Listening to the Therāgathā: Interplay of Rhythmic Uniformity and Change in Pāli Verses
Issued Date
2022-01-01
Resource Type
ISSN
02652897
eISSN
17479681
Scopus ID
2-s2.0-85139296775
Journal Title
Buddhist Studies Review
Volume
39
Issue
1
Start Page
113
End Page
140
Rights Holder(s)
SCOPUS
Bibliographic Citation
Buddhist Studies Review Vol.39 No.1 (2022) , 113-140
Suggested Citation
Tam K.W.E. Listening to the Therāgathā: Interplay of Rhythmic Uniformity and Change in Pāli Verses. Buddhist Studies Review Vol.39 No.1 (2022) , 113-140. 140. doi:10.1558/BSRV.20059 Retrieved from: https://repository.li.mahidol.ac.th/handle/20.500.14594/83463
Title
Listening to the Therāgathā: Interplay of Rhythmic Uniformity and Change in Pāli Verses
Author(s)
Author's Affiliation
Other Contributor(s)
Abstract
In the study of Pali metres, abundant research has been conducted on the establishment of rules and taxonomy, and scanning of unscanned verses. In comparison, the stylistic aspects of metres have been somewhat neglected. When the audiences listen to verses with their ears only set for metrical rules but not also the interplay of various rhythmic patterns, they fail to fully capture the aesthetic beauty and the very philosophical messages embedded in them. Taking the verses in the Dasanipāta of the Theragāthā as examples, this article focuses on the stylistic interplay of rhythmic uniformity and change in the expression of core messages in a Pāli poem. It aims to unveil the poets' strategies in the use of various types of metres and prosodic elements (opening, trimetre break, caesura and cadence) to create the narrative style of each poem and draw the audiences' attention to the Buddha's key teachings in the verses.