Myriad aspects of life in tapestry of poetry

The experiences of life are vivid and subjective. Interwoven them in a tapestry of poetry on diverse themes, as vivid and diverse as life itself, is a remarkable literary feast that Chamali Kariyawasam achieved in her anthology of poetry `Sylphlike Ether'.
 

by Ranga CHANDRARATHNE

The anthology commences with the poem `Dance'. Though the title is somewhat misleading, it is not about `dance' that the poet vividly recollects, but about love and how a person in deep love elevates to a state of supreme bliss.

" From toe, to earth, to blood in unison;

Whilst all else sleeps, I dance;

Whilst they dream I lie awake in this

Place of magnified spirituality;

Only sleepers dream.

In the light before the storm,

the beach turns dull gold;

Frail ferry carrying children from the temple,

in an uneasy exist from the upper bend;

I lose my senses and lose my youth;

As I do not sleep these days,

I do not dream. ..."

The passionate love making commences with an embrace in a `dance' like trance. Gradually it gathers passion as lovers enter into a reverie and unite in blood. Though in a reverie, the girl lies awake wrapped in love like in a `sleepers dream'. When the dawn touches on the `dull gold' beaches and when children ferry from the temple , she losses her `youth' and thereafter, she does not experience dreams and does not sleep, perhaps, owing to the recollection of the experience.

"Love?

Love is an insomniac;

Love is madman;

That is all that love is;

Working deep into the night

Chipping away at dreams;

That is all that love is. "

It is only in the final stanza, the poet describes the nature of `love' which is in a way indescribable. Deeply entrenched in love, girl perceives love as an `insomniac' and `madman'. In order to drive this, the poet has used the line `That is all that love is'.

`Sylphlike Ether,' the title poem of the anthology, though encrypted, is also about love. It is something which cannot be `jump started. Like a seed, love should be nurtured to be rooted in.

"How one does jump start a heart, having lost a past phantasm?

How do I fall into the unknown, Sylphlike Ether? "

Again poet questions the idea of `jump start a heart' and it is extremely difficult when one loses a past ghost. However, poem ends in a note of hope as poet says that she is ready to `play at your pleasure' only if lover comes with genuine feelings.

"Here is a thought:

"Rewrite your codas;

"Ornament your intros;

"Come unannounced, *pianissimo*;

Play at your pleasure."

Poem `Certain Smiles' is once again on the theme of `love'. The girl in the poem entices to a man whilst dancing. The lover seduces her first with words and then embraces her in a reverie.

"Says a friend,

Love, over-rated and misinterpreted

is itself, insufficient ....

If that is the case,

I think, trailing into Samba position;

For me, Re-genesis will be possible."

Though a friend of the girl's friend says that `over-rated and misinterpreted love' itself is not sufficient, she does not seem to subscribe to the notion. Instead she admits `if that is the case', it is possible `for me, re-genesis will be possible'.

"Journey "is one of the long poems where the poet interwoven deep philosophy of life with love. Poet consider love as a stoppage in a journey of life which course no one knows. In fact, it takes its own course.

"This road cannot end;

We shall travel without the faintest notion as to

Where all this leads,

Who we shall meet and what expense we journey;

We have found no other answers than to continue

despite our weariness; ......

Sooner than soon...a resting place;

You smile at me;

A rest place it is;

.....through this journey, all this way,

We have had each other."

Once again, the poet dwells on the theme of love. Here it is compared with a resting place in a never ending journey of life. One of the recurrent themes in the anthology is love. At times, love is compared to an "Indian evening in June" and at another to a murky brown of coffee. In a subtle manner, the poet expresses her heart out particularly on diverse aspects of love.

In 'Withdrawal Symptoms,' poet expresses the pain of separation and thereby denial of love. The lover's voice which once stirred her heart, is now becomes the most hurtful thing which recalls her happy times in union.

"Your voice ...is a Sunday dream reclining;

Closer to magic more than substance;

...

A miscellaneous moon deepening

against the heart-right here,

Where it hurts the most;

Your voice...."

Here skillfully the poet uses the same metaphor to convey contradictory emotions; bliss of union and pain of separation.

