Witty look at life situations
 Title: The Ocean
of Pearls
Poet: S. Maheswaran
Publication: 'Victorian'
English
Academy
Pages: 221
Price: Rs. 800
The Ocean of Pearls is a collection of 151 English poems by S.
Maheswaran, Teacher of English at Jaffna Hindu College. Many of the
poems are redolent of life in Jaffna after the conclusion of war and
prove Maheswaran's dexterity of the idioms he employs to bring out
subleties of his subjects.
Generally, his approach is simple and direct, sans frills or
decorations. Most of the time, his witty manner of perceiving life
situations sifts through his words and titillates the mind. In the poem
The Mirror, he surmises,
I said to myself-
"My mirror has got an error."
It reminded me
A thing that reflects something
Has an error.
Errors of one's ways
"Are reflected in the light."
This is seen in the mirror
I must learn by trial and error.
At times he turns contemplative, as in the poem "No End", stating,
The sail in the raging gale
And the life in the frightening situation
Go together a long way
Seeking an end
But there's no end.
'Faults and Love', 'Round Up', 'Should I live long like this?',
'Where is the place of my tomb?', 'Quit Cruelty', 'Mercy Killing', 'The
Power of Silence' and 'Promises' are some of the instances where he
shines in his genre.
The collection is his second volume of poetry, the first being A
Basket of Sweet Fruits.
'The Ocean of Pearls' can be recommended to any lover of poetry as a
thoroughly good read and one that stimulates critical thinking.
- Jayanthi Liyanage
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