Aiṅkururnūru
Aiṅkururnūru is an esteemed anthology comprising five hundred poems authored by various poets, likely between 100 BCE and 250 CE. This collection is part of the Maturait Tamil Caṅkam literature and is divided into five sections, each containing one hundred poems that explore the five fundamental situations of love associated with the distinct geographical regions of Tamil Nadu: kuriñici (mountain), neytal (seashore), pālai (arid), mullai (forest), and marutam (lowland). The poems fall within the akam genre, focusing on personal and emotional experiences, particularly love. Typically ranging from three to six lines, the verses employ rich imagery and metaphor to convey deep human emotions and the nuances of relationships. Nature plays a crucial role in these poems, depicted objectively to enhance the themes of love. Through Aiṅkururnūru, readers gain insight into the intimate lives and emotional landscapes of the people from ancient Tamil society, making it a significant cultural artifact in the study of classical Tamil literature.
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Aiṅkururnūru
Related civilization: India (Tamil).
Date: second or third century c.e.
Locale: Tamil Nādu
Authorship: Ammuvan, Otalantai, Orampoki, Kapilar, and Peyan
Aiṅkururnūru
Aiṅkururnūru (aheen-KEW-rew-NEW-rew; English translation in Poets of the Tamil Anthologies, 1979) is an anthology of five hundred poems written by various poets, probably between about 100 b.c.e. and 250 c.e. The work, which belongs to the Maturait Tamilc Caṅkam (Śaṅgam) literary collection, is divided into five sections of one hundred poems, each of which portrays the five basic situations of love in the five regions (aintinai)—kuriñici (mountain), neytal (seashore), pālai (arid), mullai (forest), and marutam (lowland). Poems of the Aiṅkururnūru belong to the akam (internal) genre of Caṅkam literature. Ranging in length from three to six lines, these poems describe inner and personal human experiences such as love and its emotional phases. Nature is very significant in Caṅkam secular poetry, and Aiṅkururnūru poems portray nature in an objective manner with the use of similes and metaphors. Human emotions, the primary subject of this anthology, provide valuable information about intimate relationships of the people of erstwhile Tamil country.
Bibliography
Jotimuttu, P. Ainkururnuru: The Short Five Hundred Poems on the Theme of Love in Tamil Literature: An Anthology. Madras, India: Christian Literature Society, 1984.
Marr, John Ralston. The Eight Anthologies. Madras, India: Institute of Asian Studies, 1985.
Ramanujam, A. K. Poems of Love and War, from the Eight Anthologies and the Ten Songs of Classical Tamil. New York: Columbia University Press, 1985.