It is the voice of the lover which generates both in different contexts. In a poet titled `Prophecy', poet urges to fight against `obscurity'. Even in a world of uncertainties, poet advocates that people are made to brighten their lives and not fall victim to `Obscurity'.

"Obscurity does not become us;

We were made to illuminate the skies"

Extremely rich in material and metaphor Chamali swirls through the emotional landscape devouring each and every moment with sometimes metaphors drawn from classics and codifying them in elegantly written verses. The matter-of-fact language and brevity of expression leave deep impressions of her evocative poetry in the readers' mind making them universal experiences with no time bar.

Chamali Kariyawasam expresses her heart out in a series of poetry on diverse themes; ranging from love to irony.

Drawing characters from the classics and deriving spirit from her life, she skillfully converts them into universal experiences, which transcend petty barriers across the board. Matter-of-fact language and usage of Standard English may have cost her some infamous literary awards which favour regionalised version of English with heavy load of vernacular words inserted into writings against the Standard English with classical allusions.

Humour in uniform

"They marched to the tune of wings":

Author: Kenneth Reeves

Available at Sarasavi Bookshop, Nugegoda

Price not mentioned

by R. S. Karunaratne

After reading Kenneth Reeves's maiden book "They marched to the tune of wings" my first difficulty was to place it in one of the known genres of literature: novel, short story or memoirs. Apparently, this is not a novel as there is no clear plot. It does not fit into the genre of memoirs because there are some bits and pieces of other people and their love affairs.

Despite this initial difficulty I found the book readable. It is full of episodes, juicy scandal, sex, homosexuality, love, lust and what not. The author is a brilliant raconteur. His language is supple and sometimes the incidents described are brutally frank!

Anyone who reads this book will get an insider's view of the army. The reader will come to know everything about soldiers - their training, love affairs, flings, heartbreaks, and marriage. Reeves could have easily written a novel with the available material. As a disciplined soldier, his approach to writing too should have been a little more methodical.

The author's sense of humour is the only redeeming factor in this book. I could not help laughing aloud whenever I came across a humorous episode. For instance, he describes how some "gents" ran away naked when they were "caught in the act"!

The book is a tribute to soldiers who have the courage to face any dangerous situation. Winston - the protagonist - is a multifaceted character who braves many odds in his life. He has several love affairs - some of which are serious and others not so serious. But Reeves hooks the reader to read his book from the beginning to the end without much effort. With a little more effort, training, and guidance he could have become an excellent novelist.

After reading 237 pages I found that there is something that held my attention. The way he describes certain scenes is praise worthy. However, he should have paid some attention to diction and spelling. If his writing had been edited by a competent person, the value of the book would have been enhanced.

Despite such flaws "They marched to the tune of wings" can be read with enjoyment.

This is readable prose that shows the marks of an emerging novelist.

Remarkable experiences of Sri Lankan student in Germany

Ein Ceylonese im Schwarzawald (Sri Lankan in the Black Forest):

by Indeewara THILAKARATHNE

"It was winter in Germany and very cold. Second day from my arrival, Manfred bought me a pullover and an underwear. For me, they were not only unfamiliar but also uncomfortable and I looked like either an astronaut or a fire-fighter", states the author before describing his princely stay in the Black Forest. Subsequently, he became so familiar with BÜhl-Baden that he considered it as his motherland in Germany.

Arrival in Freiburg

One of the fascinating chapters in the book is chapter which describes Sri Lanka's arrival in Freiburg on a Good Friday. The city of Freiburg was virtually deserted with almost all the hotels closed for the Good Friday.

However, he met good Samaritans, three old ladies at a street corner when he was, in desperation, thought of spending the night on a bunk. Here the author not only expresses his profound gratitude for the kind lady but also considers extremely fortunate to meet such kind men and women throughout his stay in Germany.

The warm relationship that author maintained with the fellow students at the building where he spent a robust student life, manifests when he described them as brothers and sisters. In a way this is exactly the opposite scenario at Sri Lankan universities where the norm of the day is to torture and ridicule the new entrants in the name of ragging. Instead, the students of the university welcomed young Sri Lankan student as a brother. The author not only describes the fascinating student life in a German university but details out diverse areas of the university such as university cafeteria and offices.

