• About

Rajiva Wijesinha – Creative Writing

~ Just another WordPress.com site

Rajiva Wijesinha – Creative Writing

Tag Archives: Parakrama Kodituwakku

Mirrored Images – 12

22 Sunday Dec 2013

Posted by rajivawijesinha in Mirrored Images

≈ Comments Off on Mirrored Images – 12

Tags

A T Dharmapriya, A. IQBAL, Martyrs, Mirrored Images: An Anthology of Sri Lankan Poetry, Parakrama Kodituwakku, Patrick Fernando, poems, Poetry, S Sivasegar, The Fisherman Mourned by His Wife, The Sun Tarry a While

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

PARAKRAMA KODITUWAKKU

 

The Sun Tarry a While

 

Father is still at work…..

I, starting to pant early

am resting my head

on a clump of grass

in the chena

watching the distance far away.

 

Like small silver blades

the grass blades sprout.

A red ant wanders

along my shirt sleeve.

A song drops down

from open bird-beaks.

Pods of flowers leap up

splitting the earth’s skin.

 

Sacrificing its yellow yolk

the sun comes closer

 

Please stay awhile, sun

says my mind like a child

stay awhile, you, the sun!

 

The roads are only half done

only a little is written

in my letters

just one half the song is sung

the journey is not over yet.

It’s a long long way to go!

The flowers are yet to bloom fully

grant more time to put the house roof on

a lot more there is to learn.

You sun, please tarry awhile.

 

Translated by A T Dharmapriya

Continue reading →

Bridging Connections – Poetry relating to conflict

27 Thursday Sep 2012

Posted by rajivawijesinha in Bridging Connections

≈ Comments Off on Bridging Connections – Poetry relating to conflict

Tags

Bridging Connections, Kamala Wijeratne, Karunakaran, Parakrama Kodituwakku, Poetry

After the oblique references to conflict in poems about the full moon, I thought I would deal direct with conflict this week. The first poem, by Parakrama Kodituwakku, was one of the most remarkable works of art associated with the first insurrection of 1971. I still recall reading it for the first time, in an Anthology of Sri Lankan writing produced by Ranjini Obeysekere and Chitra Fernando soon after I began teaching at Peradeniya. I believe it was the first book I was asked to review, and I think I made special mention of this poem.

The stereotyping by authorities of radical youth, if not subtle, makes clear the dichotomy between traditional expectations and modern aspirations. The translation by Ranjini Obeysekere captures in each stanza the different ways in which authority looks at the unorthodox. The last stanza, with its blend of diffidence and defiance, suggests the dilemma of the new generation; it illustrates too the long intellectual tradition of which the young rebels felt themselves the latest incarnation.

Continue reading →

Bridging Connections – Property

21 Wednesday Dec 2011

Posted by rajivawijesinha in Bridging Connections

≈ Comments Off on Bridging Connections – Property

Tags

Bridging Connections, On Moving into a Rented House, Parakrama Kodituwakku, Passion for Furniture, Poetry, Property, R Sivanandan, To My Son His Inheritance, Wickramasena Jayasekera

Poetry does not often deal with property. In itself, I suppose, this does not seem a very poetic subject. And the three poems brought together here are really about feelings, not property. The juxtaposition may also seem facile, in that the feelings depicted are very different in character. Still, it is interesting to explore the use made of houses and furniture to convey essential aspects of the Sri Lankan experience.

Continue reading →

Pages

  • About

Categories

  • A Final Educational Fling
  • A Time of Gifts
  • Acts of Faith
  • Book Reviews
  • Bridging Connections
  • Colombo Changes
  • Interviews
  • Lakmahal
  • Mirrored Images
  • New Horizons
  • Poets and their visions
  • Post-Colonial Perspectives
  • The Moonemalle Inheritance
  • Uncategorized
January 2021
M T W T F S S
 123
45678910
11121314151617
18192021222324
25262728293031
« Dec    

Archives

  • January 2021
  • December 2020
  • November 2020
  • December 2018
  • November 2018
  • October 2018
  • June 2018
  • May 2018
  • November 2017
  • August 2017
  • July 2017
  • June 2017
  • May 2017
  • April 2017
  • March 2017
  • February 2017
  • January 2017
  • November 2016
  • October 2016
  • September 2016
  • August 2016
  • July 2016
  • May 2016
  • March 2016
  • February 2016
  • November 2015
  • October 2015
  • July 2015
  • June 2015
  • May 2015
  • April 2015
  • March 2015
  • February 2015
  • January 2015
  • December 2014
  • November 2014
  • October 2014
  • September 2014
  • August 2014
  • July 2014
  • June 2014
  • May 2014
  • April 2014
  • March 2014
  • February 2014
  • January 2014
  • December 2013
  • November 2013
  • October 2013
  • September 2013
  • August 2013
  • July 2013
  • June 2013
  • May 2013
  • April 2013
  • December 2012
  • November 2012
  • October 2012
  • September 2012
  • August 2012
  • June 2012
  • May 2012
  • April 2012
  • March 2012
  • February 2012
  • January 2012
  • December 2011
  • November 2011
  • October 2011
  • September 2011
  • August 2011

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Join 288 other followers

Blog at WordPress.com.

Cancel
Privacy & Cookies: This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this website, you agree to their use.
To find out more, including how to control cookies, see here: Cookie Policy