Classical Telugu poetry: An anthology

Voices from Asia

by Velcheru Narayana Rao

The classical tradition in Telugu, the mellifluous language of Andhra Pradesh in southern India, is one of the richest yet least explored of all South Asian literatures. In this volume, Velcheru Narayana Rao and David Shulman have brought together mythological, religious, and secular texts by twenty major poets who wrote between the eleventh and nineteenth centuries, providing an authoritative volume overview of one of the world's most creative poetic traditions. An informative, engaging introduction fleshes out the history of Telugu literature, situating its poets in relation to significant literary themes and historical developments and discussing the relationship between Telugu and the classical literature and poetry of Sanskrit.

Genres: Poetry, Indian Literature

418 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2002

About the author

Velcheru Narayana Rao is Visiting Distinguished Professor of South Asian Studies at Emory University.

Reviews

[Neha Bansal · Rating 5 out of 5]

from: classical telugu poetry - an anthology
edited and translated by: v narayana Rao and david Schulman






Sita



Sita was my classmate
she and i pored over
that great new poem the Ramayana
of Satyanarayana

when we were finished I asked her
looking ar her thoughtful eyes:

"You listened to the whole story
we followed Rama
with the swiftness of poetry
into the wilderness of ancient times
we met him, went, to the forest with him,
we saw him
kill Bali from behind the tree
and test his wife by fire
Now tell me, do you want to
live like sita, the wife of hero Rama?

When she heard me, she said:
"hey Pratabhi
Sita is the very epitome of
Indian womanhood
Its a dream, having
the good fortune
to live like her

But even if I want to be Sita
I'd never want to be Rama's wife
tell me, would you ever want to be
Rama yourself?"

why should I, when you don't want
to be Rama's wife?
My desire, rather is to become Ravana.

with all my ten mouths
I will kiss your lips, your face. I will
bind you
with the gaze of my twenty eyes
I will press you to my chest
with twenty strong arms
and make you one with me
in one embrace

Now,
Sita is my wife
- pratabhi (1919- )


isn't it interesting?? here Pratabhi, the poet wins the hand of "sita", who'd prefer to be Ravana's wife and not Rama's. What we see here is the subversion of a Grand Narrative built over a myriad years that all hindu women would naturally and blissfully want to chant the hymn to gauri and fast on to ensure a Rama like husband. The test by fire to which sita is subjected and insensate machinations to kill Bali on the part of Rama is contrasted with the pratabhi's passionate "Ravana role-playing"..
These little subversions here and there perhaps make life less tyrannical with those little gaps to be filled with all those hitherto supressed voices. Writing back to the centre hence becomes one of the greatest freedom that a writer representing the voice of "the other" can enjoy. And the hitherto "infallible" fortresses of the given narratives become less formidable to scale.

[Vinay · Rating 5 out of 5]

Saint Tyagaraja pleading Lord Rama(Depiction from Bantureethi Kolu, see St. Tyagaraja's chapter for the translation).

Narayana Rao Garu & Shulman Garu's Classical Telugu Poetry is an essential read for those interested in Telugu Literature. As an illiterate(Paamarudu) in Telugu Bhasha, this book has made me realize what's missing from English, appreciate the delicate craft of poetry, and worship Goddess Saraswati for further enlightenment. Maybe, it's my bias(being raised in a Telugu family) that might be playing a factor in this lofty praise. However, I can't deny the intellectual curiosity and emotional response this book has elicited. The introduction is just top-notch.

The authors trace the history of Telugu & its civilization through the lens of literature. All the way from Nannayya Garu's mellifluous Mahabharatam to St. Tyagaraja's heartfelt songs. You encounter flamboyant figures like Srinatha & Krishna Devaraya, internal evolutions in poetic styles, religious & political shifts, mythology, and ethics.

For those who can understand Telugu, here's an interview with Narayana Rao Garu.

Translation also plays a key role in the evolution of the language, a mere transliteration of Sanskrit text would not have sufficed. Unwinding a compounded sentence & rearranging it to the natural cadences of Telugu takes tremendous effort. Imagine the toils of Pierre Menard from Borges' short story. At the same time, viewing this book as a masterful English translation effort will not do, and that is not the purpose of this book.

I leave you with a beautiful poem from Annamacharya.

Kadaludipi Neeradaga:

ప|| కడలుడిపి నీరాడగా దలచువారలకు | కడలేని మనసునకు కడమ యెక్కడిది ||
చ|| దాహమణగిన వెనక తత్త్వమెరి గెదనన్న | దాహమేలణగు తా తత్త్వమేమెరుగు |
దేహంబుగల యన్ని దినములకును పదార్థ | మోహమేలుడుగుదా ముదమేల కలుగు ||
చ|| ముందరెరిగిన వెనుకమొదలు మరచెదనన్న | ముందరేమెరుగుదా మొదలేల మరచు
అందముగ దిరువేంకటాద్రీశు మన్ననల | కందు వెరిగిన మేలు కలనైన లేదు ||

Translation:

Pallavi:
You say you want to bath
when the waves subside
Is there an end
to the endless mind?

Charanam:
You say "Let me quench my thirst,
and then I'll find the truth."
Why should thirst be quenched?
How can you know the truth?

Pallavi: Is there an end?

Charanam:
All the days you have a body,
why should longing cease?
How can you find joy?

Pallavi: Is there an end?

Charanam:
You say, "After I know what lies ahead,
I'll forget what was before"
Can you know what lies ahead?
How can you forget what was before?

Pallavi: Is there an end?

Charanam:
That goodness that comes of knowing
how to reach god-
you won't find it
in your wildest dreams

Pallavi: Is there an end?

Regards,
Vinay A

[Sirish · Rating 5 out of 5]

The opening essay is a brilliant introduction to the history and evolution of Telugu poetry. What Prof. Rao and Prof. Shulman have done in the book, and across their other work, is to provide context and find ways to communicate to lay readers, like me, the methods required to understand, appreciate and celebrate great literature.

In addition to that, they also communicate the cultural background and social history in ways that make us better readers and, dare I say, better humans because of the deeper understanding, of language, literature, history, one gains. I'm eternally grateful to their work. (It would've been nice to have the poems in Telugu script, for those of us who are able to read in the language, but again that's more of a request for the next edition than a quibble.)