Poems of Love and War: From the Eight Anthologies and the Ten Long Poems of Classical Tamil

Select a cover image

Searching for images...

No images found. Try again later.

Saving cover image...

Check Price on Amazon Get Kindle Edition View on Google Play
Share:

Poems of Love and War: From the Eight Anthologies and the Ten Long Poems of Classical Tamil

None

Translator: A.K. Ramanujan Author: Molly Daniels-Ramanujan
4.4/5 · 88 ratings

Poet, translator, folklorist A. K. Ramanujan has been recognised as the world's most profound scholar of South Asian language and culture. In this volume, A. K. Ramanujan translates old Tamil poems selected from anthologies compiled around two millennia ago. This edition contains a new preface by Molly Daniels-Ramanujan.

Login or Signup to post a review
Reviews

user_15287

★ 5/5
[Around the world in 195 books challenge: India]. Ancient Tamil poetry reminds me of ancient Chinese poetry. The use of nature metaphors and simple turns of phrases lead to highly complex and romantic poems. Ramanujan is an excellent translator.

user_15286

★ 5/5
Poetry from ancient Tamil Nadu in translation. I can't stand poetry normally, but I really enjoyed this collection in grad school and recently bought a copy I ran across. Ramanujan also provides useful interpretive notes. Good for reading on a summer day and thinking of people and places far away.

user_15285

★ 4/5
The best ancient poetry has a simplicity and directness that I find very moving. There are many good examples here.

user_15284

Eight anthologies 1-3 CE sangam literature https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2... Tâmìḻ TEN long Poems earliest layer 2-3 CE, middle 2-4 CE, last 3-5 CE

user_15283

★ 3/5
My first experience with these poems was just rough and tough. I had a hard time as a non-native speaker. But when I had them again for our syllabus the professor was the most sincere and patient in her explanation. For the first time I was able to enjoy a poem which had a completely new and varied history.

user_15282

★ 3/5
Four stars for the poems of love and two stars for the poems of war! I really enjoyed the afterword and feel like I learned a lot about the conventions of Tamil poetry and how to read and interpret it. I would advise reading the afterword first so that you have that context going into it. The love poems are really beautiful - the poems about war and other topics didn't do quite as much for me.

user_15281

★ 5/5
I didn't want this anthology to end and l guess that says enough. AK Ramanujan is a wonderful poet, and we have to be grateful that he chose to apply much of his energy to translating old Indian works, many of them lesser known, like this translation of the classical Sangam era Tamil poems. The poems in this anthology, l presume, are among the best of the Sangam poems. It comes through in the translation, and most of the shorter poems, particularly in the Akam section (poems of love) will appeal even to the modern sensibility, with their beautiful use of metaphor, lack of exaggeration and their evocative pithiness as in Japanese forms. Even the relatively longer poems are compelling though appreciating some of them likely requires an understanding of the Tamil context and the times the poems speak of. I can see myself revisiting these poems now and again. A final word - Ramanujan's afterword is fantastic, his commentary providing cultural, grammatical and historical context, while layering in additional meaning to the poems that one may have missed on first reading. I can't recommend this enough for anyone who loves poetry.

user_15280

★ 5/5
I loved this book - got it for Christmas and read it straight through. It appeals to me on so many levels. The classical Tamil anthologies these poems are taken from were literally lost to Tamil scholars - indeed, to the world - for centuries. Ramanujan relates the tale of a Tamil scholar who, upon hearing of their existence, dedicates his life to finding, preserving, and transcribing them. The scholar scours Buddhist monasteries across India, rummages through peoples' attics, collecting the poems and associated commentaries. As for the poems themselves, they are a stunning glimpse into a life world. In their use of specific, repeated symbolic archetypes, they remind me a little of Neruda - but instead of the moon, the sea, and white grapes, here we have bangles, chariots, cassia trees, wayfarers. The love poems - framed as persona poems, in the voice of either heroine or hero, the heroine's friend or foster-mother, etc. - are particularly powerful. I was less moved by some of the war poems - largely laudatory poems of kings and warriors by hungry bards with their hands out - but was nevertheless fascinated to read Ramanujan's comments on the genre in his "afterward." Finally, while I haven't read the Tamil originals, I can't imagine a translation more subtle, sensitive, or sublime than this one.
Genres
Fiction Indian Literature India Poetry
Shelves
India A.K. Ramanujan Molly Daniels-Ramanujan Indian Literature Fiction book Poetry

More like this

சில நேரங்களில் சில மனிதர்கள்

சில நேரங்களில் சில மனிதர்கள்
Author: ஜெயகாந்தன்-3 (Jayakanthan)

