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Unit - IV Regional Indian Literature in Translation and English
PART II - Language through Literature - II
Second Year - Fourth Semester
for all B.Sc Programmes
Unit -4
4.1 Those who have lost the Nectar by O N V Kurup (Translated from Malayalam by S. Velayudhan)
About Poet:
O.N.V. Kurup, a poet, lyricist, teacher, and inspiration for all has held generations in awe with his imaginative and intuitive skills, creativity, and poetic lingos. He was born on May 27, 1931, at Chavara, in Kollam District. His first published poem ‘Munnottu’ (Forward) in 1946, penned in the backdrop of his patriotic feelings. The poetic aspects of the epic, Adhyatma Ramayanam, and its style have had a major influence and impact later in his career as a poet. Agni Salabhangal the poetic work by Mr. Kurup was awarded the Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award in 1971. He was awarded Padmashri in 1998, Jnanpith in 2007, and Padma Vibhushan in 2011.
About Poem:
Those Who Have Lost The Nectar is a poem written by the malayalam poet and lyricist O.N.V.Kurup. (1931-2016). He have written a lot of poems and prose. He also contributed to malayalam films and dramas. He have received several awards like Jnanpith Award (2007), Padmashri (1998) & Padma Vibhushan (2011).
This poem has been translated to Malayalam by S.Velayudhan. It was published in The Ancient Lyre by Sahitya Akademi, New Delhi in 2005.
In the poem the poet watches his son launching boats in the courtyard which has turned into a stream due to continuous rain. The father watches it happily and hence it has a delightful starting and ends with a tone of wisdom and realization.
Poem:
It has rained my son,
the courtyard has turned into a stream
and your joy, into paper boats.
You launch them one by one,
delighted
as you look at them intently.
As you sit like a legendary god
leading a fleet of ships to far off lands
in good weather
your father sits behind you
and enjoys the sight more.
Your ancestors
you haven't known, see it from afar.
Like their tears of joy, fall
the rain drops here and there.
The droplets of fresh rain
draw circles like flowers in the water...
In an instant, son,
your face is shadowed:
Will it rain again, will the boats sink?
We are those who have lost
the nectar of pure joy; we grieve over
things that might or might not come to pass.
Poem Summary:
1-10 lines:
The poem starts as if a father speaking to his son. Father says it has rained. The courtyard has turned into a stream and the joy of the son has turned to paper boat. The son is launching the paper boats made by him into the stream. He is so happily looking at the floating paper boat. He is doing it like a legendary god sending a group of ships to somewhere far away. Then father/poet says that he enjoys the sight more.
11-22 lines:
Poet says son that his ancestors who passed away and whom he don’t know are watching that from far away and their tears of joy comes down as rain. Then he says that the droplets of rain falls make circles like flowers. It is mentioned to the ripples that form in the stream. That means it has started raining. Till this the poem has a happy mood. Not the poet says that at the instant his sons face changes he is sad that will it rain again and will his boat sink. Then in the last lines the poet says that we people are like that we have lost the nectar means the real extract of happiness. Whatever happiness we have we grieve about what might come or might not come to pass. Whatever it will pass but we think of the grief that may come. This gives a beautiful lesson to each one of us. Do not regret about past or worry about future, we have to live happily in the present, then only we will get the nectar of life or happiness.
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