Translation:Tolkappiyam/Prosody

by Tolkappiyar

use me to read Tamil

Source in Tamil

Note

The serial number at the end denotes the verse in the part of the literature

Translation

Example to the verse, cited by Elamburanar, an interpreter to the literature ‘Tolkappiyam’ who belongs to 11th century A.D. and others is given indented star-mark.

Basic notes to follow

This chapter deals with the styles in literature both in poetic form and prose order. In poetic form, there are 34 poetic limbs, including eight aspects of literature elegance.

34 combined poetic limbs

1. Phonemic unit [maaththirai], phoneme [e’zuththu], syllable [asai], step [siir], foot or line [adi], poetic consortium [yaappu], traditional usage [marabou], rhythm [thuukku], linkage [thodai], blending consortium [thoo’kku], view [nookku], poem [paa], limitation of poems [al’aviyal], strand [thin’ai], culture of personal life (such as clandestine and wedded love) [kaikoo’l’], subject content [porul’], listeners [kee’tppoo’r], context [kal’an], time [kaalam], consequence [payan], manifesting emotion [me’ippaadu], residual inference [e’ccam], intention [munnam], subject [porul’], sub-strand [thurai], language hug [maattu], poetic style [vann’am] – all 26 – and 8 aspects of poetic flow [vanappu]. (1)

Poetic limbs

1. Among the above limbs the first two are discussed earlier. (2)
2. Syllable is two kinds; - long phoneme or short phone at the end either with or without a #consonant is named after [n”eer] and two short phonemes or long phoneme followed by a #short phoneme either with or without a consonant is named after [n”irai]. (3)
3. The above two syllables followed by short-u or rarely by other [u] are named after [n”eetpu] and [n”iraipu] respectively. (4)
4. Syllable without [u] is called [iyalasai] and other is called [uriyasi]. (5)
5. A short phoneme in the beginning of word does not be separated to take it as [n”eer]. (6)
6. The short [u] at the end should be considered as consonant. (7)
7. The other [u] at the end is also be considered as above. (8)
8. The [u] end may stand with or without consonant. (9)
9. Combination of syllables are called [siir] according to learned. (10)
10. There may be two or three syllables in a [siir]. (11)
11. Blending of two [iyalasai] is called [iyar’chiir] and blending of [uriyasai] is called [uricchiir]. (12)
12. Ending with [n”irai] syllable is also taken as above. (13)
13. Ending with [n”ee’r] syllable is considered as [iyar’chiir]. (14)
14. Blending [iyalasai] followed by [uriyasai] is taken as [n”iraiyasai]. (15)
15. Elongation of vowel-phoneme is also taken as muted syllable. (16)
16. Elongation of consonant-phoneme is also taken as muted syllable. (17)
17. If the step [iyar’chiir] is followed by syllable [n”ee’r], it is called [uricchiir-ve’nbaa]. (18)
18. The other step sans [iyar’cchiir] is called [vanjicchiir]. (19)
19. The above kind of step flows in its rhythmic form only. (20)
20. Other steps mingle in [vanji] rhythm. (21)
21. Steps [venbaa-uricchiir] and [aasiriyauricchiir] do not mingle. (22)
22. In the rhythmic form of [kali] they mingle. (23)
23. Step ending in a syllable [n”ee’r] does not mingle in the rhythmic form of [kali]. (24)
24. This step does not end in rhythmic form of [vanji]. (25)
25. Single syllable may stand as a step in the end of a poem of its kind. (26)
26. If there is no flap in strand, single-syllable-step may also be considered in construction of poem. (27)
27. Syllable [ve’nsiir-iitrasai] is considered as [n”iraiyasai].(28)
28. It is used in the rhythmic style of [aasiriyappaa]. (29)
29. Step [vanji-uricchiir] may mingle in [aasiriyappaa]. (30)

Foot or Line [adi]

