Pyo
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Pyo (Burmese: ပျို့) is a Burmese form of poetry and was a major Burmese verse form from the 1600s to 1700s.[1] The earliest surviving poetic literature found in the Burmese language dates from between 1450 and 1550,[2] and is largely in the form of pyo.[3]
Pyo follows classical Burmese verse, employing lines of four syllables with rhymes "climbing" from the end towards the beginning of successive lines.[2] An entire pyo work may be divided into 200 to 300 verses, with an average of 30 to 35 four-syllable lines each.[2] Poets employed many devices to overcome the four-syllable requirements, including use of repetition and rhyme.[2]
The pyo is generally written in a combination of two styles; parts of the poem are written in a plainspoken style and other passages are written in a more ornate and complex style, which weave in metaphors, similes, and allusions.[2]