Poems of Love and War: From the Eight Anthologies and the Ten Long Poems of Classical Tamil

by A.K. Ramanujan (Translator), Molly Daniels-Ramanujan (Preface)

Poet, translator, folklorist A. K. Ramanujan has been recognised as the world's most profound scholar of South Asian language and culture. In this volume, A. K. Ramanujan translates old Tamil poems selected from anthologies compiled around two millennia ago. This edition contains a new preface
by Molly Daniels-Ramanujan.

Genres: Poetry, India, Indian Literature, Fiction

352 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1985

About the author

Ramanujan was an Indian poet, scholar and author, a philologist, folklorist, translator, poet and playwright. His academic research ranged across five languages: Tamil, Kannada, Telugu, Sanskrit, and English. He published works on both classical and modern variants of these literature and also argued strongly for giving local, non-standard dialects their due.

He was called "Indo-Anglian harbingers of literary modernism". Several disciplinary areas are enriched with A.K.Ramanujan`s aesthetic and theoretical contributions. His free thinking context and his individuality which he attributes to Euro-American culture gives rise to the "universal testaments of law". A classical kind of context-sensitive theme is also found in his cultural essays especially in his writings about Indian folklore and classic poetry. He worked for non-Sanskritic Indian literature and his popular work in sociolinguistics and literature unfolds his creativity in the most striking way. English Poetry most popularly knows him for his advance guard approach.

Reviews

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book - got it for Christmas and read it straight through. It appeals to me on so many levels. The classical Tamil anthologies these poems are taken from were literally lost to Tamil scholars - indeed, to the world - for centuries. Ramanujan relates the tale of a Tamil scholar who, upon hearing of their existence, dedicates his life to finding, preserving, and transcribing them. The scholar scours Buddhist monasteries across India, rummages through peoples' attics, collecting the poems and associated commentaries. As for the poems themselves, they are a stunning glimpse into a life world. In their use of specific, repeated symbolic archetypes, they remind me a little of Neruda - but instead of the moon, the sea, and white grapes, here we have bangles, chariots, cassia trees, wayfarers. The love poems - framed as persona poems, in the voice of either heroine or hero, the heroine's friend or foster-mother, etc. - are particularly powerful. I was less moved by some of the war poems - largely laudatory poems of kings and warriors by hungry bards with their hands out - but was nevertheless fascinated to read Ramanujan's comments on the genre in his "afterward." Finally, while I haven't read the Tamil originals, I can't imagine a translation more subtle, sensitive, or sublime than this one.

[Arun · Rating 5 out of 5]

I didn't want this anthology to end and l guess that says enough. AK Ramanujan is a wonderful poet, and we have to be grateful that he chose to apply much of his energy to translating old Indian works, many of them lesser known, like this translation of the classical Sangam era Tamil poems. The poems in this anthology, l presume, are among the best of the Sangam poems. It comes through in the translation, and most of the shorter poems, particularly in the Akam section (poems of love) will appeal even to the modern sensibility, with their beautiful use of metaphor, lack of exaggeration and their evocative pithiness as in Japanese forms. Even the relatively longer poems are compelling though appreciating some of them likely requires an understanding of the Tamil context and the times the poems speak of.

I can see myself revisiting these poems now and again.

A final word - Ramanujan's afterword is fantastic, his commentary providing cultural, grammatical and historical context, while layering in additional meaning to the poems that one may have missed on first reading.

I can't recommend this enough for anyone who loves poetry.

[Taylor Swift Scholar · Rating 3 out of 5]

Four stars for the poems of love and two stars for the poems of war!

I really enjoyed the afterword and feel like I learned a lot about the conventions of Tamil poetry and how to read and interpret it. I would advise reading the afterword first so that you have that context going into it. The love poems are really beautiful - the poems about war and other topics didn't do quite as much for me.

[Shanaya Ron · Rating 3 out of 5]

My first experience with these poems was just rough and tough. I had a hard time as a non-native speaker. But when I had them again for our syllabus the professor was the most sincere and patient in her explanation. For the first time I was able to enjoy a poem which had a completely new and varied history.

[Lulu]

Eight anthologies

1-3 CE sangam literature
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2...
Tâmìḻ



TEN long Poems

earliest layer 2-3 CE, middle 2-4 CE, last 3-5 CE
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/5...

[Mejix · Rating 4 out of 5]

The best ancient poetry has a simplicity and directness that I find very moving. There are many good examples here.

[Matthew · Rating 5 out of 5]

Poetry from ancient Tamil Nadu in translation. I can't stand poetry normally, but I really enjoyed this collection in grad school and recently bought a copy I ran across. Ramanujan also provides useful interpretive notes. Good for reading on a summer day and thinking of people and places far away.

[Andry DeJong · Rating 5 out of 5]

[Around the world in 195 books challenge: India]. Ancient Tamil poetry reminds me of ancient Chinese poetry. The use of nature metaphors and simple turns of phrases lead to highly complex and romantic poems. Ramanujan is an excellent translator.