The poet Zawgyi was born U Thein Han on this day April 12, 1907 in the town of Pyapon in the Irrawaddy region of British Burma. His pen name, Zawgyi, refers to a Burmese mythical wizard.
Zawgyi is a renowned poet from Myanmar whose works have captivated readers for generations. His poetry reflects the country’s rich cultural heritage and explores themes of love, nature, and spirituality. Join us on a journey through Myanmar’s literary landscape and discover the beauty of Zawgyi’s words.
Who is Zawgyi and why is he important in Myanmar’s literary scene?
Zawgyi, also known as U Thein Han, was a prominent poet and writer in Myanmar during the 20th century. He is considered one of the most important figures in the country’s literary scene, known for his captivating poetry that reflects the beauty of Myanmar’s culture and traditions. Zawgyi’s works have been translated into many languages and continue to inspire readers around the world.
What themes and styles are present in Zawgyi’s poetry?
Zawgyi’s poetry is known for its vivid imagery and use of traditional Myanmar themes and symbols. Many of his poems explore the beauty of nature, such as the changing seasons and the natural landscapes of Myanmar. He also often writes about love, spirituality, and the human experience. Zawgyi’s style is characterized by his use of traditional Myanmar poetic forms, such as the yadu and the pyui, as well as his incorporation of Buddhist teachings and mythology into his work.
How has Zawgyi’s work influenced other writers in Myanmar?
Zawgyi’s poetry has had a significant impact on the literary landscape of Myanmar. His use of traditional forms and themes has inspired many other writers to explore their own cultural heritage and incorporate it into their work. Additionally, his incorporation of Buddhist teachings and mythology has helped to preserve and promote these important aspects of Myanmar’s culture. Many writers continue to draw inspiration from Zawgyi’s work and his legacy continues to shape the country’s literary scene.
The Grass Cutter
basking under the rays of the Sun
the human abode is just awakening
the dove sings a paean to
the beauties of the forest
here the Earth is emerald green
there the sky’s sapphire blue:
Among the two colours
O Man!
how magnificent, how majestic
you look
-Zawgyi, translated by Myint Zan
မြက်ရိတ်သမား
ရေးသူ ဇော်ဂျီ
နေစာလှုံ၍
လူ့ဘုံလောက နိုးခါစတည့်
ချိုးကသံရှည် တောဘွဲ့သီ၍
ဤမှာမြေပြင် မြစိမ်းဆင်လျက်
ကောင်းကင်မိုးဝယ် နီလာခြယ်နှင့်
အိုဘယ်လူသား နှစ်ရောင်ကြားဝယ်
ခန့်ညားပေစွ ခန့်ပေစွ။
Curated by Jennifer
