The Bigger List: Epic Poems and Prose Poems

ARGENTINA

Martín Fierro (José HERNÁNDEZ)

AUSTRALIA

Bush Studies (Barbara BAYNTON) / He Died with a Felafel in His Hand (John BIRNINGHAM) / Henry Lawson Bush Ballads; Henry Lawson Favourites (Henry LAWSON)

AUSTRIA

Das Nibelungenlied

CAMBODIA

Reamker

ESTONIA

Kalevipoeg

FINLAND

Kalevala (Elias LÖNNROT)

GEORGIA

The Knight in the Tiger’s/Panther’s Skin (Shota RUSTAVELI)

GERMANY

Hildebrandslied / Das Niebelungenlied

GREECE

The Iliad; The Odyssey (HOMER) / Erotokritos (Vitsenzos KORNAROS)

GUATEMALA

Popol Vuh

IRAN

Shahnameh (Abolqasem FERDOWSI)

IRAQ

The Epic of Gilgamesh

IRELAND

Ulaid = Ulster Cycle

ITALY

La Divina Commedia = The Divine Comedy (DANTE Alighieri) / Jerusalem Delivered (Torquato TASSO)

JORDAN

Petra: the concealed rose (Amjad NASSER)

KENYA

The Broken Word (Adam FOULDS) (Prose poem) / The Perfect Nine: The Epic of Gĩkũyũ and Mũmbi (NGŨGĨ wa Thiong’o) (Novel in verse)

KYRGYZSTAN

The Manas

LAOS

Pha Lak Pha Lam / Sinxay (PANGHAM) / Sinxay: renaissance of a Lao-Thai epic hero (Peter Whittlesey, Baythong Whittlesey – actually translators)  

NIGER

The Epic of Askia Mohammed (recounted by Nouhou Malio)

NORWAY

Peer Gynt (Henrik IBSEN)

POLAND

Pan Tadeusz (Adam MICKIEWICZ)

PORTUGAL

Os Lusíadas = The Lusiads (Luís Vaz de CAMOENS)

RUSSIA

Eugene Onegin [novel in verse] (Alexander PUSHKIN)

SOUTH SUDAN

Song of Lawino and Song of Ocol (Okot p’Bitek)

SPAIN

Poema de Mio Cid

Tibet

The Song of King Gesar/Gesar of Ling (ALAI)

TRINIDAD & TOBAGO

Omeros (Derek WALCOTT)

TURKMENISTAN

Gorkut

UKRAINE

Haidamaky (Taras SHEVCHENKO)

UNITED KINGDOM

–       England

Beowulf

–       Wales

The Mabinogion

UZBEKISTAN

Alpamish

VIETNAM

Tale of Kieu = Truyện Kiều (NGUYỄN Du)