PREFACE TO THE ENGLISH ECHOES
مصمميمه
T may mot be out of place for the author of the English portion of this little work to say a few words of introduction to the sonnets. The little Tamil volume reached the present writer in Oxford on its first publication, and when he then received it, he pointed out, what seemed to him to be the case, that, although each single line possessed distinct poetic merit, and the whole collection gave clear indication of a new departure in Tamil poetry, these short poems could hardly with propriety be called sonnets. They are in fact for the most part of the class of composition called in Tamil Kanji (Ers;3). The peculiarity of the Tamil initial rhyme deprives them of the characteristic which has given its name to the Italian Sonnetto. Moreover, the unity of subject or idea, and the culmination or point in the conclusion, are mostly wanting. The absence of final rhyme is, however, the greatest difficulty, and cannot, at least at present, it would seem, be overcome.
The forty-one short Tamil poems here reprinted are generally very musical, and have considerable artistic finish, while the sentiment is interesting, and forcibly expressed. The English echoes are not, strictly speaking, translations, f but rather adaptations, though some of them follow very closely the Tamil Text. A few are the originals, on which the Tamil is founded. The aim on the part of the English co-worker has been to bring about, as far as was possible, an amalgamation of English and Tamil ideas. Except in a few cases, which are noted, they are not translations of any existing English poems. The present writer feels a great interest in this vigorous attempt made by the able Tamil poet (who is already known by his remarkable Dramatic compositions) to initiate a new departure in Tamil poetry.
Doubtless, there are many of our worthy and learned friends who will say, that novelties are quite inadmissible
