Scribd
Upload
38 views1 page

II BBA River

A.K. Ramanujan's poem 'A River' explores the dual nature of a river in Madurai, highlighting its beauty during the rainy season and its stark, dry state in summer. The speaker contrasts the perspectives of old and new poets, noting their focus on the river's charm while overlooking the human suffering it causes, such as the memory of a flood that destroyed homes and lives. Ultimately, the poem reflects on the complexities of nature and the often-ignored pain associated with it.

Uploaded by

ashwiniprakash.2005
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
38 views1 page

II BBA River

A.K. Ramanujan's poem 'A River' explores the dual nature of a river in Madurai, highlighting its beauty during the rainy season and its stark, dry state in summer. The speaker contrasts the perspectives of old and new poets, noting their focus on the river's charm while overlooking the human suffering it causes, such as the memory of a flood that destroyed homes and lives. Ultimately, the poem reflects on the complexities of nature and the often-ignored pain associated with it.

Uploaded by

ashwiniprakash.2005
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

A River" is a poem by A.K.

Ramanujan that describes a river flowing through the city of Madurai in


India.
The poem talks about a river that runs through Madurai, a place known for its temples and poets.
The speaker explains how poets usually write about the river’s beauty during the rainy season
when it’s full and flowing strongly. They praise its power and charm. But the speaker takes a
different view and looks at the river during the dry season, when it’s not so grand.
In summer, the river dries up, and you can see the sand and the riverbed clearly. There’s hardly
any water—just small trickles. The speaker notices things like straw and women’s hair stuck in the
rusty bars of a bridge, and wet stones that look like sleeping crocodiles. Even the little water left is
described as thin and weak, barely covering the sand.
Then, the poem shifts to a memory of a flood. Once, the river swelled so much that it carried
away three village houses, a pregnant woman, and a pair of cows. The speaker remembers people
talking about this disaster, mentioning how the woman was expecting twins, and how the cows
looked like a “twisted gnarled tree” as they floated away. This shows the river’s destructive side,
which the old poets didn’t focus on.
The speaker also compares two groups of poets—old ones and new ones. The old poets only sang
about the river’s beauty during floods, while the new poets notice both the flood and the dry
times. But neither group seems to care much about the real pain of the people affected by the
river, like the pregnant woman who drowned. The speaker finds it strange that the poets, old and
new, don’t fully see or feel the human suffering tied to the river’s changes.
In simple terms, the poem is about how a river can be both beautiful and dangerous, and how
poets often miss the real-life struggles it causes. It’s a mix of calm observation and a quiet sadness
about what the river does to people.

You might also like