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| Friday, 8 November 2002 |
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An academic's poems by Prof. Chandrasiri Palliyaguru Reviewed by Elmo Fernando The notable Greek poet Georges Sefarides Nobel Laureate of 1963 was bestowed this unique honour for his 'eminent lyrical writing inspired by a deep feeling for the "Hellenic world of culture" as the citation declared further 'He was the representative Hellenic poet carrying on the classical heritage. Later on at a felicitation ceremony accorded to him by the academics of the University of Athens Seferides reflected that a poet must echo his ethos in his work. I preface this review with the above comment since I believe Professor Palliyaguru has indeed accomplished just that. In fact when you read this collection of sixty poems, but for a few, others obviously echoes the ethos of his native land. Poetry arises out of an intense spiritual experience, which the poet shares with other men. Through poetry he probes the depth of his experience, his despair anguish, and final reconciliation, to others. Early Sinhala poetry was nurtured by a classical tradition. Early Sinhala poetry seems to be rich not only in rhythm and imagery but also in depth bringing out varied facets of the human dilemma down the ages. Modern poets like Kapila Seneviratne, Wimalaratne, Kumaragama, Alwis Perera and much later, more serious poets like G. B. Senanayake, Gunadasa Amarasekera, Siri Gunasinghe, Galappaththi, Wimal Dissanayake, Ruwanpathirana have produced good poetry. Much younger is Professor Chandrasiri Palliyaguru, better known as a researcher and scholar who has produced a volume of poetry he has written during the last forty years. Forty years is quite a span in one's life, but we see how he has matured during the years - how the muse has awakened his creative impulse. Before I proceed further I must confess that the collection has been dedicated to the poet's only brother who has passed away in the prime of his youth. There are a number of poems bringing out nostalgia of the childhood the poet spent with his departed brother Brother, Though you left us brings out the stark poignancy of the situation. Amidst joy and sorrow Three and thirty years spent Amongst my friends was Sheer camaraderie, to Enthuse your acts of valour But O'brother where art thou? This poem reminds one of Milton's Lycidas where he laments over his friend Lycidas drowning in the Irish Channel in 1637 thus "And now has dropt into the western bay At last he rose and twitched his mantle blue Tomorrow to fresh woods and pastures new, The title poem in the poet reverberates an old saying that success cannot be achieved without intense dedication recalling the effort a flower makes to bloom is a piece which seem to encompass the vision that informs the entire collection. Poems such as Midnight's Solitude, Fading Flowers, Sorrow, Winter, Third Person Singular, A Developed City, End of a Day, Thorns and Flowers are poems deeply enjoyable. Of course there are a few poems rather cumbersome in their general effect perhaps due to careless and over-slick writing, but still contain passages of lyrical beauty. ?A (sorrow) is yet another poignant requiem about the poet's endearing brother who had a violent death in his youth. The New Year dawns with exuberant laughter Cry of the cuckoo wafts softly over the lea Buds of sunflowers bloom gaily O'brother where art thou? Another poem that strikes a melancholy note is this poem, again recalling his late brother. Thunder breaks in the overcast sky That weeps Trees sprout forth tender leaves Eye-lids pregnant with tears Evoke memories of you Poet Palliyaguru's effort of forty years living and enduring the advances of the muse is certainly most rewarding.
