Kuruntokai
Kuruntokai is a significant collection of Tamil poetry, part of the Cakam anthology known as Eṭṭūtokai, which, alongside Pattuppāṭṭu, forms the foundational texts of early Tamil literature. Compiled by Parikko, Kuruntokai consists of 401 stanzas, showcasing the work of 205 poets and composed in the akaval meter. The poems, ranging from four to eight lines, delve into themes of love, categorized as akam or internal poetry, while also providing vivid descriptions of nature and landscapes that enhance the emotional depth of the sentiments expressed. The collection opens with an invocation to Lord Murukan and is noted for its artistic sophistication and self-contained verses. Kuruntokai is celebrated for its rich imagery and use of metaphors, which are foundational to the Tamil poetic tradition, and elements from this work echo in later important literary texts like Tirukkuḷar and Cilappatikāram. Although comprehensive commentaries on Kuruntokai exist in tradition, these texts have not survived. This anthology remains a testament to the intricacies of human emotions and the natural world, making it a cherished part of Tamil cultural heritage.
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Kuruntokai
Related civilizations: Pre-Aryan Dravidian civilization, India.
Date: between first and fifth centuries c.e.
Locale: Ancient Tamil Nādu
Authorship: Compiled by Parikko, works of 205 poets
Kuruntokai
Kuruntokai (Kuruntokai, 1976) is part of the Cakam (or Cankam) anthology Eṭṭūtokai, which along with the collection Pattuppāṭṭu forms the core of the Cakam classics, the earliest known Tamil poetry collection. Ascribed to 205 bards and compiled by Parikko, Kuruntokai (kew-REWN-toh-kahi) contains 401 stanzas or 40 songs in the akaval meter, four-foot lines with a difference in rhyme. The poems range from four to eight lines, except for numbers 307 and 391, which have nine lines. Artistically sophisticated, each of these poems is self-contained, classically perfect, yet fresh and spontaneous. The collection begins with an invocation to Lord Murukan by Peruntevanar.
Love is the subject matter of these poems, which fall in the akam (internal) category of Cakam poetry. Kuruntokai explores various facets of love in a charming manner. Human passions occupy only a few lines of these poems, but the rich description of landscapes and natural setting appropriate for the depiction of these passions occupies center stage. Akam literature in general and Kuruntokai in particular contain the most exquisite natural descriptions that can be found in Tamil literature. Although apt metaphors and similes abound in the collection, historical allusions are also numerous. Some of the phrases and ideas appearing in Kuruntokai recur later in Tirukuaḷ (third or fourth century c.e.; English translation, 1987) and Cilappatikāram (c. 450 c.e.; The Śilappadikāram, 1939). According to tradition, elaborate commentaries on Eṭṭūtokai were written by scholars Peraciriyar and Naccinarkiniyar, but neither is extant.
Bibliography
Ramanujam, A. K. The Interior Landscape: Love Poems from a Classical Tamil Anthology. Delhi, India: Oxford University Press, 1994.
Varadarajan, M. The Treatment of Nature in Sangam Literature. Madras, India: South India Saiva Sidhantha Works Publishing Society, 1969.