Author: Ilanko Atikal
Translator(s): R Parthasarathy
Publisher: Penguin
Year: 2012
Language: English
Pages: 419
ISBN/UPC (if available): 9780143031961
Description
One of the world's masterpieces, the Cilappatikaram (5th century C E) by Ilanko Atikal is India's finest epic in a language other than Sanskrit. It spells out in unforgettable verse the problems that humanity has been wrestling with for a long time: love, war, evil, fate and death.
The Tale of an Anklet is the love story of Kovalan and Kannaki. Originating in Tamil mythology, the compelling tale of Kannaki-her love, her feats and triumphs, and her ultimate transformation to goddess-follows the conventions of Tamil poetry and is told in three phases: the erotic, the heroic, and the mythic. This epic ranks with the Ramayana and the Mahabharata as one of the great classics of Indian literature and is presented for the first time in a landmark English verse translation by the eminent poet R Parthasarathy, making it acessible to a wider audience.
Winner of the 1995 Sahitya Akademi Prize for Translation (English), the 1994 PEN/Book-of-the-Month Club Translation Citation of the PEN American Center, and the 1996 Association for Asian Studies A K Ramanujan Book Prize for Translation.
Contents
Illustrations and Map
The Pronunciation of Tamil
Preface
Introduction
Prologue
THE BOOK OF PUKAR
The Song of Praise
The Setting up of a Home
The First Performance
In Praise of the Evening
The Celebration in the City of the Festival of Indra
Bathing in the Sea
The Love Songs of the Seaside Grove
The Coming of Spring
The Nature of the Dream
Country Scenes
THE BOOK OF MATURAI
The Scenes of the Forest
The Song and Dance of the Hunters
Waiting on the Outskirts of the City
The Sights of the City
The Refuge
The Scene of the Murder
The Round Dance of the Herdswomen
The Wreath of Sorrow
Kannaki Goes Round the City
The Demand for Justice
The Crown of Wrath
The Great Fire
The Explanation
THE BOOK OF VANCI
The Round Dance of the Hill Dwellers
The Choice of a Stone
Removing the Stone
The Lustration
The Dedication of the Memorial Stone
The Benediction
The Granting of a Favor
EPILOGUE
A Note on the Text
Postscript
Glossary
Bibliography
Index