Focus on Books
Ecstasies and anxieties as poetic creations
Professor Sunanda Mahendra
Adaraya Saha Sandaeliya
(Love and moonlight)
A collection of poems
Pamitha R Liyanage
Printed under the supportive sponsorship of Central Cultural Fund of
the Ministry of Cultural Affairs, this collection of Sinhala poems, an
effort by the poet Pamitha R. Liyanage raises some pertinent issues
pertaining to the creative traditions in modern Sinhala poetry.
In the first instance the poet does not make an attempt to classify
his creations into various types as is commonly observed today. He uses
the age-old traditional metrical pattern as well as the non-metrical
pattern or free verse form. The Sinhala poetry critics as well as
creators themselves denote the non-metrical pattern by the term
‘Nisandes’ which is a misnomer.
The correct usage should be either ‘Nidahas’ or ‘Muktaka’ both of
which indicate a sense of being poetic creations devoid of the accepted
metrical forms, inclusive of the stereotypes.
Liyanage, it seems, is aware of this trend as used in the most
conventional form as well as the most modernistic trends of abstract
expression. His poetic creations are brief and devoid of decorative
diction, where the emphasis is strictly laid on an experience.
In this sense the reader comes across a dramatic stress in most of
his poems on reading the poems I see that the poet delves on a vast
canvas of experiences which cover nostalgic events, sensitive
observation, beauty of the nature, social injustices, comments on
several characters such as the boatman who helps the people to cross the
river, the indigenous physician who heals his patients the village
teacher who dedicates himself to the honest dedicated task of teaching
etc.
He sees sensitivity of the ironical coincidences in domestic
encumbrances where one weeps instead of a laugh. One of the finest poems
I came across is titled as ‘Kalu Mama’ the poem which centres round the
life of the boatman mentioned earlier.
In this short poem he catches a glimpse of a poor man attempting to
help people to cross the river. Presumably alluded to the crossing of
the torrential river, in the religious sense as indicated by Buddha in
Ogha Sutta. Side by side there are the diametrically opposed views
presented.
For example in the poem titled ‘Kondostara Ana’ (command of the bus
conductor) the reader comes across a rough mannered harshly behaving bus
conductor in the urban sector. This bus conductor makes the journey in
the bus under his dictatorial rule with his ill-clad mannerism.
Anticipation of the serenity or serendipity is seen as an undertone
in Liyanage’s poetic creations. He anticipates a better world as in the
case of some of the poems of W B Yeats. However I am not sure whether he
is being influenced by any of those alien poetic traditions.
The factor that is predominant and looks as the guiding tone is the
religiosity in the poetic creations as influenced by Buddhist religious
sources such as the Dhammapada. He sees that humanism is gradually
waning off from the humans, and that the evolutionary factors such as
violence and greed bring more harm than development.
There is an ongoing debate in the Sinhala literary scene as to the
creation of poems and lyrical compositions for songs. Liyanage too is a
lyric writer and to his credit he has composed several lyrics which are
popular. But he maintains the judgement that lyrics cannot be written
devoid of a poetic vision.
In this direction Liyanage shows signs of a mature creator of lyrics
via his poetic vision, which presumably may not be offensive signal to
others in the scene. The maturity in the poetic contents is observable
in this debut collection which also comes as a variant to most other
collections at this moment.
In most of his short poems he seems to detest or despise the living
condition in Colombo, a city which he deems as fall of agonies and
hastiness. but he does not grossly generalise, instead selects
situations to illustrate.
By way of his illustrative manner he looks forward to seeing his
serendipity and bliss by the side of the river Nilwala, an adoring place
which he hints as the life giver to him as well as for his kith and kin.
He sees the river Nilwala not only as a life-giver but also as a
bliss to his creative spirit. The poet Liyanage is observed via his
creations as torn between two worlds the world of his birthplace down
South and the Urban sector, especially the town of Colombo, where he
works as a breadwinner. All in all these poems, simple in structure and
content, are deeply rooted in human experience over the years.
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