On Dai Poetry

On Dai Poetry（Lun Dai Zu Shi Ge in Chinese）is a treatise on the theories of philosophy and literature of Dai ethnic group in the early 17th century.

The author Huba Meng,born in Xishuangbanna of Yunnan Province,is a poet,literature theoretician and philosopher.Huba Meng indicates the author’s position in Dai Buddhism when he’s alive and his real name is unknown.On Dai Poetry is written in 976 of the Dai calendar (i.e.1614).Later,only the handwritten copy in Dai language was spreading among people.In 1980,Yan Wenbian translated the handwritten version collected by Kang Langying into Chinese,which was then published in 1981 by Chinese Folk-Literature Press.

On Dai Poetry,consisting of more than 40,000 characters,discusses origin of the universe,formation of human being,production and development of language,thought,literature and art.(https://www.daowen.com)

On Dai Poetry,believes that poetry comes from life and work of people.Since people have feelings of sorrow and happiness during their life and work,and these feelings must be conveyed by words.These words are the most beautiful expression as they come from people’s heart,and gradually become poetry during a considerable period of time.

On Dai Poetry,believes that the Dai people’s society went through two periods.In the first period of ancients,there was no village,elder (Meng),leader or hierarchy.While in the second period of Pan,Pan is the leader.In the second period,people began to form villages with chief of village as well as chief of Zhai(stockaded villages).In the former period,people chanted the poems at will with no restriction.However,in the later period,poetry was restricted by the society as well as the ruling power.

As a work of philosophy and literature theories which is rich in content,On Dai Poetry possesses an important position in the thinking history of Dai.