9. K.C.S.ARUNACHALAM
---A CUCKOO THAT HAS ABANDONED SINGING
A CUCKOO THAT IS UNABLE TO SING
He always adopted a unique style in his poems. Depending on the content he used to vary the poetic diction. Many of his poems adopt Folk-meter and rural dialect. We can also see style of the classics in some of his poems. Changing the manner of presentation according to the matter is his style.
His compilation of poems was published in the title’Paattu varaatha kuil.”The Tamil phrase can not be easily translated in English. It gives several shades of meanings.’ A Cuckoo that has abandoned singing’, A Cuckoo that has left singing’,’ A Cuckoo that has become unable to sing’ and ‘A Cuckoo that is unable to sing’ are the eligible translations for use.
In this volume there is a poem under the same title. The content of the poem reveals that a Cuckoo, which was singing as usual, suddenly became unable to sing, because of various socio-economic factors. The poet uses first person to denote the cuckoo and it is understood that the poet considers himself as the cuckoo.
This cuckoo, nowadays,
Has become unable to sing.
Neither song nor tune and beat
Interests it.
People blame that
‘It has become dumb’
I do not understand matters
‘Why should I sing?’
‘For what purpose I have to sing?’
I baffle.
If I point out in my songs
The social problems and miseries
Nobody cares.
Communal discrimination
Lead to clashes and murders;
Heads roll down and murders continue
In the name of various religious saints
Atomic terrorism is sponsored by
Governments pretend to be democratic
Genocide is their procedure
To destroy the whole mankind.
Without any worry
You wander in vain!
Our life has become a comic circus
You have closed your eyes
In a drowsy state.
For some or
Other reason
This cuckoo is
Unable to sing.
The social inequalities,the atrocities committed by governments in the name of democracy and maintenance of peace have spoiled the mood of the cuckoo and as a result, it is now become unable to sing.
The poet in another poem asserts that nothing in the earth can prevent him from singing. Whereas in the previous poem the poet is in a depressed mood, here, in this poem titled ”A Hundred Cuckoos sing in my mind” he is seen in a highly elated mood.
“Nobody can
Prevent my singing.
Even if a thousand persons
Come against me
Holding drastic weapons
In their hands
Nobody can
Prevent my singing.
Even if I were blindfolded
And abandoned in a forest
Even if sand is thrust
Mercilessly in my mouth
Even if I were handcuffed
With heavy iron chains
I will sing a sweet song
And dedicate it to the earth.”
Thus proclaims the poet. Here the elated mood arises out of the strong hope that there will be a bright future for the whole mankind soon as a result of the working class and its dedicated task to usher in a socialist society.
A thousand Cuckoos
Sing in my mind,
And the heart is filled up
With happiness unbound.
These lines clearly express the jubilant mood of the poet.
The hope for a new dawn makes the poet feel happy.
In another poem the poet gives a call to other poets to join with him in his poetic mission.
‘Singing birds-come on
Perch on my shoulders’
is his invitation to the poets who are really optimistic about the certainty of the ushering in golden era.
The wicked Kali Yuga
Which felt happy to see us in tears,
And which bathed in our blood,
Is coming to an end.
A new dawn in the sky,
A quite new dawn
To give an auspicious light
Is about to rise.
The time has come to celebrate
The new happy occasion.
Singing birds come on
Sing along sing along
Sing with me-our
Songs are quite new
Tune and beat are
Entirely new.
Singing birds-come on
Sing with me”
is the call given by the poet to others who will accept the socialist realism as their policy, to create a
