The form and content of traditional Swahili literature.
Record type:
paper
Creator:
Har
Publisher:
SOA
Host:
An investigation of Swahili verse-forms as evidenced in existing manuscripts, mostly in the Swahili-Arabic script. The types of verse-forms are exemplified and wherever possible related to Arabian sources. The earliest known poems are studied, including the Liyongo poems, and the general conclusion is reached that no satisfactory evidence of their early origin or linguistic development can be established.