1. Four steps are called foot. (31)
2. Linkage [thal’ai] and binding [thodai] are blending in flow of a single foot and among feet of rhythmic poem. (32)
3. They do not come beyond foot of rhythm. (33)
4. An excellent flowing of feet of rhythm is called poem. (34)
5. Foot having four to six phonemes is called [kur’al-adi]. (35)
6. Foot having seven to nine phonemes is called [sindadi]. (36)
7. Foot having ten to fourteen phonemes is called [n”ee’radi]. (37)
8. Foot having fifteen to seventeen phonemes is called [n”e’diladi]. (38)
9. Foot having eighteen to twenty phonemes is called [kazin”e’diladi]. (39)
10. A step does have phonemes within the limit of five excluding [vanji] step that may have six. (40)
11. Steps having excessive phonemes are also taken to be considered. (41)
12. As there is no action of pronunciation, the consonants are not considered in counting. (42)
13. [Vanji] foot has two steps. (43)
14. [Vanji] step has minimum four phonemes. (44)
15. [Vanji] foot may also have three steps. (45)
16. There separate syllable-step appears. (46)
17. Separating-step appears in [n”ee’radi] that is four-step foot. (47)
18. The foot calculation in expansion goes to 625 befalling 5 feet, 17 contexts and 70 variations. (48)
19. It goes beyond the limit in intensive calculation of prosodies. (49)
20. All the five kinds of feet are eligible to appear in the rhythm of [aasiriyappaa]. (50)
21. They even proceeds mingling. (51)

Linkage

1. Consideration of linkage is not needed where the five kinds of steps of rhythm flow on. (52)
2. Linkage of same syllable is called [aasiriyam] linkage. (53)
3. The first four feet of rhythm are not eligible to flow in [vanji] linkage. (54)
4. Rhythmic foot [al’abu] and [sindhu] flow in [ve’nbaa] rhythm without linkage. (55)
5. Rhythmic feet [n”e’dil} and [kazi-n:e’dil] flow in [kali] linkage. (56)
6. A step having first syllable [n”irai] linked without harmony after a step is also taken as [kali] linkage. (57)
7. Other kinds of linkages are flow in linkage of [kali] rhythmic style. (58)
8. Two syllabic step of [ve’ll’adi] kind flows in rhythmic foot of [aasiriyam]. (59)
9. Both linkages of [ve’nba] and [aasiriyam] may also flow in [aasiriyam] version. (60)
10. Six-step foot of rhythm will flow in the foot of [aasiriyam] with a linkage of its kind. (61)
11. Seven-step-foot runs with friction. (62)
12. Friction-step of flow is applicable to five-step and six-step feet of style. (63)
13. These three kinds of feet (five-step, six-step and friction-step) do not flow in [aasiriyam] style of verse. (64)
14. The penultimate foot in [aasiriyam] verse will be of having three steps. (65)
15. The three-step-foot may flow in-between verse of [aasiriyam]. (66)
16. The above may run in [kali] verse. (67)

Rhythmic style [thuukku]

1. Rhythm [vanji] flows with rhythm [senthuukku]. (68)
2. Ending foot in [ve’nba] culminates with three steps. And the last step will be syllabic step. (69)
3. The syllable will be [n”e’r] or [n”irai]. (70)
4. It may be the syllable of [n”e’rbu] or [n”iraibu] according to learned. (71)
5. Poems [aasiriam] and [kali] end with seven steps. (72)
6. Poem [ven’baa] also flows with seven-step-end. (73)

Poetic consortium [yaapu]

1. Poetic consortium is a meaningful version constructed on poetic limbs discussed above from phonemic letters. (74)
2. It is constructed by meaningful words of poetic limbs, by the people of land area ruled over by the famous three monarchs [Chera, Chola and Pandia]. According to formation it has been classified into seven categories by the learned; as poem [paattu], prose [urai], verse [n”uul], gnomic writing [vaai-mozi], riddle [pisi], satire [angatham] and proverb [muthu-sol]. (75).
3. Conventional poetic consortium is four-folded. (76)
4. Rhythm [agaval] is poem of [aasiriyam]. (77)
5. Sans the above rhythm is the Poem of [ve’n’baa]. (78)
6. Bouncing rhythm [thull’al] is the poem of [kali]. (79)
7. Hanging rhythm [thuungal] is the poem of [vanji]. (80)
8. Blending of first two rhythms is the poem of [marutpaa]. (81)
9. Poetic consortium does not flow beyond these four forms. (82)
10. That is all of rhythmic consortium. (83)

