It shows
Snooty literary standards are injurious to health.
Poets are nasty, particularly about other poets. Perhaps being nasty in poetry is a way to assure oneself of his poetic status. Add to that something that can be retrospectively be labeled as both chauvinistic and juvenile. Or just plain naughty....
It Shows
Ugly Sight.
What's the honest thing to do ?
All that matters should be the mind-content
But honestly its only the beauty.
One has to be cruel with a kind intent
And do a friend's moral duty.
Thou art lover summon some gall
To tell her straight she'd rather shed all
Pretensions of art.
When her poetry has no fire
It shows.
Poets are nasty, particularly about other poets. Perhaps being nasty in poetry is a way to assure oneself of his poetic status. Add to that something that can be retrospectively be labeled as both chauvinistic and juvenile. Or just plain naughty....
It Shows
Ugly Sight.
What's the honest thing to do ?
All that matters should be the mind-content
But honestly its only the beauty.
One has to be cruel with a kind intent
And do a friend's moral duty.
Thou art lover summon some gall
To tell her straight she'd rather shed all
Pretensions of art.
When her poetry has no fire
It shows.
Dig: mannikkanum, enakku Poetry rasanai illa. Puriyadhu, appreciate panna varaadhu. (exceptions irukku of course)
ReplyDeleteYet, i'd like to know your opinion on Thamizh film lyricists. Uvamaya overa nambaraangalo?
Mundhaya Vairamuthu (with IR), Vali's love songs - ennala appreciate panna mudiyidhu. Ippo VM-oda adrenaline boosters etc work with me "Vetri kodi kattu" (Padayappa), matradhellam edho sorpozhivu madhiri irukku. I find Vaali's lyrics more 'natural' (Kannil Paarvai etc).
And Kannadasan paadalgala pathi enna nenaikkareenga? Is it a case of "Thangavel>Nagesh>Vadivel" venerable because old argument?
>>Dig: mannikkanum, enakku Poetry rasanai illa. Puriyadhu, appreciate panna varaadhu. (exceptions irukku of course)<<
ReplyDeleteYou can take my word, you are missing nothing. Ref. label of the post.
Moreover, these are just naughty, evil, juvenile rhyming ones calculated to be distant from soul-stirring stuff.
>>Yet, i'd like to know your opinion on Thamizh film lyricists. Uvamaya overa nambaraangalo?
Mundhaya Vairamuthu (with IR), Vali's love songs - ennala appreciate panna mudiyidhu. Ippo VM-oda adrenaline boosters etc work with me "Vetri kodi kattu" (Padayappa), matradhellam edho sorpozhivu madhiri irukku. I find Vaali's lyrics more 'natural' (Kannil Paarvai etc).<<
varisaiyA varEn.
migai uvamai - what do we call it 'hyper metaphor' - has always been the signature of Tamil poetry.
Sample this: புகை விரிந்தன்ன மென் துகில் உடீஈ meaning "a cloth as fine as a spread of smoke" is how a poet describes the fine-ness of a cloth received as a gift from a king. Remba over-A illai ? :-)
And that's over a 1500 years back !
Calling our film lyricists poets is an excess that can be admitted because we hear them along with the music. Standalone they are straw men - all greats included. What matters is how well they gel with the music and tune.
But it is completely upto us whether the metaphor strikes a chord or not (much as the case with poetry).
கண்ணில் ஒரு வலி இருந்தால்
கனவுகள் வருவதில்லை
is from the prelude to poongAtrile. Now it can be just treated as yet another (yawn) metaphor for separation. You are hurt I cry (un kaNNil neer vazhindhaal types). But in this context it is much more impressive. What could be more arresting for a poet than having to drop dreaming because of practical considerations ? That is the pain that comes out in the line. It comes in the female voice. So it could reflect Manisha's p-o-v too. That she cannot yield to ShahRukh's advances - though she would like to - because she has more important practicalities in her plate.
And it is not always about metaphors. The 'justness' itself is sometimes very haunting:
வாசப்படி தாண்டையில வரலையே பேச்சு
பள்ளப்பட்டி தாண்டிபுட்டா பாதி உசிர் போச்சு
And many times it is just the way it merges with the tune that is the saving grace
காமன் கணைகளைத் தடுத்திடவே
காதல் மயில் துணை என வருகிறது
from Pulamaippiththan's idhazil kadhai ezhudhum nEramidhu. Absolutely terrible lines. But the way the words have been chosen and fit matching the short-notes is beautiful.
Now to an example of something that is as cliched as it gets. Describing a beautiful woman, employing metaphors for that:
முத்துமணி ரத்தினங்களும் கட்டிய பவழமும்
கொத்துமலர் அற்புதங்களும் குவிந்த அதரமும்
சிற்றிடையும் சின்ன விரலும் வில்லெனும் புருவமும்
சுற்றிவரச் செய்யும் விழியும் சுந்தர மொழிகளும்
Gangai Amaran the lyricist at work here. Not an single attempt to rise above cliche but yet very impressive even adjusting iLayaraja's contribution.
These were some example of how - if at all - it is possible to enjoy Tamil film lyrics. With the music, with the context, how it serves to take things forward. As standalone pieces they are significantly less enjoyable. When let loose VM delves into his fetishes, Vaali throws in his 'youth' words and so on.
