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Sinhala poet and his poetic vision - Part 11:
Influence of Guttila Kavyaya on local poets
Prof. Sunanda Mahendra
POETRY: The age-old rivalry and conflict between the good and the
evil emerge as the driving force in this legend. Guttila is created as a
great musician par excellence, whereas Musila is considered inferior, as
far as the legend is concerned. The concept of evil is just not
presented generally, but made to feel.
As such allowing anything to take place the great teacher makes
himself free from all bonds. Guttila’s inner conflicts are made to be
expressed in the best possible manner dramatically and sensitively.
The Guttila Kavya influenced poets of varying nature from the past to
the present both in the context of the source material as well as the
treatment of the character, ethical concept, inner conflicts and
insights. This poetic work is modern in many ways to the extent that a
poet with no familiarity with Guttilaya is incapable of writing poetry.
Layers of meaning
One could also cite the example of the Sandakinduru Jataka Kavya,
based on the Sandakinduru Jatakaya. This poetic work has several
variations, and the best, to my knowledge, is Ven. Vilgammula’s work.
There are many more layers of the meaning added to the storyline of the
Sandakinduru Jatakaya . Firstly it is full of human values, where the
reader is made to feel the sense of filial devotion.
The tale, in its original form, rests on a fantasy layer. It is, more
or less, a versified fairy tale suiting the modern conditions of love
and passion. The lament of the fairy on her husband’s tragic death,
which includes her curse to the King, is made to be moving to the extent
that it is seemingly one of the most sensitive expressions of spiritual
intimacy.
It is interesting to analyse the segments as found in each of these
poetic works from a modern point of view.
In the first instance, the reader comes across the intention of the
poet for the selection of a particular original source (the Jatakas in
this case, but there are historical sources and folklore sources as
well), and then a series of events take place where the main story is
made to be narrated with descriptions of the qualities of Kings, their
Ministers and Courtiers, their attitudes towards common people, along
with the decorative presentation of the beauty of cities.
Sometimes it so happens that the poetic creations overshadow with
various ornate descriptions gaining influence from the great tradition
as passed down the centuries.
The main character, the Bodhisattva, is selected as the main
expression of human experience where worldly conflicts are brought to
the forefront and they are gradually defeated either via superhuman
forces or spiritual means. Whatever created, the ultimate intention is
to disseminate the spirit of Buddha’s doctrine to the listener or the
reader to make a serene mind. Isn’t this the phenomenon expected from
the modern poet as well?
Symbolism
Apart from the mere expression of the storyline or the narrative, the
poet too makes use of the symbolism as far as he is aware where the
nature is made to be a fused element in the main narrative. For
instance, the serenity of the forest abodes, behaviour of birds and
beasts, the splendour of flowers, clouds, rains, seasonal changes,
flowing of rivers and streams are made to be fused into the main
narrative.
In this manner, the poets who utilized the ancient source material
were careful in the interpretation of the layers of meaning added to it.
This influence is also seen in the minor tradition or the folk poetic
tradition where the main difference lies in the disuse of the ornate
language of the Great Poetry tradition. This may be regarded as an
alternative creative measure to the classical form.
The display of colloquial patterns of language is observed in order
to evoke a sense of devotion in the mind of the listener or the reader.
One good example comes from the Vessantara Jataka Kavya , which has an
anonymous authorship, based on the Vessantara Jataka.
When Vessantara’s family suffers the life in the forest, the poet
creates a series of situations in which the natural forest abode and the
human life appear as a single fused entity.
When Vessantara ‘s wife inquires about the already given children
without her knowledge, the situation is not poetically over-simplified
to make people weep, but to realise the nature of Vessantara ‘s action.
What is significant about these poetry is that they could be read aloud
evoking sentiments; the retirement into the forest does not mean to
express any anger or ill-will, but a new search for superior life devoid
of suffering.
The average reader becomes satisfied to see the intervention of the
good-hearted god Sakra in the tragedy of the Vessantara family. I am
certain that the legend is a painful expression of certain degree of
pathos for the laymen, but the ultimate supreme aim of the poet is not
to make a sentimental ballad.
Anonymous poets
The Sinhala ballads were mostly written by anonymous poets in the
Kandyan period of Sinhala literature (17th century). One of the finest
ballads that could be regarded as an insight giver to the modern poet is
titled Yasodhara Vata.
In a narrow level of interpretation, the ballad could be seen as a
lamentation of the princess Yasodhara at the Great Renunciation of the
prince Siddhartha. But in the deeper point of view, it transcends the
narrow barriers, and hints that she had been with him in a series of
births from the distant past, while he is destined to be the Buddha in
the present birth.
Yasodhara Vata poet has a modern message, as Yasodhara is shown as a
great and sensitive lady, who could bear up the sorrows by tracing the
greatness of the vision of Siddhartha undermining the mere worldly
happiness.
Traditional parables
A number of folk poems like Yasodhara Vata have been created by minor
poets based on certain traditional parables drawn from history as well
as from other sources including folklore. One fine example is Pattini
Hella, a sub story as found in several Tamil (Silappadikaram) and Hindu
classical works.
As the story has it, Pattini having ascended to the state of a
goddess (vernacularly called Pattini Deyyo), was revered in the past and
exists even today as a godmother curing infectious sicknesses of
children.
Even today when a child is sick, the mothers offer alms to seven
mothers on the belief that Pattini was helped from seven directions, in
the early hours of the morning. This ritual is called Ammavarunge Danaya,
the alms given to mothers. The poetry Pattini Hella and Ammavarunge Kavi
(The Poetry of the Mothers) are memorable lessons from the past, which
adorn the eternal value of motherhood and affection.
To conclude this, I want to clarify just another point. This is the
protest, anti-social and anti-ethical element emerged in the past as a
poetic creation. This element was never discerned as a propagandistic
poetic process, but as a social development process. Even though
centuries have passed by, the Sinhala poet still wanders around the mass
conscience.
Some are of the opinion that some modern day Sinhala poetry is
inspired by the West based free verse forms, but this is totally a
misnomer. There is allowance made in the Sinhala texts to create poetry
in the freest possible manner.
Elusandas Lakuna (the book on rhetoric) has a categorical mention on
hundreds and thousands of metrical forms, and if a poet makes use of
these metres, the metrical pattern is what is non-metrical (kelasuvahas
virit/ virit lakunu heluve/ ebandutahot kivaran/ novirit namai kivirit).
It is in this context we cannot accept the opinion that the modern
free verse is modelled on the vers libre in France and America. We have
a type of our own, and it needs to be discovered from the past.
However there is no implication that the modern poet should refrain
from exerting influence of the foreign poetry sources. Both traditions,
West and East, should mingle well clearing path to a poetical
rediscovery.
To be continued |
