Sayenfurasa
Sayenfurasa is an ancient compilation of poems in Mirselec; its meaning in Mirselec is "Ode-Compilation", the word sayen literally referring to a type of poetry during the earliest days of the kingdoms sung at festivities and religious sacrifices. It is the oldest known compilation of Mirselec poetry, and contains a total of 417 poems, divided into several parts by their form:
- Sayen, the religious odes, of which there are 92
- Karsayen, the royal odes sung during major festivities, of which there are 35
- Menata, folk songs, of which there are 212
- Honameri, individual prayers and invocations to gods, of which there are 62
- Wasantosa, longer poems meant to celebrate legendary figures, of which there are 15.
While this categorisation adds a formal air to the collection, the works collected within the Sayenfurasa are often striking in their deeply personal tone, vivid use of images and symbols, and utilisation of implication to state their feelings.
The Sayenfurasa is the oldest known compilation of Mirselec poetry, and is one of the most revered works of classical literature in the language; in the words of Hirdan Gersenga, "what was written therein (within the Sayenfurasa) was the wood, and all poets after that are merely carvers." Having been dated back to around 620-650 DN, the last datable poem within this collection was from about 595 DN, and the oldest ones have been estimated to date from as far back as 300 BDN.