Admirable work on Conveyancing Conveyancing and the Office of Notary By W. D. Gamage Conveyancing is an area where there are very few experts. Books on the subject are very limited too. The law relating to land transactions has undergone many changes and new concepts and developments have been introduced into this specialist field of law. Gamage's book on the subject covers the entire scope of Conveyancing in Sri Lanka and is a very useful book for the law student, the busy lawyer and judge. A unique feature of the book is that a slim volume of 265 pages covers the entire totality of the law relating to Conveyancing with nothing left to be further added to the contents of the book. Gamage does this by displaying good organizational ability and planning within the book. He deals with the concepts directly and comprehensively with word economy. The writing is lucid, clear and the facts are easy to grasp. Justice Ranjith N. M. Dheeraratne, a former judge of the Supreme Court has the following to say about Gamage's book in his foreword to it. "I'm glad to have the opportunity of writing of foreword to W. D. Gamage's valuable book. It was perhaps many years ago that the last published work in English language on the subject of Conveyancing did see the light of day. Mr. Gamage's book fills the void admirably. The author has dealt with the statutory principles relating to Conveyancing very lucidly. Not only the notary, the law student, the legal practitioner and the Judge will find this book immensely useful". Gamage has the most qualified credentials to write this book. He is a very respected senior lawyer with much experience and has particularly focused on Conveyancing in his practice. In addition to his attorney-at-law qualification he has a B.Sc in Business Management with an Honours pass and has followed this up with an M.Sc. He also has Diplomas in Journalism, Statistics and English. He is a Solicitor of the United Kingdom and a much sought after lecturer in law too. His diverse background has made this book very interesting as it gives him a multi-angled approach to writing. The first chapter in the book deals with the Office of Notary. This complex area of the law is very admirably covered indeed. The second chapter covers Conveyance and the third chapter deals with the concept of Examination of Title. The fourth chapter is about Registration of Documents and chapter five deals with stamps and the Stamps Ordinance. Chapter six is very important as it deals with miscellaneous deeds. Gamage gives a very well detailed account of the various kinds of deeds one would come across with a sample of each deed provided. This is compulsory reading for the lawyer interested in drafting deeds. The writer steers clears of verbiage and meaningless obiter dicta and only focuses on what is relevant when writing a deed. At the end of the book there is a well-compiled table of the important topics covered. Many will find this useful, as it will give instant access to the particular area they are looking for in the book. In the preface Gamage thanks the former Chief Justice G. P. S. De Silva for all the help and encouragement that was given to him to write the book. He also thanks Attorney-at-Law Mr. Lahiru Senaratne for the assistance given to him. A special word of thanks is reserved for Anton Fernando, former Vice President of the Bar Association and Chairman of the Legal Aid Commission for all help and encouragement provided. He also thanks a whole host of lawyers and friends for making the books a reality. W. D. Gamage has done admirable work indeed on Conveyancing. He has enriched the area of the law dealing with conveyancing and let us hope that more books on law would be forthcoming from this eminent lawyer. - Mahes Salgado An American romance in Sinhala Nihadiyawe Geethaya, Review by Indeewara Thilakarathne "Nihadiyawe Geethaya" is the Sinhalese translation of Sandra Browns poignant love story "Eloquent Silence" by Kapila Gamini Jayasinghe. Kapila is a practising lawyer with a wide range of media exposure both as a journalist and a media personnel. The story revolves around popular soap-opera actor Drake who is left with a seemingly incurable pretty daughter and the aching memory of his departed beautiful wife. Jennifer the hearing-impaired beautiful daughter finds refuge in a school for the deaf. Lauri is a dedicated young teacher for the deaf. After the unsuccessful marriage with Paul, an alcoholic composer who died on the piano, Lauri uses her career to hide her miserable past.The trio meet in a chic New Mexico arts community to start a new life.At first each must find a voice to express the deepest fears and greatest needs of the heart. Kapila has dedicated this novel to Prof. Kusuma Karunaratne. In his preface to the novel, the author states that the Sinhalese romance of Karunasena Jayalath's genre had contributed to the propagation of novel as a literary form among Sinhalese youth.It was Kapila's avowed interest in the Cinema and its aesthetic aspects of love that lured him into writing. The author has used a simple and flowing language in the translation so as to retain the original Sandra Brown's easy-to-ready style.Specially the conversations in the novel which play an important role in the plot, have been translated into lucid Sinhala.The novel will be a refreshing reading experience to Sinhala readership, specially for young readers to re-discover the true meaning of love. |
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