One other important function it serves is as a distribution mechanism. அச்சம் என்பது மடமையடா is a fine example of a inspirational song Reminds me of he Woody Allen "If I listen to too much Wagner I get the urge to invade Poland". In that Kannadasan uses "கனக விஜயரின் முடித்தலை நெறித்து" from SilappadhikAram. Vaali uses "தந்தையும் தாயும் மகிழ்ந்து குலாவி" in the pazhamudhirsolai song (that is from a Bharathiyar song), வெட்டி வேரு வாசம் is from a Southern folk song. And of course the famous "Red Earth and Pouring Rain" that VM has so far used twice.
>>And Kannadasan paadalgala pathi enna nenaikkareenga? Is it a case of "Thangavel>Nagesh>Vadivel" venerable because old argument?<<
Wouldn't claim too much familiarity with Kannadasan. I like VM better simply because I know his lines better, his songs and music appeal to me more immediately and were dominant in my 'impressionable' years.So I would shy away from across-time comparisons. But from what little I know, he had many many 'good' lines under his belt so his veneration is not all about being an oldie. Nagesh doesn't have many - and Thangavelu doesn't have any - to show for in their long career.
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ReplyDeleteThat's a self-righteous ditty that you've got there. A little more jingle-jangle of words would have colored it nicely. But somewhat uneven as it is.
ReplyDelete@msp/bala: VM still has stuffu ... In Ayudhu Ezhuthu the lines 'Yaakkai Thiri' is deliciously contextual (whatever the eff that means) ... I think the IR-VM fight is more of IR's loss.
ReplyDeleteBut being a Kezha bolt I am now really inclined towards the view that secular poetry (secular in the normal sense of the word, not the perverted Indian usage) has some kind of inherent limits. The great Sekkizhaar said - Poimaiyaalarai Paadaadheer Pulaveergaal
True Muppet. With a little more effort there would have colored it better. But, as Calvin would say, "why do I need to put effort for everything. It's like saying I don't deserve it naturally".
ReplyDeleteBNB, IR is surely the loser in the spat. Idhai naan endha court-la vENaalum vandhu solvEn.
ReplyDeleteஇவுக பொழப்புக்கு நீர் வார்க்கத்தான்
ஈசானி மூலையில மேகம் இருக்கு
is the kind of lines IR should have got but missed.
// I am now really inclined towards the view that secular poetry (secular in the normal sense of the word, not the perverted Indian usage) has some kind of inherent limits//
appidindreenga...
Most of Sangam poetry is 'secular', situations are quite down-to-earth and in many cases quite beautiful. Of course the 'nara-sthudhi' gets to you after a point, but (blasphemy alert) that happens to me even when I read too many bhakti-poems in a row.
I do agree that the poignance of works written for the divine is on a plane of its own.
btw adhu sEkkizhaar-A sundarar-A ?
msp:
ReplyDeleteI could be wrong , it might be sundarar - the story of Sekkizhar advising Anabaaya Sozhan along similar lines might have confused me.
A colleague once narrated a story of VM's speech at the arangetram function of school girl at which she was present - the vulgarity was apparently overboard. A strong personality for sure, not sure if any two strong people can ever work together here - it always seems to be an either-or situation.
"What matters is how well they gel with the music and tune" - This is the be all and end all for me (lyrics). Well,, almost :)
ReplyDelete"Gangai Amaran the lyricist at work here" - Romba naala naan Vaali-nu nenachittrundhen. mm.. vaguely remember reading the hub that the lyricist was someone else, as in not Vaali or GA.
"These were some example of how - if at all - it is possible to enjoy Tamil film lyrics. With the music, with the context, how it serves to take things forward. As standalone pieces they are significantly less enjoyable. "
- Indha matter la naattamum, knowledge-um irukkara neenga ippadi solreenga. Kind of reassuring for me :p
"When let loose VM delves into his fetishes, Vaali throws in his 'youth' words and so on."
- Lots of junk, but VM "free-a vitta" nalla irukkumonu thonum...
BNB,
VM with ARR, to me, is 'tedious'. Kind of 'prose'. Aana, neenga sonna adhe Ayudha Ezhuthula enakku "Janagana Mana" lyrics pidikkeen.
//VM "free-a vitta" nalla irukkumonu thonum...//
ReplyDeleteNever...his non-film 'poems' define tedium.
//M with ARR, to me, is 'tedious'. Kind of 'prose'. //
:x
"VM "free-a vitta" nalla irukkumonu thonum..."
ReplyDeleteWhile I am in broad agreement, I wish to point outtu, the resistance of the medium is also an important factor for an artist. For a sculptor a very squishy medium is as bad as a diamond-hard medium. Real-world pressures are not necessarily bad. We musn't forget that this man has works like Andhi Mazhai ...
In AEzhuthu, I thought it was Rahman who was being plastic and made it very prose-like in that song. I remember a colleague who watched the movie with me saying, "Eppadi dhaan ippadi ezhudharaaro, does he sit everyday and practice ?".
BTW in dasavatharam, Kabilan's on-screen recitation did not have music - could have been handled much more imaginatively and used more widely. Of course, You can't expect the likes of Thoppi thalaiyan to handle this. Contrast this rapper Sage Francis's rap recitation at the end of 'Pride & Glory' - http://www.smartlyrics.com/Song630948-Sage-Francis-Water-Line-lyrics.aspx . Only redeeming thing for a mediocre movie - check out the music on YouTube. It's hardly prose like even though it reads more like prose.