Lesson - 4

A01124 KAMBAN’S POETIC BEAUTY

     Poets are the creators of the world of art. They are greater than Brahma, they Lord of creation. For, those created by Brahma are mortal; the creations of poets are immortal.

     Desika Vinayakam Pillai claimed that Kamban could improve on what was created by Brahma Himself. Kamban’s poetic beauty was supposed to be sweeter than even the nectar of the gods. A notable feature of the Kamba Ramayanam is that it bears similarities to Homer’s Iliad. The Iliad tells the story of how Helen, the Greek Queen was kidnapped by Paris, the Trojan Prince and the resulting war between the Greeks and the Trojans. The Ramayana also deals with the abduction of Sita by Ravana and the war between Rama and Ravana.

     There are similarities between Kamban’s classic and Shakespeare’s Play, Othello; between Kamban and Spenser; and between Kamban and Milton, both in terms of theme and style. Hence, there is every justification for Kamban to be ranked with the greatest of the world poets.

     You can learn all about Kamban’s mastery of words, his power of description, his imaginative appeal and the greatness of his poetry in general, by a study of his Ramayanam. This lesson merely gives you a sampling of all these features.