"A Return to Rhyme and Other Lines" :

Poetry that sings

Reviewed by: Merril Joseph

There are some people I envy, and Carl Muller is one of them. I see such an outpouring of talent, as if he is some tap that keeps running, and he seems to be adept in whatever he tackles - from his unorthodox novels to short stories, essays, science fiction and poetry. His poems have a remarkable quality about them. He had this trick of pushing them into his collections of short stories, but then gave us "Propitiations" and "A Bedlam of Persuasions". Both books were very good and most entertaining. Somehow a puckish sense of humour filters in and that was plain to see in both books, but one can only gasp at the range. The theme was kept remarkably well in "Propitiation", but "A Bedlam of Persuasions" was an explosion of sorts.

This new collection, "A Return to Rhyme and Other Lines" is stunning. I myself had all but given up on our poets who persist in blank verse. I would always argue about it. Certainly, you can enjoy blank verse. There is no discipline that demands rhyme.

The poet can use the most fitting words to carry home his or her message. But I always wonder: Who quotes lines of blank verse? We quote Shakespeare, true, but there was a rhythm in his lines of equal syllables that would stick in the head. We remember bits and pieces from Milton and Gray because their lines rhymed. I used to have such fun when out of school where we did nothing but rhyming poetry. I could look at a girl and say: "Straight mine eye hath caught new pleasures," and if somebody takes offence, say, "but what? I was only quoting Milton." And how about telling the butcher: "That was the unkindest cut of all!" The butcher, who knows no Shakespeare, thinks I'm a screw loose.

Who can forget Gray's Elegy or Lewis Carroll's Walrus and the Carpenter?

Carl Muller, as he declares, has 'returned to rhyme' and once again, the scope of his work is quite unimaginable. But he has gone one better. With two sections of rhyming verse that deals with a vast range of subjects, he has also given us a section of "Other Lines" that uses language to streak like shooting stars.

He says they are simply the expressions of thought that crowd his mind, but they are marvellous - and they do not rhyme except, perhaps by accident.

But what is so refreshing are the rhymes. Some may descend to the quality of doggerel, like his poem "To a Politician" and another one I really enjoyed: "Rara Alvis" - but his mood overall seems to be beautifully conditioned to the Nature songs, emotion, love, death and memory. Particularly poignant are some of the pieces he addresses to his son, Destry, who died some years ago. They are sad, yet full of love. One is so simple: "The Empty Chair" that I read it my children and they were very touched.

Also, they remember it so easily that they now know it by heart. This is the kind of magic that comes with rhyme: poems that can even be set to music.

Long ago I was told that the song "Believe me if all those enduring young charms" was originally a poem. Yes, and Carl Muller has now given us singing poetry and in so doing, has shown us that this is yet another part of his tremendous talent and capacity.

In Section 1 of this book, the poems provoke.

His first poem, "Love" awakens new thoughts. Is the real god Love? Did Love command that God make the world and stock it with creatures that they may all love in their many forms and inclinations?.

One begins to wonder at the way his mind is choked with so many flaring thoughts. Another poem, "On the Bridge" finds a man, caught up in the beauty of the morning around him, suddenly finding his mood, his day destroyed by a beggar - and of how crass humanity can break the beautiful spell. Thoughts shift to cruder things, and the beauty fades.

The poems of Section I are superb, but I found greater enjoyment in Section 3 where there comes a philosophy with every line. This is a treasured collection and the singing voice is so melodious. Read "The 'Seeya' Seat".

It is so typical, so rustic, so true-to-life. So is "Monsoon Break". The mood swings simply defy analysis. We are suddenly face-to-face with the grave of a little child and an old lady in her house of memories.

We are taken back to old days on Talaimannar Pier when the ferry from India put in, then transported to Bogawantalawa. There is a delicious disorder too. No binding theme. Go back to rhyme with him. You'll enjoy it.

And, by the way, his "Other Lines" contain one observation in the pages on Politics that made me gasp:

They have stolen the mace

From under the nose of Pontius Pilate;

Now they will vote

To crucify the Christ.

Happy reading.