Kinds of rhyming linkage [thodai]

1. Rhyming linkage is of four kinds; [movai], [ethugai], [iyaibu] and [mur’an’]. (84)
2. Adding elongation rhyme of linkage it becomes five-fold. (85)
3. Linkage among two arranged-groups of words (one kind) and repeating same words (another) kind become under the four kinds. (86)
4. Linkages [pozippu], [oruu-u] and blank verse [senthodai] are also of above category. (87)
5. Foot with linkage of first letter in step is called [moonai]. (88)
6. Linkage of second letter in step or in feet is called [ethugai]. (89)
7. Letters of vowel-consonant are eligible in linkage. (90)
8. Linkage of words of opposite in structure and meaning is called [muran’]. (91)
9. Rhyme is called [iyaibu]. (92)
10. Linkage of words with elongation-phoneme is called [al’abedai]. (93)
11. Second letter linkage in alternative lines (feet) is called [pozippu]. (94)
12. Linkage in third step is called [oruu-u]. (95)
13. Linkage of other kind (blank verse) is called [senthodai] according to learned. (96)
14. Multiplying these linkages becomes into 13,699. (97)
15. Intensive learned can calculate into more. (98)
16. Linkage is as above. (99)

View of poetic consortium

1. Considering the views of all the limbs of prosody from time-unit of phoneme to line of foot is called [n”ookku]. (100)
2. The poems are four kinds; vis. [aasiriyam], [vanji], [ven’ba] and [kali]. (101)
3. Good behavior [ar’am], valuable subjects in life-style [porul’] and sexual bliss [inbam] are the three-fold subject materials in human life are discussed in four kinds of poems. (102)
4. Four kinds of poems falls in two kinds; vis. [aasiriyam] and [ven’baa]. (103)
5. Poem [vanji] flows in the style of [aasiriyam] and poem [kali] in the style of [ven’baa]. (104)
6. Praising and benediction will flow on four kinds of poems. (105)
7. The subject matter of benediction ‘Be flourish you and your decedents by the grace of God, that you worship [pur’an”ilai-vaazththu] does not flow in two kinds of poems [kali] and [vanji]. (106)
8. General instructions [vaayurai-vaazththu], words of submission before the court [avaiyadakkiyal] and individual public instruction [sevi-ar’ivuruu-u] are also the three subject materials that do not flow in above two kinds of poems. (107)
9. Examining the general instructions [vaayurai-vaazththu], it will be as bitter to mind as margosa [vembu] and gallnut [kadu] be bitter to taste, that ends healthy. (108)
10. Self abasement before the learned [avai-adakkiyal] is a kind of expression that requests others to adhere his word whether it is strong or flimsy. (109)
11. Individual instruction [sevi-ar’ivuruu-u] is kind of expression that requests the hero to hear his expression without emotion. (110)

Measurement of structure in poems

1. The three structural forms of poems, [otthazisai] the expression of a theme in different structure, [man’dilam] four lines transferable in-between and [kuttam] the culminating expression will have the structural form of four-line-poem. (111)
2. The culminating portion of ‘kali’ poem [kuttam] may also end in three-step penultimate line. (112)
3. The structural poems of [mondilam] and [kuttam] may be blank verse. (113)’
4. Poems [n”eduven’-paattu], [kuruven’-paattu] that classified by structure and [paripaattu] a kind of broken poem, and theme based poems [kaikkil’ai] that speaks on one sided love and [angatham] satire poem – all these five composed in poem of [ven’baa] kind. (114)
5. Poem [kaikkil’ai] starts with [ven’baa] consortium and ends with [aasiriyam] consortium. (115)
6. Poem [paripaattu] will have all kinds of structural form without any identification. (116)
7. It will have the classical parts such as [kochagam], [araagam], [surithagam] and [eruththu]. (117)
8. Foot having single poetic-step [sol-siir] and short phonemic rhythm [mudukiyal] also appear in it. (118)
9. Step [sol-siir or sor’chiir] will comprise of counting message, fractional versatile foot, blank words and blank morphemes. (119)
10. Satire poem [angatham] is available in two kinds having open and concealed meaningful form of speech. (120)
11. Poem consist of open meaningful words is called [vasai]. (121)
12. Poem consist of concealed meaningful words is called [pazi-karappu]. (122)
13. Poetic consortium is of these two kinds. (123)
14. Poem composed on somebody without adore and without expectation is called [seviyurai]. (124)
15. Poem having content of acclaim and declaim is called [angatham]. (125)

