan peoples and tribes that are mentioned in the literature of Indic religions.
From the second or first millennium BCE, ancient Indo-Aryan peoples and tribes turned into most of the population in the northern p ...
is sometimes written between the verses of
luta poetry, a
thanbauk can be written into a kagyin.
Subject
Most kagyin describe the beauty of the three seasons, seasonal flowers, and the development of the state, as in
egyin and
angyin.
Notable composers and works
The
Myinsaing Shwepyi Kagyin of Kyawswa I is most well-known today.
It is assigned to 11th graders studying Burmese literature and poetry.
Notes
References
See also
*
Burmese literature
The literature of Burma (or Myanmar) spans over a millennium. Burmese literature was historically influenced by Indian and Thai cultures, as seen in many works, such as the ''Ramayana''. The Burmese language, unlike other Southeast Asian langu ...
{{Burmese language
Burmese literature
Poetic forms