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| Wednesday, 1 September 2004 |
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Thisara, pioneer Sinhala Sandesha by Somapala Arandara There is a problem as to which is older, Thisara or Mayura Sandesha. While Sir D. B. Jayathilake holds that Thisara is the pioneer Sinhala Sandesha, some other intellectuals like Gate Mudaliyar W. F. Gunawardena, Munidasa Cumaratunga and Martin Wickremasinghe on the contrary say that Mayura is the first Sinhala Sandesha. Since this controversy may require much space, I wish to turn my attention to a literary appreciation of Thisara. However, Gathara Thera who composed Vuttamala Sandesha appears to be the most probable author. The Thisara poet sends word to King Parakramabahu of Datigama through a swan to the effect that he entreated God Upulwan to safeguard the King, His Queen Consort, Sumithra, Royal retinue, the armed forces and the subjects. This practice was followed only by the poet of Kokila Sandesha. The poets of Mayura, Parevi and Selalihini Sandeshas pray to God direct whilst the composers of Gira and Hansa Sandeshas do employ a courier-bird to convey a message to the chief incumbent of Vijayaba Pirivena and Keragala Wanarathana Thera respectively requesting them to invoke the blessings of God on the king and the party. Here, the Thisara poet sends a message to the King intimating that he (the poet) supplicated God Upulwan to bless the king and the allied parties. Route The route to be followed by the courier was from Dewinuwara to Datigampura. And it took eight days to cover that distance. From Anuradhapura period up to that of Thisara Sandesha, the poetic tradition was to compose poetry based on or in praise of the life of Lord Buddha or his previous birth stories. But the Thisara poet gets out of the beaten track of upholding spiritual value and turns his attention to secular aspects. Thisara was the first to innovate secular poetry. Moreover, the quatrain poetry which rose to its apex in accomplishment during the Kotte period seems to have been in the offing when Thisara came to be composed. Among the peculiarities of Thisara Sandesha, D. B. Jayathilake points out the mention of a Thara Devi in stanza - 125: "Although the name of God Natha is referred to in books, yet we do not know that Thara Devi is mentioned anywhere except in this (Thisara) Sandesha." Thisara Sandesha opens up with the traditional form of greeting the courier, swan: "Sarade tisarindu sanda..." (Long Live, O! Noble Swan!) In addressing a pleasing word of praise to the swan, the poet wishes it to be renowned like the Bodhisatva born as a swan in Jawana Hansa Jataka when he beat the mighty sun in a race run from morning. The exalting and pampering tone of stanza - 5 is touching: "Ta wes pamana gat liya piyowurahu pa wa (Even ladies' breasts which have taken on your guise can enslave passionate people by pleasing them as if with a hypnotic sight. So, is there anything that you cannot dare fulfil in this world?) Antithesis The poet's clever use of antithesis resulting in its emphatic effect on embellishing the god's inspiration is apparent in the metaphorical reference to Sage Agasthi in stanza - 17 in the description of the city of departure, Devinuwara. "Kalayen upan Agasthi nam ekaku pera In the days of yore, when a certain Sage Agasthi took the Seven seas in one hand, they ran dry. But even if all celestial and human beings admired this (God Upulwan) his handsome look never waned but it flourished instead. As the forerunner of all Sinhala Sandesha poems, naturally, there ought to be some drawbacks in Thisara. Stanza - 35, for example, "Patamba kiramba mi amba nan dombaya", contains nothing more than a mere list of a variety of trees creating a sweet sounding rhythm because of alliteration and assonance. It has hardly any poetic sense. In the couple of stanzas Nos. 41 and 42, the poet portrays a combination of Buddhist religious rites and rituals in purifying oneself outwardly, that is, bodily before worship by taking a bath in Mahanaviya Pond after travelling through Mahaweligam Patuna. Having got chastised thus, the swan visits the sacred Agrabodhi Viharaya, enters the Image House and pays homage to the icon of Lord Buddha. It stays the night at that temple. The poet handles this scene so deftly that the reader visualizes the swan finding relief in bathing after an arduous journey, seeking inner solace by worshipping Buddha devoutly and roosting with a contented mind and body. The poet depicts the dawn of the day in