Malkəʾa ʿālam (‘Image of the World’): An Ethiopic Hymn in Praise of Monasticism

Abstract

This article presents an annotated edition and English translation of Malkəʾa ʿālam (‘Image of the World’, CAe 6911), a monastic malkəʾ-poem attested in a single manuscript (EMML 6993, fols 151bisvb–155bisra), the title of which is also transmitted in four malkəʾ-lists. Although little known, the text offers valuable insights into both the genre of malkəʾ and the broader literary tradition surrounding monasticism in Ethiopia and Eritrea. The article contextualizes Malkəʾa ʿālam within these literary and historical frameworks, discussing how the World is depicted in the text and providing a hypothesis for why it never came to enjoy more popularity within the tradition.