Sri Lanka: Kural

[Tinker]

Explore the Craft of Writing Poetry
Southeast Asian Verse

Sri Lanka or the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an island country in the northern Indian Ocean off the southern coast of India. The earliest literary influences came from Hinduism and Buddhism.  The poetic form I was able to find originated in the ancient Tamil language of the area. Tamil is one of the oldest written languages dating back to 300 BC, the grammar of which is very rigid.  It is said to be one of the last classical language, defined as, its origins are ancient, it has independent traditions and it has a "considerable" body of ancient literature.

The Kural, meaning "short, concise, and abridged", is an ancient Tamil verse form of southern India and Sri Lanka.  It was first recognized in 1330 couplets in the Tamil language by the Vedic poet, Valluvar.  "Considered one of the greatest works ever written on ethics and morality, chiefly secular ethics, it is known for its universality and non-denominational nature."  Wikipedia. 

The Kural is written in only 2 lines and unlike many Eastern verse forms the lines are measured by "words" rather than syllables. The couplets are referred to as "literary proverbs".  First found at Kaleidoscope. The couplet is named from the original series of 1330 couplets, each a stand alone poem , recorded in a series and contributory to a larger whole. Therefore, at the poet's discretion, a poem could consist of any number of kurals, as long as the couplets could stand alone. 

The elements of the Kural are:

1. a complete couplet, a distich, a poem in 2 lines.  Can be written in a series or any number of kurals as long as each could stand alone.
2. composed with 4 words in L1 and 3 words in L2.
3. unmetered and unrhymed
4. the lines parallel or juxtapose one another. 
5. pitch pattern is language specific and impossible to emulate in English. (But we try anyway. A substitute in English would be particular attention paid to the sound and texture of the words chosen. )
6. titled or untitled at the poet's discretion.
   Timeless
    
   Ancient words touch today,                                  Darkness fills my world 
   poets never die.                                                      I let go.
             ~~Judi Van Gorder                                       ~~ Gypsy Ann   from Writing.com
    

Also read The Kural and the Art of Poetry by Manjul Bajaj which includes several amazing examples of what can be done with just 7 words.

[Tinker]

            Sri Lanka

Jewel of Southeast Asia,
eastern Island playground.

Elephants freely roam countryside
Glass city rises.

Paradise in Indian Ocean
ancient and new.
               ~~Judi Van Gorder   (Kural)

[Tinker]

Wise Words Wisdom in seven words,                    ancient Tamil verse.                 ~~jvg

broken red flower pot                    more kitty mischief                 ~~jvg

aroma of coffee brewing                      morning silent alarm                 ~~jvg

books on a shelf lifeless until read                 ~~jvg