Poem [kali]

1. Poem [kali] is of four kinds; [oththaazisai], [haliven’paatu], [kochchagam] and [ur’az]. (126)
2. Among the four the first one is of further more two kinds. (127)
3. The first one of sub category of above will comprise of these portions of poem of this kind; [idain”ilaip-paattu], [thravu] and [pookkadai]. (128)
4. Portion [tharavu] will have six to twelve feet of lines. (129)
5. Portion [idain”ilaip-paattu] will have feet-lines falling behind of above. (130)
6. The in-between concluding portion [adain”ilaik-kil’avi] falls after [thaazisai]. (131)
7. The concluding or culminating portion [pookkiyal] or [vaippiyal] will have as many number of line-foot as the introductory portion [tharavu] have or some line-foot less. (132)
8. Second kind of [oththaazisaik-kali] will be on praising God. (133)
9. This God-praising poem [kali] also has two sub-divisions; [vann’agam] and [orupoogu]. (134)
10. Poem [vann’agam] will have four portions; [thravu], [thaazisai], [en’] and [vaaram]. (135)
11. Portion [tharavu] being an introductory portion will consist of four, six or eight line-foot each having four poetic-steps. (136)
12. Portion [oththaazisai or thaazisai] will be of triple fold of same size of line-foot that will less lines than [tharavu] portion. (137)
13. The measurement of concluding portion [adakkiyal vaaram] will consist of lines as the introductory portion has. (138)
14. The length of lines in portion [en’] will fall short by short. (139)
15. Short by short length of line spoken above may or may not be in order. This will be taken as broken form [sinnam] (140)
16. The second category of poem [kali] called [orupoogu] also falls into two kinds. (141)
17. The two kinds are [kochchaga-orupoogu] and [ambootharanga-orupoogu]. (142)
18. The first one [kochchaga-orupoogu] flows order-less; without [tharavu], starting in [thaazisai], without [thaazisai], order-less [en’] portion, without concluding portion [adakkiyal], lines beyond the measurement and even beyond the subject matter prescribed to [kali] poem. (143)
19. This kind will have minimum ten lines of feet and maximum twenty. (144)
20. Line-foot of the poem [ambootharangam] falls between thirty and sixty. (145)
21. The structural portions of this kind will be; [eruththu], [kochchagam], [araagam], [sitre’n] and [vaaram]. (146)
22. The third category [kali-ven’-paattu] flows regarding one subject matter in the verse [ven’baa]. (147)
23. The fourth category [kochchagak-kali] flows with these structural portions mingled; [tharavu], [pookku], five-step lines and six structural portions. This kind of poem is considered to be ‘ven’baa-like category. (148)
24. Poem [ur’az-kali] flows with conversations. (149)

Measurement of poem categories

1. The maximum limit of line-feet for the poem [aasiriyam] is thousand. (150)
2. The maximum limit of line-feet for the poem [n”edu-ven’-paattu] is twelve while the poem [kur’u-ven’-paattu] has only seven poetic-steps. (151)
3. Poem [angatham] flows within the above limits. (152)
4. Poem [kalin”ilaip-paatu], [kaikkil’ai], [seviyar’ivur’uu-u] and [pur’an”ilai] do not have limit. (153)
5. Poem [pur’an”ilai], [vaayur’ai] and [seviyar’ivur’uu-u] flows as [ven’baa]-like or [aasiriam]-like (154)
6. The line limit for the poem [paripaatu] falls between 25 and 400. (155)
7. That is the entire measurement limit. (156)

