Response: Antiquated Style

In response to Rebecca Ryan's post "Dhammapada" (April 5, 2012):

The verses of the Dhammapada are indeed quite repetitive in form.  However, I do not think that this is at all a result of bad writing or bad translation.  In ancient times, when oral tradition was much more prominent in many cultures, people would frequently set stories or advice in poetic or chanted form, because poems and songs are typically easier to remember than straight prose.  I do not know a whole lot about Indian poetry, or about the oral tradition there, but I would guess that it was not totally dissimilar to that in Europe and the Middle East.

As for the contradictory nature of juxtaposed verses, it makes sense in the context of a poetic collection of sayings.  Because the Dhammapada's format is so structured, it typically has one verse describing bad actions or traits and the negative results thereof, and then positive actions or traits and the corresponding results of those.  It may seem unnecessary, but if one thinks about it like the lyrics to a song, or the verses in a poem, it seems less strange.