I recently took out of its plastic sheet this poetry collection of the prominent Tamil poet and writer, Perumal Murugan, after buying it sometime last year. And it has been such a blessing to read his words, his thoughts that carry the weight of the political and social deprivations and their impact on individual lives on a daily basis. There is anger in it, there is passion in it, there is courage in it, and yes, there is cowardice too, as a powerful sentiment and socio-political statement.
Names of Days
Names of days
have become ruins of antiquity
We can give them new names
by flinging up new words
from the warehouse of language
Week, month, year
all such calculations too will go obsolete
Even day
Instead
We shall name a day Cuckoo’s Call
We shall name a day Scattering of Snow
We shall name a day Stone’s Softening
We shall name a day Mountain Peak
We shall name a day Crescent Moon
Each unlike the other, each unlike the other
So many days
We shall name some days
Devil’s Scream
Fool’s Grunt
Corpse’s Stench
And get past them easily
~ 23 February, 2015
Songs of a Coward: Poems of Exile, Perumal Murugan, translated from Tamil by Aniruddhan Vasudevan, Penguin India
Good day, poets! Welcome to Imaginary Garden With Real Toads. For The Tuesday Platform, share one link to a poem, old or new, that you would want all of us to read for its poetic craftsmanship, personal significance, or all-encompassing humanism, et al. This is Anmol (alias HA) and I wish you a beautiful week ahead, with its many opportunities and experiences, and not to forget, the poetics.
Perumal Murugan was at the Poetry Fest last year - definitely a unique voice that needs to be heard more. Wonderful that this was your choice today.
ReplyDeleteGood day, everyone! I had a rather stressful morning. So, I now look forward to reading your wonderful poems and losing myself in the images and rhymes and rhythms of your written word .
ReplyDeleteHello all, adding a short poem inspired by the weekend prompt from Magaly.
ReplyDeleteI love your text and think it weaves nicely to the discussion we are having this month on dVerse about provocation and being controversial.
Such an amazing poem. I like his sparse style which maintains a conversational tone. Tanks for sharing, Anmol.
ReplyDeleteGlad to have made it here today. Hope everyone is having a great week.
ReplyDeleteHello and happy Tuesday Toads! A brief poem, a sevenling form.
ReplyDeleteHello Toads! I've arrived later than I wanted to due to a very long telephone call, which means it's now my bedtime and I'll have to return in the morning to read and comment. My eyes are closing...
ReplyDeleteIn case I don't think of a good poem in time, I'd like to say now that I like the poem by Perumal Murugan. It reminds me of a prose post I wrote last fall about "Those Days."
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