Writing works

1. There are seven kinds if writing works and six among them have no limitation in line-foot measurement. (157)
2. They are verse, prose, riddles, proverbs, hymns and drama. (158)
3. The verse (that explains a language or human contact) will expand without contradiction consolidating, deviating and précising – all can be exploded. (159)
4. It has been sub-divided into four. (160)
5. They are; a subject matter [suuththiram], relevant subject matter [ooththu], story matter of a portion [padalam] and one that have all the above three sections [pin’dam]. (161)
6. Among the above, [suuththiram] will shadow the subject matter in crystal clear as mirror does figure. (162)
7. Portion [ooththu] is one with allied subject matters like a pearl-garland attached together. (163)
8. Portion [padalam] is one with non-allied subject matters but events spoken under a topic. (164)
9. Portion [pindam] is one that have the three portions spoken above as per learned. (165)
10. Prose work is also found in four forms; prose explaining poetry, prose of narration without poetry, stories without facts and tale of wit and humor. (166)
11. The wit and humor itself seems in two depictions. (167)
12. Among the two, one is spoken by foster mother and the other by anybody. (168)
13. Among the two kinds of riddles [pisi] one arises in comparison and the other in allegory. (169)
14. Proverbs are words of intensive thought in its shortest form arise in enormous vivid experience that results in life accord. (170)
15. Hymns are unknown-truth-formulaic words of saints of renounced life that flashed in his mind during meditation. (171)
16. Hyperbole [kur’ippu-mozi] is an indication that has no connection with its word or its meaning. (172)
17. A kind of poem called [pann’aththi] will flow with rhythm without poetic structure. (173)
18. It will be in the style of riddle. (174)
19. Poem [pann’aththi] will fall on twelve kinds multiplying four kinds of poems with their three sub-divisions. (175)
20. The measurement and category of poem falls as above. (176)

Subjective classification of poem

1. Seven themes of stand from one-sided-love [kaikkil’ai] are spoken earlier. (177)
2. The theme of secret-love [mar’ai] have four parts; union by sex-appetite, union in rendezvous, hero’s union with the help of his friend and hero’s union with the help of heroine’s fried. (178)
3. The theme of open-love [kar’ppu] includes the events; secret love being known by public, union by arranged marriage by the parents, tender sulking, open sulking, realizing the folly of sulking and separation for earning. (179)
4. The secret love [mar’ai] and the open love [kar’ppu] are life idealism. (180)

Persons connected with love-life

1. The six verities of people speak in secret love-life [kal’vu] are; Brahmin [paarppaan], hero’s friend [paanhan], heroine’s girl-friend [thozi], step-mother [sevili], the hero [kizavan] and the heroine [kizaththi]. (181)
2. More people along the six above speak in open-love [kar’ppu] are; singing bard [paan’an], singing and dancing ministerial man [kuuththan], dancing maid [vir’ali], prostitute woman [paraththai], learned [ar’ivar], witness [kan’door] and priest [paarppan]. (182)
3. There are some people connected with two parts of love who do not utter words regarding love affairs; village people, neighbors, street dwellers, who knows the love affection of the hero and heroine, the father of hero and the father of heroine and the brothers of the heroine. (183)
4. The mother of the heroine does not speak directly either to her daughter heroine or with the hero. (184)
5. Witnessed women speak with both hero and heroine. (185)
6. They speak in the mid-way while they are eloping. (186)
7. Other people will speak with hero and heroine in guess. (187)
8. Listening and speaking love-secret matters done with husband and wife only. (188)
9. Ministerial of priest and learned is uttered to anybody. (189)
10. There is no use in speaking without mentioning the heroine in the part of prostitute and people of union-helpers. (190)
11. Sometimes the people of union-helpers [vaayil] speak without mentioning the heroine. (191)

Vogue conversation

1. Monologue, a kind of conversation between himself and other things, appear in the part of hero and heroine with some-one as they are speaking and listening. The some-one are sun, moon, mind, bashfulness, sea, sea-shore, beast, tree, evening time, birds, self consciousness, etc. (192)

