Les Duha de Dhola-Maru. Une ancienne ballade du Rajasthan

by Charlotte Vaudeville

The legend of Dhola-Maru is an ancient ballad composed in old Marvari, one of the first dialects of North India to attain the status of a literary language. It is a piece of popular literature, a love story with a lyrical aspect to the fore. The numerous and diverse adaptations of this legend in the north-western provinces bear witness to its success. The text presented here with a translation into French is based primarily on the recension of Bikaner. The introduction presents the various versions of the legend, Marvar, the central location of the story, the possible historicity of the protagonists, the D?had?his, nomadic balladeers who no doubt contributed to the growth and popularity of the legend, the lyricism that impregnates the work, and its roots and possible borrowings from the Sant poets.