stanza - 43 thus: "Sanda himi nisa kala kara suratin walanda (The moon embraces his wife, the night, with the long arms of his beams and they enjoy communion and end their consummation ...). Here the poet vivifies in photographically poetic terms the fall of the night, rising of the moon radiating its beams and the parting of night. And this phenomenon reminds me of Robert Browning's poem's "Meeting at Night" and "Parting at Morning": "The grey sea and the long black land; ............... And a voice less loud, thro 'its joys and fears The Thisara poet's economy of words packed with a world of imagination is noticeable in this portrayal of night and daybreak. The background in Thisara stanza is a coastal belt and the setting in "Meeting at Night" too is an identical one. The Thisarian metaphor is more aesthetically devised. The poet's art of versification is outstanding. Dentals and labials, particularly the consonant "m" in stanza-53 tend to create a pacific, pious and purely religious air in mentioning people devoutly listening to sermons preached by priests at a temple in Rathgama. The use of varying metres and refrains as, for instance, appearing in stanza-66 is entertaining: "Wesaya aeta una waeda wilambu pasaya The end-rime word of the first line is used as the initial-rime to the next line; the end-rime of that is repeated as the initial-rime of the third; and, the end-rime of the third line is employed as the opening word of the last line. The poet , however, sees that new meanings are attached to the identical words according to their contexts, whilst this technique offers a relaxing mood to the reader and also envisaging a rest to the courier for assuaging its fatigue by dipping in the lake. Quality There is a perpetuating quality in the wording of stanza - 68. The poet seems to use an expert hand of a sculptor in shaping a lovely sound - effect with the lingual "t" with its various associations as used in stanza - 68 which may well have helped gira poet form stanza - 208: "Turu yatiyen hunu paeti lehenun raegena". This sound - effect as created in Thisara stanza - 68 makes it marvellously fascinating just like the loveable youngish women of Bentota who were gracefully grown with lean and luring bodies bearing breasts like plates of gold making goddesses blush in shame! This veteran Thisarian touch seems to have guided gira - 61 and Parevi - 72 also. The Thisara poet is a seminal thinker. He takes stock of all aspects of his task. He is thoughtful not only of the despatch of his message but also of the provision of facilities to the courier. He is confident that the swam would fulfil its duty better with a well contented body and soul. That is why he instructs the swan to spend the night, cohabiting with a swan-maiden in a pond, to satisfy its biological urge (stanza-87): "Mura sitaeti tisaranganaka langa wewima Description of forests in Thisara Sandesha is exceptional. The poet portrays rocks, rills, ravines and tuskers picturesquely in stanza - 115. There is an audio visual picture in brooks flowing down lofty hills causing pleasure to heated elephants. Just as Wordsworth couches charming beauty in his poem, "Daffodils," the Thisara poet rouses curiosity coupled with awe here. The interim-rime and the end-rime help enhance his skill and suggest a leisurely stroll under a salubrious shade. The poet's portrayal of fresh and tender leaves swaying slenderly as it gripped by a deadly fear of being eaten by stags in touching and there is an almost identical simile in Mayura stanza - 111 also. The description of a dance troupe in the Royal Court rather than in a fain in peculiar to Thisara and Kokila. Moreover, quite as a veteran in stage-craft, the Thisara poet innovates a picture of a theatre before trying to display the dancers. And the marvellously musical sound effect aroused by a host of instruments produces a resounding din like that of the sea-waves breaking against the shore, by the descterous handling of alliteration and assonance as in stanza - 162: "Tahalam tala bera tammata pata tantiri damaru Cheerfully dancing girls, frolicking and strutting about, playing properly to the tune of singing are charming. What other bliss to the spectators? (stanza - 172): "Ki ki ba sa ta kiyamin kawa ta The poet's choice of words and the use of single syllables form a swiftly moving dancing rhythm point to this pioneering poet's masterly touch of poetics. The poem is wound up with a word of thanks to the courier - Swan. **** Back **** |
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