The Love Poems of Dagon Taryar: An Appreciation
By Dr Maung Maung Nyo
Introduction
Dagon Taryar is not a well-known “love poet” in that he is more well-known for literary criticism, travelogues, politically inspired short stories and profiles of people like “Yoke Pon Hlwar”. Even hi novels are politically weaved like “Kyar Pan Ye Sin ( lotus in Clean Water)”.
He is still single living with his niece and grand niece in the Shan State. However, he composed many love poems while he was young up to the age of 30 or 40 years that is up to the 1950s. I have read his writings since 1955 or earlier, but I knew him personally only in the early 1970s. We are good friends since then. My elder daughter Yupar Nyo likes his love poems and she once asked me how good his love poems are. Here is my appreciation of Dagon Taryar’s love poems.
Dagon Taryar is not a well-known “love poet” in that he is more well-known for literary criticism, travelogues, politically inspired short stories and profiles of people like “Yoke Pon Hlwar”. Even hi novels are politically weaved like “Kyar Pan Ye Sin ( lotus in Clean Water)”.
He is still single living with his niece and grand niece in the Shan State. However, he composed many love poems while he was young up to the age of 30 or 40 years that is up to the 1950s. I have read his writings since 1955 or earlier, but I knew him personally only in the early 1970s. We are good friends since then. My elder daughter Yupar Nyo likes his love poems and she once asked me how good his love poems are. Here is my appreciation of Dagon Taryar’s love poems.
Love Poems of Dagon Taryar
The following is the list of poems I have read:
(1) A Kiss on the Silvery Boat (Ngwe Hlay Paw Hma Ahnan)
(2) Two Royal Orchids (Thazin Hna Khet)
(3) The First Padauk (Padauk Oo)
(4) Misconception (Htin Mi Hmar)
(5) A Heart Throb (Yin Hte Ga Khon)
(6) Let’s Walk, May (Laan Shauk Ya Aung May)
(7) Tete-a-tete in the Mist (My The Hma Tee Toe Than)
(8) Walking in the Rain (Moe YeHte Laan Shauk Chin)
(9) Starless Night (Kye Pyauk Nya)
(10) Sleepless Night (Eik Ma Pyaw Thaw Nya Ta Nya)
(11) This Lane (Ei Laan Gale)
(12) Lend Me Your Heart, May (Ah The Hngar Saan Par May)
(13) How are you, My Love? (Hna Ma Bei Hne Shi Sa)
(14) Heart Throbs Carnival (Yin Khon Than Yatu Thabin)
(15) The Ghost (Ta Sey)
The following is the list of poems I have read:
(1) A Kiss on the Silvery Boat (Ngwe Hlay Paw Hma Ahnan)
(2) Two Royal Orchids (Thazin Hna Khet)
(3) The First Padauk (Padauk Oo)
(4) Misconception (Htin Mi Hmar)
(5) A Heart Throb (Yin Hte Ga Khon)
(6) Let’s Walk, May (Laan Shauk Ya Aung May)
(7) Tete-a-tete in the Mist (My The Hma Tee Toe Than)
(8) Walking in the Rain (Moe YeHte Laan Shauk Chin)
(9) Starless Night (Kye Pyauk Nya)
(10) Sleepless Night (Eik Ma Pyaw Thaw Nya Ta Nya)
(11) This Lane (Ei Laan Gale)
(12) Lend Me Your Heart, May (Ah The Hngar Saan Par May)
(13) How are you, My Love? (Hna Ma Bei Hne Shi Sa)
(14) Heart Throbs Carnival (Yin Khon Than Yatu Thabin)
(15) The Ghost (Ta Sey)
Classification of His Love Poetry
I can easily classify his love poems as follows:
(1) Inspirational love poem like The First Padauk
(2) Sensual love poem like A Kiss on the Silvery Boat
(3) Remorse love poem like Two Royal Orchids and Starless Night
Beauty of Each Poem
(1) Inspirational Love Poem
This type of poem shows the beauty of words describing love. It’s more of describing the emotion of love rather than the act of love, hence many love poems fall in this category. Enjoy Dagon Taryar’s inspiration of love.
