Salalihini Sandesa
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
3194? Classical Sinhalese Texts Translation Series: No. 1 :• SALALIHINI SANDESA of TOTAGAMUVE SRl RAHULA THERA TRANSLATED INTO ENGLISH BY EDMUND JAYASURIYA POSTGRADUATE INSTITUTE OF ARCHAEOLOGY AND CENTRAL CULTURAL FUND 2002 319430 SALALIHINI SANDESA gay , , ,, „ TOTAGAMUVE SRl RAHULA THERA !J TRANSLATED INTO ENGLISH BY EDMUND JAYASURIYA POSTGRADUATE INSTITUTE OF ARCHAEOLOGY AND CENTRAL CULTURAL FUND 2002 8V ^ ZMLALIHINI SANDESA Totagamuve Sri Rahula Thera First Print 2002 Published by the Central Cultural Fund for the Postgraduate Institute of Archaeology under the UNESCO Chair, which has commenced the project of translating into English the classical Sinhala texts. Copyright Postgraduate Institute of Archaeology and Central Cultural Fund ISBN-955-613-144-2 I lit fyyii /{0M NATIONAL LIBRARY AND DOCUMENTATION CENTRft CCF Publication No. 3* Printed at the State Printing Corporation Panaluwa, Padukka and 130 C, Pagoda Road, Pitakotte. ti 319430 1 FOREWORD Salalihini Sandesa of Totagamuve S I J|a|iyj0c.Th<pH: i$_/;(^iderejd, as the best of the Dutakavyas (Message- Poemsfr-wrrtten in-Siflhales& from about the 15th century by a number of distinguished monk poets. It is quite apparent that the author of Salalihini Sandesa was highly influenced by the well known Meghaduta (Cloud Messenger) of Kalidasa of Gupta India. However, a distinctive difference exists between the Indian and Sri Lankan dutakavyas in that the fundamental norm of 'rasa' of the Indian kavyas constitutes 'love', while the Sinhalese poems of this class are religious in nature and aim at painting a descriptive scenario of the environment through the bird's route. Yet, the philosophy of 'compassion' runs through the veins of both classes of the kavyas. As the Translator of Salalihini Sandesa suggests, 'Kalidasa's Meghaduta seems to have been known to our poet'. The classicial norms of descriptions of the different parts of the woman's figure (sisi vana uvana, moonlike face, tisara tana, swanlike breasts, etc.) are direct loans of Classical Indian aesthetics. The sandesa poet appears to have taken a bold step by breaking away from the earlier blank verse style so very prominently shown in the Sigiri Graffitti and commenced an era of using the rhymed quatrain in the 'samudraghosa' rhythm. Such observations and many other aspects are of immense import in assessing the quality of a translation of classical poems of this nature. It is an accepted truth that even the best translation of a phrase or a whole text would never reach the same level of perfection of the original. The works of Shakespeare and Tennyson are not the same in their editions even in the same language., ie., English . Nor shall an English translation would reach similar heights of a classical Sinhala text, whether verse or prose. It is in this light that we have to evaluate the present English translation of the Salalihini Sandesa. To begin with, the Translator wisely adopts the blank-verse style, which creates in the mind of the English reader an atmosphere of flowing reading and enabling easy comprehension at the same time. In this process, the proper use of words apparently recreates the rhyming rhythm that obviously marks the soul of the Sinhala verses of this text, eg., iii Valandina adahasin men suraganga angaria Nala bala sasala dala rala pela nuba ndgena Vela lasa gdvasi mutu sak pabalu babalana Bala maha muhuda ema sanda uturen penena (Verse 27) Translation: Behold now, the great sea in the north With pearls, conches and corals glistening on the shore Where rows of waves swirled up by the wind Swell up towards the sky, As if to embrace the lady, the Celestial River. Sisi vana uvana inga sunga gata hdki mitina nisi pululukula riya sakayuru tisara tana disi rana liyev rusiri yut mepurangana asi piya helana pamanin noveti devangana (Verse 13) Translation: Like golden creepers are the damsels of this city, Of face moon-like, waist so slim as the fist could hold, Swan-like breasts, well proportioned hips, like chariot wheels, Differ they from goddesses, Solely because they do blink. The Translator himself expresses that 'the arthadhvani (suggestions by sense of words) and sabdadhvani (suggestions by sound of words) in poetry is untranslatable.' Yet, the attempt made by the Translator to provide a correct translation while maintaining a befitting rhythm, is praiseworthy. This style evidently facilitate the reader to comprehend the purpose or the objective of the poem-to beseech the god king Vibhlsana to bestow upon queen Ulakudaya a son worthy of protecting the lineage of the Royalty. The translation shows a high degree of maintaining the poetic diction of the original, thus sustaining a qualitative analysis required from translations of this type of literature. More often than not, the English reader would be a novice to the Sinhala classical works. As mentioned earlier, the translation should fulfil the need of such novices in absorbing the correct meaning of the contents of the