Re: ka_vi raa_ksha_su_lu

Ramakrishna S. Pillalamarri (pkrishna@ARL.MIL)
Fri, 19 Jul 96 22:37:27 EDT

I don't know why Jampala termed it "rAkshasam". The language used here
is appropriate to the context, except for one line.

pEdarAli rOdana vini" - endukee grAndhikampu?

If the writer used two styles of language, one for the poor woman, and
another for the doctor, it may have been appropriate. But he has the doctor
use the same language as the poor woman. "anTe tinDi gAvAle" is such a
pukka telangANA expression (including the inflections - "anTE, tinDi kAvAli"
becomes such a pure rubbery white bread variety of expression), that
I felt nostalgic of the times when I was able to switch on and off my
telangANA accent with great facility.

But there is one explanation. Just came to me as I am writing this. I
think there are three characters in this poem: the poor woman, the doctor,
and the poet himself. So, in this case, the first two are speaking
"the dialect" and the poet reserved the "chaste" language for himself.

I posted the following excerpt on SCIT, long time ago. Hope Jampala
remembers (so should Ari) that incident.

intaku kavitA Saili yeTlunDavalayunu? andaraku teliyavalayunu.
sukumAramugA nunDavalayunu. ee soukumAryamu eTuvanTidi? Sabda
gata soukumAryamA, bhAvagata soukumAryamA? viplava racanalalO
bhAvagata soukumArya munDuTa kashTamEmO? viplava vAdi kavitwamu
Sabdagata soukumAryamu nASrayincadu. "campumu, koTTumu, netturu
pArimpumu"... vAri phaNitulu kUDa roudra rasa vyanjakamugA nunDunu.
antavaraku vAru nijamaina kavulu. Ela nanagA, vAri bhAvamuna
kanukUlamaina Sabdamunu, dAni kanukUlamaina phaNitini vAru
sweekarincucunnAru.

ee acca soukumArya vAdula kadi teliyadA! Sabda gatamaina
soukumAryamu, mAdhuryamu, Ojassu, prouDhi - ivi bhAvASrayamulai
yunDunanna vishayamu viplava vAdiyai, nijamaina kaviki teliyunu.
ataniki teliyakunDa telisinanu nashTamu lEdu. kanuka Sabda guNamu
bhAvamu nASrayinci yunDunanna visahayamu vipla vAdiyaina kaviyE
nirUpincucunnADu. idi sthUlamugA kanipincunadi. bhAvamulalO jilugu
lunnavi. ee bhAvamulalOni jilugulu kUDa tadanukUla Sabda cayamulO
krotta jilugulu rAvA? vaccunanuTa yuhA prasaktamE. dAninE ukti-
vaicitra mandumu. lOkamu sushTugA vicAritamainacO nAlankArikula
mArgamEsuvyakta magucunnadi.

This may have been the longest stuff I transcribed in RIT. Normally I
would avoid doing that, because it is difficult to read, except for the
highly initiated. The following is a continuation of the above, in
translation.
If we write poetry the same we way we talk among ourselves in
daily life, why "poetry" separately? Aren't our words enough?
If we say we'll use the same language for "that", then what is
"that"? Something separate than "this"?

We do see something different in whatever is called "poetry".
We do see a "particular way" of saying things in poetry. oka
viplava bhAvamunu prakaTincu dwitwa-samyukta-sthirA-ksharamula
kUDika kanipincucunadi (couldn't translate). There is an effort
to "impress" a feeling in the reader's heart. We see this more
in the famous revolutionary poets' writings. That is how they
became famous. This is the secret of poetry. This is said by
all the old alankAra experts.

kavitwamunaku siddhAntamulu pradhAnamulu kAvu. kavi yokka nErpu
pradhAnamu. oka mahAkavi viplava vAdi kAka pOvaccunu. vADu mahA
kaviyE. oka viplava vAdi kUDa mahAkavi kAvaccunu. mahAkaviki viplava
vAdamunaku sambandhamu lEdu. viplava vAdi yokka racana yandali
guNamulE sweekAryamulu, taditaruni yandu sweekAryamulu kAvaninacO,
adi guNa-grahaNa pAreeNata lEmi. guNamendunnanu guNamE!

siddhAntamula kEmi, sarwa kAlamula yandu sarwa siddhAntamulu
sthiramulugA lEvu. ee kAlamunandali siddhAntamulu mari yoka
kAlamunandu apa-siddhAntamulu kAvaccunu. ivi bahu kAraNamulacEta
mArucunDunu. eppuDe kAraNamu puTTenO evaDerugunu? tatkAlamandali
siddhAntamu paramArdha manukonuTa, ananta vaicitri kala ee
sRshTini bhAvana cEyakapOvuTa.

kAni kavi mAtramu nityuDu. vyAsa, and vAlmeeki who wrote about
the social and political situations of that day are still great
poets. Those who wrote on present social situation in the western
world, Ibsen, Shaw, they are poets too. And Milton who was a
little before them. To be called great poets, it wasn't their
philosophy, but it was their command over the language, and their
writing style.

sarwa vidyalandunu andara kardhamagunadi, kondaraka mAtramE
yarthamagunadi yunDunu kadA! andariki nanni teliyavu. manakadi
teliyadulE, mana kendu, ani UrakunDu vADugAni, manamu teliskondamani
prayatnamu cEyuvADu gAni sRshTilO alpa sankhyAkulu. Atma yunnadE,
adi lEdanna vAniki kUDa unnadi kadA! A Atma lakshaNamu EmanagA
sarwaj~natwamu. A sarwaj~natwamunu jeevAmSa cEta, dEha gata samskAra
bhAvana cEta gappa baDi yunDunu. ee kappina mAya vishayamunu
prakASimpa neeyadu. kAni mUlabhUtamaina sarwaj~natwa lakkshaNapu
kAntini paiki gruDDi vennelagA nania cimmucunE yunDunu. antayu nAku
teliaya valayu nanuTa ee mAyA pihita jeeva lakshaNamu.

Excuse me for the long, telugu post. I wish I were better at translation.

Ramakrishna


PS: Not all of this was posted before. Perhaps only the first two
paragraphs. I got carried away once I started. You know how it is...