“Oh, So beautiful!
The bough is full of flowers and buds
Some are golden, some look like studs
Some dangling and some butt…”
“In my mind, then and there
I wish to ornament her hair
With choicest Padauk flower
And comb and style her to be fairer …”
(From: The First Padauk)
(2) Sensual Love Poem
This type of poem portrays the action of lovers in earnest. It shows how lovers enjoy the nectar of love.
“Just now, I have made love to her
I cannot forget its bliss ever
The effect of her kiss has left her odour
It has not yet dissipated or over…”
“On the silvery boat
My lover and I exchanged love load
Hugging, harassing, caressing, clasping mode
Kissing, hissing, feeling with bliss,
Oh, I cannot miss this boat!”
(From: A Kiss on the Silvery Boat)
Look at the beauty of words describing two lovers walking and wading in the rain full of feelings and frivolity:
“In the rain, it’s misty and blurred
But, let’s walk boldly together
Inseparable, yes, from here to elsewhere”
“In the back lanes between big buildings
Don’t rest, let’s go on in the foot direction
Let’s float in swift flowing water of rainy season
But, don’t separate Darling in the rising waves
We cling harder to each other as more rain splashes
Our hands held tightly closely and clasped…”
“In half darkness, if fate decides
Let’s be swept to the other side
As wind and rain drives us cold and clammy
Your warm hands will make me hot and horny…”
( From: Walking in the Rain)
(3) Remorse Love Poem
In this type of poem the poet usually moans the loss of his love and would blame the bad fate or the bad surrounding or maybe he would bombast the economic or educational system that divides him and his lover. Did Dagon Taryar do this? Let’s see.
“One day in downtown
I found her alone along
In front of a shop at road’s corner
My heart flutters as when I first met her …”
“I remember when we were lovers
We frolicked together and teased each other
Our love acts refreshed vividly hover
But, those were the past and now over…
“She looked more beautiful and attractive still
“Excuse me”, she said with thrill
Then, smiled sweetly and said,” Good Bye”
She left waving her hand in style!...”
(From: A Heart Throb)
Beauty of Dagon Taryar’s Love Poems
Dagon Taryar’s love poems are beautiful for their sensualities, sensitivity, imagination, inventiveness and progressive poetics.
Sensualities
The feeling of lovers on the silvery boat evokes similar sensation in the reader. The reader empathizes with the lovers as though he/she is one on the boat. Walking in the rain poem illustrates how two persons in love feel and how they cling to each other lest a strong wind might separate them!
Sensitivity
The poet is sensitive to sound, colour, shape and movement apart from feelings and emotion. All his poems portray those modalities.
Imagination
Think of writing a poem on the silvery boat, walking in the rain, getting the first Padauk flower for the lover etc. All are very imaginative.
Inventiveness
Dagon Taryar used 4-word rhyme system, but he varied the pattern and his rhyming is flexible. He invented new words to describe his feelings, scenes and actions. For examples: Silver boat, Golden Padauk flowers and buds, fragrant flowing kiss. He also used colloquial and spoken slang words along side classic words in the poem.
Progressive poetics
The above description befits a progressive poetry for the people. His aim is to let many people understand and enjoy poetry. He thought that poetry is no longer for the educated elite. Any aspiring poets may also compose poetry easily following his lead.
I can easily classify his love poems as follows:
(1) Inspirational love poem like The First Padauk
(2) Sensual love poem like A Kiss on the Silvery Boat
(3) Remorse love poem like Two Royal Orchids and Starless Night
Beauty of Each Poem
(1) Inspirational Love Poem
This type of poem shows the beauty of words describing love. It’s more of describing the emotion of love rather than the act of love, hence many love poems fall in this category. Enjoy Dagon Taryar’s inspiration of love.
“Oh, So beautiful!
The bough is full of flowers and buds
Some are golden, some look like studs
Some dangling and some butt…”
“In my mind, then and there
I wish to ornament her hair
With choicest Padauk flower
And comb and style her to be fairer …”
(From: The First Padauk)
(2) Sensual Love Poem
This type of poem portrays the action of lovers in earnest. It shows how lovers enjoy the nectar of love.