text. The iv Translator of Salalihini Sandesa has succeeded in this exercise to a great extent. The Introduction to the English translation, too, provides a concise but clear picture of the history of Sinhala poetry from the beginning. In the general section of the Introduction, he traces the history of the development of poetry through the centuries, and eventually paints a fair picture of the sandesa literature in general and the Salalihini Sandesa in particular. Thus, this introduction will no doubt provide a suitable scenario for the understanding and appreciation of classical Sinhala literature, more particulary, the poetic works, by the English reading scholar. The elaborate notes of significant words added at the end of the translation, too, helps the English reader to understand the otherwise difficult terms. The different topics dealt with separately, eg., The city of Jayawardenapura, Departure, Good Omens, Sacred Tooth Relic, The Royal Palace, King Parakumba, The Route, The Temple of Kitsirime, The Kalani river, Entering the Vihara, Worshipping the Statues, The Temple, Dancing Girls, and finally the Message, would enable the reader to go through the text intelligently. The translation leaves some of the proper names of flowers and trees untranslated in order to highlight the significance of such words. However, the notes on these words enable the novice reader to comprehend their meanings. This publication is the first in the series of translations of Sinhala Classical texts into English by competent scholars. This project is being handled by the Postgraduate Institute of Archaeology under the UNESCO Chair. We congratulate Mr. Edmund Jayasuriya for having prepared this translation for the satisfaction of scholars both local and foreign. We trust that this publication will satisfy the needs of Western scholars particularly in widening their knowledge of Asian literature of the past. Leelananda Prematilleke Ph. D, FSLCA Chairman Translations Committee 08 March 2002. v PREFACE I am grateful to the UNESCO Chair of the Postgraduate Institute of Archaeology and the Central Cultural Fund of Sri Lanka for commissioning me for this translation. I wish to thank Prof. Leelananda Prematilleke for his editorial assistance and Prof. Chandra Wikramagamage for reading through the proofs and making many valuable suggestions. My thanks are also due to Ms. Gnana Maldeniya, Assistant Director of the Central Cultural Fund and n?r officers for all the assistance given in the preparation of the manuscript for the press. Almost all the available editions of the Salalihini Sandesa of Totagamuve Sri Rahula Thera were consulted for this translation, but I mostly depended on Raipiyal Tennekoon's edition. (M. D. Gunasena & Company Limited, Colombo, 1956). Edmund Jayasuriya vi CONTENTS Page 1. Foreword iii 2. Preface vi 3. Introduction 1-36 4. Salalihini Sandesa - English Translation 39-55 5. Salalihini Sandesa - Notes 59-105 vii INTRODUCTION General Although Sinhalese poetry could be traced back to the earliest period of Sinhalese civilisation, it is only from the eighth century onwards that we can discuss Sinhala poetry with extant examples. Some early inscriptions have been cited as containing the earliest of Sinhala poetry. One such found in Kossagama near Maradankadavala in the Anu- radhapura district reads as follows: Maharajhaha gamani Abayaha devanapiyasa (Ra)ma(ni)ba(ri)ya milakatisa Vihare ka(ri)te katiya As interpreted by Senarat Paranavitana it means: "The Milakatisa temple was built by the beautiful wife of King Gamani Abaya, beloved by the gods". There seems to be a conscious attempt made here to put the words into some order but this falls far short of the classical definition of poetry. Although there are references to twelve poets in the sixth century, none of their works is extant. Therefore, the earliest available examples of Sinhala poetry are the Sigiri graffiti (sixth to thirteenth century) and the eighth century treatise on Sinhala poetry, Siyabaslakara. In fact, the evidence of a comprehensive literature is seen only after the 11th century. The beginning of the Sinhala language can be traced back to the time of King Devanampiyatissa in the third century BC when Thera Mahinda arrived in Sri Lanka as an emissary of King Dharmasoka of India. Thera Mahinda introduced Buddhism to Sri Lanka and the king was converted. Scholars believe that the Sinhala language begins with the activities of this group of emissaries led by Thera Mahinda. The language of Thera Mahinda and his emissaries, according to scholars, was a kind of Magadha Prakrit. But what he brought to Sri Lanka was Pali literature as compiled by the third council held in Patna. When he preached in Sri Lanka he had done so 'in the speech of the island' and two such specific places are mentioned in the 1 chronicles, namely, the 'Royal Palace' and 'the hall of the state- elephant'.1 This shows that the 'speech of the island' at the time was developed to such an extent that it was possible to explain the Dhamma in that speech.