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Kakawin are long narrative poems composed inOld Javanese, also called "Kawi", written in verse form with rhythms andmeters derived fromSanskrit literature.[1] Poets used a formalizedliterary language, rather than thevernacular. Poets composed and performed the poems at the courts of central and eastJava kings between the 9th and 16th centuries,[1] and inBali.[2]
Although the poems depict events and characters fromHindu mythology, the narratives are set in the local landscapes of the islands. They are rich sources of information about courtly society in Java and Bali.[3]
Akakawin stanza consists of four lines. Each line has a set number ofsyllables per line, set in patterns of long and short syllables based onSanskrit rules ofprosody. A syllable which contains a long vowel is calledguru (Sanskrit for "heavy"), while a syllable which contains a short one is calledlaghu (Sanskrit for "light"). The termguru laghu denotes the structure of a line.
For example, each line of thekakawin metre called "Śardūlawikrīd[?]ita" consists of 19 syllables. Theguru laghu of each line is as follows" ---|UU-|U-U|UU-|--U|--U| U. The notation "-" means that the syllable in question is long, while the "U" means that the syllable is short.
As an example, the opening stanza of theKakawin Arjunawiwaha, which is in the metreŚardūlawikrīd[?]ita, is taken:
A syllable which contains a long vowel is automatically long (ā, ī, ū, ö, e, o, ai, and au) and thusguru. But on the other hand, a syllable with a vowel followed by two consonants is also long. In addition to that the last syllable of a line may both contain a long or a short syllable. It is ananceps.