Other limbs of poetic version

1. Place [idam] denotes where the event taken place. (193)
2. Time [pozuthu] denotes the time of past, present or future when the event taken or to be taken place. (194)
3. Result [payan] denotes the result of the event. (195)
4. Manifestation [meyppaadu] denotes the appearance in body out of emotion. (196)
5. That manifestation of eight corners, we discussed earlier. (197)
6. Residual [echcham] denotes what is the matter did not spoken apparently. (198)
7. Inference [munnam] denotes who is eligible to speak to whom in the context. (199)
8. Subject matters [porul’] denotes; happy, unhappy, union of lovers, separation of lovers, good contact without slipping, contact beyond land divisions, etc. (200)
9. Sub-strand [thurai] denotes irrespective of movement of people and beast, the land in which they crossed, is taken to account to that place. (201)
10. Link [maattu] denotes the subject matters co noted with the noted inference. (202)
11. The link and residuals may be given inside instead of hinting outside. (203)

20 style-nodes in rhythmic linkage

1. Linkage are twenty as per learned. (204)
2. The followings (all are named here) are rhythmic linkage used in prosody. (205)
3. [paaa-vann’am] is a rhythmic linkage that constituted with slashed verse-foot along with four-step formulaic foot in grammatical verse (206)
4. [thaa-vann’am] is a rhythmic linkage constituted with second-letter alliteration in alternative verse-foot. (207)
5. [vallisai-vann’am] is a rhythmic linkage constituted with words having hard consonants. (208)
6. [me’llisaai-vann’am] is a rhythmic linkage constituted with words having soft consonants. (209)
7. [iyaipu-vann’am] is a rhythmic linkage constituted with words having medial consonants. (210)
8. [al’ape’dai-vann’am] is a rhythmic linkage constituted with words having elongation phoneme. (211)
9. [n”e’dunjiir-vann’am] is a rhythmic linkage constituted with words having long phoneme. (212)
10. [kur’unjiir-vann’am] is a rhythmic linkage constituted with words having short phoneme. (213)
11. [siththira-vann’am] is a rhythmic linkage constituted with words having both long and short phonemes. (214)
12. [n”alipu-vann’am] is a rhythmic linkage constituted with words having euphonic phoneme [h]. (215)
13. [agappaatu-vann’am] is a rhythmic linkage that stands with completed message but not in structure. (216)
14. [pur’appaatu-vann’am] is a rhythmic linkage that stands with completed structure but not in message. (217)
15. [ozugu-vann’am] is a rhythmic linkage where the rhythm evenly. (218)
16. [oruu-vann’am] is a rhythmic linkage where the linkage jumps to third step of a poetic line. (219)
17. [e’nn’u-vann’am] is a rhythmic linkage with occurrence of numeral words. (220)
18. [agaippu-vann’am] is a rhythmic linkage where the rhythm flows step by step. (221)
19. [thuungal-vann’am] is a rhythmic linkage that flows in swinging rhythmic steps. (222)
20. [ee’nthal-vann’am] is a rhythmic linkage where the language structure conveys some more meanings. (223)
21. [uruttu-vann’am] is a rhythmic linkage where shot syllables occur rabidly repeated in four-footed line. (224)
22. [mudugu-vann’am] is a rhythmic linkage where shot syllables occur rabidly repeated in limitless rhythmic foot. (225)
23. These are the rhythmic linkage found in literatures. (226)

Eight themes of poetic flow [vanappu]

1. Among the eight aspects of poetic flow, elegant flow [ammai] runs in less number of words and lines with elegance, constrictive mellifluent style. (227)
2. Beautiful flow [azagu] runs with constructive true-metrical lines. (228)
3. Antique flow [thonmai] runs with prose between verse. (229)
4. Expansive flow [thoo’l] runs with expanded mellifluous diction. (230)
5. Modern flow [virunthu] runs with new diction. (231)
6. Mild-finishing flow [iyaipu] runs with mild-phoneme (soft and medial consonant) finishing. (232)
7. Flow of popular tongue lending easy comprehension is called [pulan]. (233)
8. Melodious flow [izaipu] runs without hard consonants. (234)
9. If new formation theme appears beyond afore said classification, it can be shorted out accordingly. (235)