“Just now, I have made love to her
I cannot forget its bliss ever
The effect of her kiss has left her odour
It has not yet dissipated or over…”
“On the silvery boat
My lover and I exchanged love load
Hugging, harassing, caressing, clasping mode
Kissing, hissing, feeling with bliss,
Oh, I cannot miss this boat!”
(From: A Kiss on the Silvery Boat)
Look at the beauty of words describing two lovers walking and wading in the rain full of feelings and frivolity:
“In the rain, it’s misty and blurred
But, let’s walk boldly together
Inseparable, yes, from here to elsewhere”
“In the back lanes between big buildings
Don’t rest, let’s go on in the foot direction
Let’s float in swift flowing water of rainy season
But, don’t separate Darling in the rising waves
We cling harder to each other as more rain splashes
Our hands held tightly closely and clasped…”
“In half darkness, if fate decides
Let’s be swept to the other side
As wind and rain drives us cold and clammy
Your warm hands will make me hot and horny…”
( From: Walking in the Rain)
(3) Remorse Love Poem
In this type of poem the poet usually moans the loss of his love and would blame the bad fate or the bad surrounding or maybe he would bombast the economic or educational system that divides him and his lover. Did Dagon Taryar do this? Let’s see.
“One day in downtown
I found her alone along
In front of a shop at road’s corner
My heart flutters as when I first met her …”
“I remember when we were lovers
We frolicked together and teased each other
Our love acts refreshed vividly hover
But, those were the past and now over…
“She looked more beautiful and attractive still
“Excuse me”, she said with thrill
Then, smiled sweetly and said,” Good Bye”
She left waving her hand in style!...”
(From: A Heart Throb)
Beauty of Dagon Taryar’s Love Poems
Dagon Taryar’s love poems are beautiful for their sensualities, sensitivity, imagination, inventiveness and progressive poetics.
Sensualities
The feeling of lovers on the silvery boat evokes similar sensation in the reader. The reader empathizes with the lovers as though he/she is one on the boat. Walking in the rain poem illustrates how two persons in love feel and how they cling to each other lest a strong wind might separate them!
Sensitivity
The poet is sensitive to sound, colour, shape and movement apart from feelings and emotion. All his poems portray those modalities.
Imagination
Think of writing a poem on the silvery boat, walking in the rain, getting the first Padauk flower for the lover etc. All are very imaginative.
Inventiveness
Dagon Taryar used 4-word rhyme system, but he varied the pattern and his rhyming is flexible. He invented new words to describe his feelings, scenes and actions. For examples: Silver boat, Golden Padauk flowers and buds, fragrant flowing kiss. He also used colloquial and spoken slang words along side classic words in the poem.
Progressive poetics
The above description befits a progressive poetry for the people. His aim is to let many people understand and enjoy poetry. He thought that poetry is no longer for the educated elite. Any aspiring poets may also compose poetry easily following his lead.
Conclusions
A good poem is judged by the presence of following characteristics
(i) Imagination (ii) Rhymes and Rhythm (iii) Similes and Metaphors (iv) New Words or Philosophy (v) Contribution to society and literature
DagonTaryar’s poems have such qualities. People are inspired by him. He is no doubt a great poet. He is the leading poet after Zaw Gyi and Minthuwun. He alone is alive now. He is over 89 years of age (his date of birth being 10.5.1919). May he live long over a hundred years.
Dr MaungMang Nyo
14.10.2008 (Original)
A good poem is judged by the presence of following characteristics
(i) Imagination (ii) Rhymes and Rhythm (iii) Similes and Metaphors (iv) New Words or Philosophy (v) Contribution to society and literature
DagonTaryar’s poems have such qualities. People are inspired by him. He is no doubt a great poet. He is the leading poet after Zaw Gyi and Minthuwun. He alone is alive now. He is over 89 years of age (his date of birth being 10.5.1919). May he live long over a hundred years.
Dr MaungMang Nyo
14.10.2008 (Original)
No comments:
Post a Comment