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The later kakawins were easier to understand for eighteenth century Javanese literati, and were also found less interesting. Some kawi miriry versions were made of much studied moralistic and speculative texts (Paniti Sastra, Bima Suci). The Paniti Sastra version has been registered in Part One, Religion, of the present Synopsis (17.010). The Bima Suci kawi miriry was discussed by Poerbatjaraka (“Déwa Roetji”, in Djawa, vol. 20, 1940). In his opinion both the kawi miriry text and the prose text (Nawa Ruci, edited by Prijohoetomo, 1934) are versions of an imperfectly known old poetic text, containing a streak of Buddhism, written in the fifteenth or sixteenth cen tury. Probably a majority of the kawi miriry texts of Old Javanese kakawins was written in the second half of the eighteenth century by the Surakarta Court poet Yasadipura I (see 30.940). Perhaps some simplified ver sions were made already in the beginning of the eighteenth century, in the Kartasura period, but there is no certainty on this point. In Poerbatjaraka’s opinion (“Kapus- “takan Djawi”, 1952, p. 173) some kawi miriry texts were made after macapat ver sions, not after Old Javanese originals. If that is the case they would be comparable with Javanese-Balinese kakawins written in the eighteenth or nineteenth century (see 30.190). No kawi miriry versions of Old Javanese kakawins have been published by European or Javanese scholars, because in the nine teenth century the superiority of the Bali nese tradition of Old Javanese epic poetry soon became evident. By collation with Bali nese manuscripts many mistakes made by

the Javanese authors of kawi miriry versions were traced. So the eighteenth century jarwa versions of Old Javanese kakawins did not contribute materially to a better under standing of the twelfth century literary idiom. Nevertheless the kawi miriry texts are remarkable witnesses of the eighteenth cen tury Central Javanese scholars’ application in studying classic literature. Manuscripts containing relevant texts are listed in the General Index under the catchword kawi miriry. 30.901 Ramayana kawi mirii}: cod. 1791, 2054, CB 24. 30.902 Brata Yuda kawi mirii): cod. 1789, 2157-11, NBS 124. 30.903 Arjuna Sahasra Bahu, Arjuna Wijaya, Loka Pala, kawi mirit): cod. 1793 , 1855 (= 10.617 = BCB prtf 71), 2309, NBS 219. 30.904 Bima Suci, Déwa Ruci, kawi mirii3: cod. 1804, NBS 80-VII, NBS 207. 30.905 Rama kawi mirii), from Yogyakarta: cod. 6201. 30.920 Wayaii) suluks and kawins. In the sphere of the wayai) theatre and the literature of wayai) plays many characteristic elements of pre-Islamic culture survive in the Islamic period of Javanese history. At crucial points in the wayai) performance songs are sung, marking changes of scenes. Since the eighteenth century wayai) per formers traditionally use stanzas of Old Ja vanese kakawins, especially the Bharata Yuddha, as texts of their songs, It is not known whether this tradition reaches back to pre-Islamic times, for old descriptions of wayai) performances are very brief. Perhaps already in the pre-Islamic period the wayai)