Oral Formulaic Poetry

口头程式诗歌

Oral formulaic poetry refers to poetry that is composed and transmitted to singers or reciters. Its origins are prehistoric, yet it continues to flourish even now among populations which for the most part cannot read or write. There is no fixed version of an oral composition, since each performer tends to render it differently, and sometimes introduces differences between one performance and the next.

口头程式诗歌是由歌唱者或朗诵者创作并传播的诗歌。这种诗歌的起源可以追溯到史前，但至今仍然在绝大多数不具备读写能力的人群中盛行。由于每个表演者的表现方法不同，有时前后两次表演就会不同，所以口头诗歌没有固定的形式。