Merril Joseph

Book News

'Assignment Peace in the Name of the Motherland' launched

'Assignment Peace in the Name of the Motherland', a narrative book on all military operations conducted by our heroic armed forces from the early 1970s to October 2007 written by L.M.H. Mendis was launched on October 07 2009.

The book launch was held at the Headquarters of the Civil Security Force under the patronage of its Director General Rear Admiral Sarath Weerasekera amidst a very distinguished gathering of invitees.

The book includes details of recent battles with the LTTE such as the battle for the Mavilaru anicut, battle for Sampur, liberation of Vakarai, Thoppigala and the destruction of the LTTE's floating warehouses in the deep seas by the Sri Lanka Navy. The 720-page book also narrates some of the air raids carried out by the LTTE air wing. The very decisive battle to save the Pooneryn Army Camp in November 1993 is described in detail by the author who always makes it a point to give the reader some of the battle details given by the respective field commanders.

Another major battle described in the book is the security force's heroic battle to save the Silavathurai camp in 1990 under the command of the late Lieutenant General Denzil Kobbekadduwa.

The reader also can read how Captain Mohan Samarasekera commanded a naval task force to foil an attempt by 20 odd Indian trawlers from entering Sri Lankan waters in a bid to ferry in supplies to the LTTE in the height of Operation 'Liberation' in Vadamarachchi in June 1987.

Sri Lanka Air Force, which did a yeoman service in the battle for peace, carried out a daring rescue operation to evacuate injured soldiers out from the Jaffna Fort in 1990. Amidst heavy enemy fire, Sri Lanka Air Force under Wing Commander Sunil Cabraal did a tremendous effort to rescue the injured soldiers under siege from the LTTE, during the Operation 'Eagle' in 1990.

The first copy was presented to Rear Admiral Sarath Weerasekera by the author, while Commodore Navan Tennakoon received a copy on behalf of the Navy, Colonel Wanniarachchi on behalf of the Army and Wing Commander Janaka Nanayakkara on behalf of the Air Force.

At the foothills of Gongale Mount:

A mercy mission

by Padma EDIRISINGHE

Were one to get depressed about recent events in the political arena of the island just go around and get your spirits uplifted by the stunningly beautiful landscapes that dot of terrain of Sri Lanka. One of them is the Gongale Mountain range that according to local informants is in a nexus position among three provinces of the country ie. The South Uva and Sabaragamuwa. Nilwala River of the blue clouds flows away like a liberated princess to disgorge her waters to the Indian Ocean from the shores of far off Matara crossing the lush vegetation of Morawaka area.

Not so liberated like this massive waterway is the village of Welwatte that lies hidden in the lush foliage at the foothills of the hilly range. In fact it remains steeped in poverty. Poverty of a 100 years? Yes, Village elders say that the population of Welwatte stems from three families that chose to settle down there a century ago. Nothing much has happened by way of progress in the intervening period.

There are umpteen number of villages like this which continue to stay still in a gushing vortex of change. Modern marvels do not touch them, a factor that affects mostly the younger generation eager to join the onward march of progress but denied opportunities.

The small schools project, a brainchild of that veteran and brilliant educationalist George Mendis seems to have overlooked the area. Today Welwatte's children trek every morning a distance of about 5 km to reach the nearest school at Kolonne. It is not a motorable road and can be accessed only by hardy jeeps. Many children attend school only every other day since the 10 km trip up and down is just too much for their tender legs.

And Wewatte could be only one place where parents stand vigil on river banks overnight for their offsprings to come over. That is due to the antics of the river with many names that flows across the only path to Kolonna.

Hazards

Temperamental as she is, Andorawa River will lie mild when the children hasten across the low bridge over it in the morn as early as 5.30 a.m. for they have far to go, but come evening, sudden rains raise the waterway over the bridge stranding the children.

These are just a few of the hazards the children face. This is the season of Christmas and good cheer, but not for Welwatte, not because its denizens are Buddhists, but because of the dread of the onset of a New Year which also means a new school year. True, Sri Lanka has set a grand record by providing school uniforms and mid-day meals free and event, school texts free, but the new school year springs many wants as stationery, supplementary readers and shoes and other essential paraphernalia.

