What He Said


Yesterday, in Vannakam Thamizhalagam programme on Sun TV , a Thamizhl pulavar was the guest. I am not sure of his name. He mentioned about a Sangam age poem, a very beautiful one. I remembered reading the poem in The Hindu. The article was about the Tamil Love Poem "Red Earth & Pouring Rain", which was published in the London Tube .

What He Said

What could my mother be
to yours? What kin is my father
to yours anyway? And how
did you and I meet ever?

But in love

our hearts have mingled
like red earth and puring rain
.

The article said ..

"The poem is titled "Red Earth and Pouring Rain". In the background of authors of many works remaining anonymous, in Tamil literary tradition there is this practice of identifying a poet by a phrase or word from his poem. Thus the author of this poem is Sembulapeyaneerar, literally "The poet of red earth and pouring rain".

I liked the excellent metaphor - comparing the union of two souls with the union of the pouring rain and the red earth.The poem has been translated by A K Ramunajan

Image courtesy : Poetry Society

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