தமிழ் இலக்கிய உலகின் மைல்கல்லாகக் கருதப்படும் இந்த நாவல், சமூகத்தின் போலித்தனங்களையும் மனித உறவுகளின் சிக்கல்களையும் ஆழமாகப் பேசுகிறது. 'அக்னிப் பிரவேசம்' என்ற சிறுகதையின்…

4.4/5 · 88 ratings
The Interior Landscape: Love Poems from a Classical Tamil Anthology

The Interior Landscape: Love Poems from a Classical Tamil Anthology
Author: A.K. Ramanujan

In translating these poems from the ancient Dravidian into English, the celebrated poet and translator A. K. Ramanujan (who died in 1993) has rend…

4.4/5 · 88 ratings
சிவகாமியின் சபதம்

சிவகாமியின் சபதம்

Sivakamiyin Sabadham is a historical Tamil novel set in 7th century South India written by Kalki in 1944. Kalki Krishnamurthy, recipient of India'…

4.4/5 · 88 ratings
வாடிவாசல்-1

வாடிவாசல்-1
Author: சி.எஸ். செல்லப்பா (C.S. Chellappa)

தமிழர்களின் வீர விளையாட்டான ஜல்லிக்கட்டை அதன் முழு வீரியத்துடன் கண்முன் நிறுத்தும் ஒரு உன்னதமான படைப்பு இது. ஒரு மாலை நேரத்தில் வாடிவாசலில் நடக்கும் விறுவிறுப்பான சம்பவ…

4.4/5 · 88 ratings
கடல் புறா 1 [Kadal Pura]

கடல் புறா 1 [Kadal Pura]
Author: Sandilyan

கடல் புறா எழுத்தாளர் சாண்டில்யன் அவர்களால் எழுதப்பட்ட ஒரு வரலாற்றுப் புதினம். சிறீ விசய நாட்டில் இருந்து சோழர் உதவி தேடி இளவரசருக்கும் அவரது மகளுக்கும் சோழ இளவரசரான அந…

4.4/5 · 88 ratings
Thanneer Desam

Thanneer Desam
Author: Vairamuthu

தண்ணீர் தேசம் (Thanneer Desam) கவிஞர் வைரமுத்து எழுதிய நாவல். 1996ல் தமிழ் வார இதழ் ஆனந்த விகடனில் 24 தொகுதிகளாக வெளிவந்தது. கடல், தண்ணீர் மற்றும் உலகம் பற்றிய பல அற…

4.4/5 · 88 ratings
பொன்னியின் செல்வன், பாகம் 2: சுழற்காற்று

பொன்னியின் செல்வன், பாகம் 2: சுழற்காற்று
Author: கல்கி-1 (Kalki)

Kalki is very famous for his historical novel Ponniyin Selvan. He has also written many social novels.

4.4/5 · 88 ratings
வந்தார்கள் வென்றார்கள் [Vandhargal Vendrargal]

வந்தார்கள் வென்றார்கள் [Vandhargal Vendrargal]
Author: Madhan Author: மதன் (Madhan)

Indian History Reference book

4.4/5 · 88 ratings
பொன்னியின் செல்வன், பாகம் 3: கொலை வாள்

பொன்னியின் செல்வன், பாகம் 3: கொலை வாள்
Author: கல்கி-1 (Kalki)

வந்தியத்தேவனின் பயணங்கள் பல திடுக்கிடும் திருப்பங்களுடனும், சாகசங்களுடனும் தொடர்கிறது.

4.4/5 · 88 ratings
பொன்னியின் செல்வன், முழுத்தொகுப்பு

பொன்னியின் செல்வன், முழுத்தொகுப்பு
Author: கல்கி-1 (Kalki)

பொன்னியின் செல்வன் - அமரர் கல்கி எழுதிய புகழ் பெற்ற தமிழ் வரலாற்றூப் புதினமாகும். 1950 - 1955 ஆண்டு வரை கல்கி வார இதழில் தொடர்கதையாக வெளியிடப்பட்டது. இப் புதினத்துக்கு…

4.4/5 · 88 ratings
யவன ராணி [Yavana Rani] - 1

யவன ராணி [Yavana Rani] - 1

Yavana Rani (Tamil:யவன ராணி) is a Tamil language historical novel written by Sandilyan. Its title translates to "Greek Queen" in English. The stor…

4.4/5 · 88 ratings
அறம் [Aram]

அறம் [Aram]
Author: Jeyamohan

அறம் - ஜெயமோகன் : இந்தச் சிறுகதைகள் அனைத்துமே அறம் என்ற மையப்புள்ளியைச் சுற்றி சூழல்பவை. என்னுடைய ஆழத்தில் நான் உணர்ந்த ஒரு மனஎழுச்சி என்னை விரட்ட ஓரே உச்சநிலையில் கிட்டதட்…

4.4/5 · 88 ratings