The income generating avenues of the villagers are very meagre who depend mostly on sale of cinnamon, pepper, melon (dehi) and paddy.

These are not cultivated on a large scale but in their own narrow plots usually invaded by unwanted growth. The middle man muddles matters further, in the monetary sphere.

A memory that refuses to leave my mind are the faces of certain Indians who drive up the lucky humans uphill in a sort of a modified rickshaw along the paths leading to Simla, once holiday resort of the Sudas. All human dignity has fled from the faces of these rickshaw wallahs who have driven themselves to a position just one steep above the beasts of burden.

Pardon me, but I saw a few such faces among the crowd that had congregated to the frugally built Praja or Community Centre at Welwatte.

For years they had been carrying the load of their families that has almost cracked their spirits. Have they given up the struggle? No. Hope, they say springs eternally in the human breast.

Blessings

Wenesa (Change) project that has earned the patronage of the Expatriate Program that has earned the blessings of the President has earmarked this village for developmental purposes injecting new hope to the neglected hamlet which however despite all constraints including a two and hour walk to the closest school has produced one university graduate and is sending up another next year to the academic portals. Gifts galore, the organisers carried including computers gifted by Henry Kumarapperuma, an expatriate with a golden heart.

This village is minus electricity. The pylons, the long pillars that would encase the wonder force that makes the modern world go round, are yet to be built.

Change

What on earth, was going to activate the computers gifted unless some divine force steps in, I asked myself as I observed the proceedings at the Praja Centre to which in mid afternoon about 60 villages had gathered to catch a glimpse of the oncoming change. Was the computer, I asked myself, a grand farce to dupe the raw villagers about a better future that would never materialise but end with a package of rosy promises? I had lived too long and experienced several such campaigns that just fizzle out.

Surprisingly, as I was lost in my own world of depressed and sceptical thought, figures and letters metamorphosed on the screen of the computers. Amazed I wondered whether the force that I was contemplating had intervened. In fact there is this mighty celestial figure considered the King of Paradise, Sakra by name, who according to our indigenous literature, had, had his throne, specifically the Pandukambala Sailashanaya hotted up in acute times of human distress which practice he had given up probably due to their frequent occurrence. But now was God Sakra who was mercilessly inactive throughout the: LTTE terror - drama really activating himself for the benefit of Welwatte inhabitants?

However, a more prosaic explanation of the phenomenon was given to me. Electricity on a small scale is generated by a waterfall, Seethala Dola aligned to the river crossing the village. Houses that could afford it get their supply from this source. Now the supply to the Praja Centre has been temporarily got from a connection to such a house.

Five beautiful girls appeared from almost nowhere who knew the basics of computer technology and demonstrated to the crowd the process of data collecting.

Another patron of the project, Kolombage, an engineer, enunciated the art further and said that the girls should initially collect data on the village and store them in the computer, prior to initiating actual work on the development project. The actual headings on which data can be categorized were given.

God Sakra, inundated by human crises probably has given up his task now and taken a back seat. Sustaining forces change from time to time. Here we see the emergence of an era where the wonder of modern technology and the indomitable spirit of humans, act as catalysts. From where did those five girls acquire their computer knowledge?

Blushing pink, they told me that they attend computer classes at Kolonna , after trekking there, five km. Amen, I intone in this season of good cheer. Nothing to surpass the spirit of human courage which however needs uplift and encouragement from those with kind hearts and maybe, fat purses.

Note: The Welwatte Praja Centre scream for a library, especially readers for children.

Book launch

Dedahas Visihaye Mahalla Upali Ubaysekara's latest book 'Dedahas Visihaye Mahalla' will be launched at the Sri Lanka National Library Services and Documentation Board auditorium, Colombo 7 on January 4 at 4 p.m. The keynote address will be delivered by Chinthaka Ranasinghe. Dedahas Visihaye Mahalla is a Sooriya Publication.

"Silumini Maha Seya Saha Salumini Maha Seya"