Finding a part time job for a student was a difficult task in Germany. The author describes how he every day went to the job office for students in search of a job. This led him to become a tea seller at a street corner. The part time job as tea seller gave him a little money which was sufficient to meet, at least, a little portion of his expenses. Majority of his cliental was made up of women. Although the author did not become a successful businessman in Germany, selling tea at street corner would have been one of the most memorable experiences of his student life.

Susantha Welgama studied gemology at the university though he does not practise it in Sri Lanka. During the fascinating account gemology class, the author states in no uncertain terms the attitudes of teachers towards the students. For instance, teacher of Gemology had not hesitated to entertain even stupid questions from students. When he asked the teacher how fast one could learn stones and how many stones were there, the teacher's answer was that he should count the stars in the sky although the question was obviously a stupid one.

The author had also faced couple of uneasy situations as well as hilarious ones such as he was mistaken for a woman at the Health Office. The mishap was occurred when the officers at the Health Office mistook Susantha for a woman. The nurse who came to examine Susantha was flabbergasted when she discovered that Susantha turned out to be a man rather than a woman as she thought to be. Another interesting mishap was the author signing a German song without understanding the meaning of it. Subsequently, he learnt that it was a socially unacceptable song when he sang it before a German girl. The author states that during his eight years' student life in Germany he has not only earned qualifications but also earned life-long friends as well as wealth of life experiences. The book among other things marked for its genuine account of student life in Germany from the eyes of a Sri Lankan student. On purpose, the author has used down to earth language with the elementary vocabulary so that it can be enjoyed by students of German language with ease. It is an ideal supplementary read for beginners as it is written in simple diction.

However, the author has devised a unique style of his own. The story is told from the first person's perspective and events unfold in a sequential order so as to give the reader a comprehensive picture of student's life in Germany and also to describe the unique German culture. In terms of style and context book is similar in character to Martin Wickramasinghe's `Ape Gama' (Lay bare the roots). The author should be commended for codifying his experiences in lucid German, perhaps, for the first time by a Sri Lankan.

It will also be an interesting read for Germans as "Ein Ceylonese im Schwarzawald" is an account of Germany by a Sri Lankan.

The book is a must read for all Sri Lankan students of German and those who intend to pursue their higher studies in Germany. With its simple yet insightful diction, `Ein Ceylonese im Schwarzawald' codifies vividly the student's life in Germany in the same manner Martin Wickremasinghe describes his village in `Ape Gama'. The book is publish byVijitha Yapa Publishers

Special tool for anyone

Invasive Plants - A guide to the Identification of the most invasive plants in Sri Lanka.

Author: Lalith Gunesekera

Distributor - Sarasavi Bookshop - Nugegoda

Reviewed by K. B. Dassanayake -

Biodiversity is a very important area when we discuss the unique environment of Sri Lanka. There are some ways to destroy our important and endemic flora and fauna within different ecosystems. Invasive plants are one of the most dangerous aspects to be concerned.

The author of this book has over 25 years of experience in dealing with invasive plants, identification and management in Sri Lanka and Australia. The book contains about 56 invasive alien plants, their impacts, identification and features.

There was no publication devoted to invasive plants in Sri Lanka. This area lacks sufficient information for the public, students, professionals and government officers. An informative publication of this kind is useful for people who are looking for a good reference guide in this area.Even though the author is living overseas, he has an intention to help protect the biodiversity of Sri Lanka specially from invasive plants.

This book has pictures in colour and is a source to recognise most of the invasive plants in the country.

The author explains the most troublesome plant species under three major ecosystems.

According to my knowledge and experience in the field of agriculture and environment, the book `Invasive plants of Sri Lanka' is a "very special" tool for anybody who loves Sri Lanka's biodiversity.

The Sinhalese and Tamil translations of this book will be released shortly.

Reviewer is a Research fellow University of Melbourne.

Book launch

Matara Janawahara penned by Nandika Baddegama will be launched on Wednesday 8 at 4 p.m. at the Lake House lower boardroom.

The writer is a journalist presently attached to Dinamina. His book deals with the interesting features of the language spoken by the Ruhuna people. It is mild but at the same time forceful and lovely and also appropriate to the occasion.

His previous books too dealt with matters and practice exclusive to Ruhuna.