A PATCH OF LAND

SUBRAMANIA BHARATHI
TRANS. USHA RAJAGOPALAN

PREPARED BY
MS. B. POOVILANGOTHAI
ASSISTANT PROFESSOR
PG DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH
GOVERNMENT ARTS AND SCIENCE COLLEGE, ARAKKONAM
TAMIL NADU – 631 051
 SUBRAMANIYA BHARATHI
• C. Subramania Bharathi - 11 December 1882 – 11 September
1921

• Tamil writer, poet, journalist, indian independence activist, social

reformer and polyglot.

• The title "bharathi" was conferred for his excellence in poetry.

• He is popularly known by the title Mahakavi Bharathi (the great

poet bharathi)/Bharathi/ Bharathiyaar.

• He is known for his fiery diction in his poems. His imagery and
the vigour of his verse were a forerunner to modern Tamil poetry.

• Bharathi used simple words and rhythms. He used a metre

called Nondi Chindu

• A liberal at heart, Bharathi's poetry expressed a progressive,

reformist ideal. He wrote on diverse topics like Indian
nationalism, love songs, children's songs, songs of nature, glory
of the Tamil language, devotional poems and odes to prominent
freedom fighters of India. He even penned an ode to new Russia
and Belgium.
A PATCH OF LAND BY SUBRAMANIA BHARATHI

A Patch of land I want, Parashakti-

Give me a patch of land.
On that patch of land, Parashakti,
I want a house built for me.
Its pillars decorated, Parashakti,
And balconies painted white.
Palm trees beside the well, Parashakti,
With long fronds and tender buts
Ten or twelve. Those palms, Parashakti,
The coconut trees, I want nearby.
Moonlight should descend gently, Parashakti,
 A PATCH OF LAND, CONTD...
Casting a gleaming veil of white.
The soft cooing of the cuckoo, Parashakti,
Should fall lightly in my ears.
A gentle breeze should blow, Parashakti,
And bring pleasure to my soul.
A young wife I want, Parashakti,
To share all these with me.
Our joyful togetherness, Parashakti,
Bless with poetry.
Living in that open land, Parashakti,
Be there to guard us.
With the power of my songs, Parashakti,
Enable me to defend this earth.
 SUMMARY
• The poem presents a list of things the poet asks to the Hindu goddess
Parashakti.
• First he asks for a patch of land.
• On that land he wants a house with decorated pillars and balconies
painted in white.
• The house should be surrounded by coconut trees, at least 10 to 12,
with their long leaves and tender coconuts.
• The gentle light of the moon should shine on that house.
 SUMMARY CONTD...
• The enchanting melody of the cuckoo should always please his ears and
a gentle breeze soothe his soul.
• He requests the deity to give him a young maiden as wife to enjoy all
this sweetness.
• While he lives in a state of bliss, he wants the goddess to bless them
with poetry.
• To top it all, he wants the goddess herself to stand in guard in his plot.
• While the goddess stands in guard of him, he pleads that his poetry be
mighty enough to defend “this earth.”
 ANALYSIS
• The poem is rich and unique in content. The poem addresses Parashakti who is
a goddess but the tone is not devotional. The first line “A patch of land I want –
Parashakti” echoes the authority with which a child might demand something of
its parents.

• Then the poem becomes a long list of specific things the poet desires – a house
with decorated pillars and white balconies, coconut trees etc. which surprises or
even amuses the readers. The readers are surprised because while asking a
favour he is so demanding – not any house, the one with decorated pillars and
balconies painted in white. As the specificities continue the readers are amused.
 ANALYSIS

•Are the readers irritated by the demands of the poet?

•If not – why? After all his list seems never ending.

•On a closer look at the demands – house, coconut trees, breeze,

song of the cuckoo, a beautiful wife, poetry, the presence of the
goddess herself and the elevation of his songs to guard the earth –
readers can identify with the poet. Who wouldn’t want a simple and
peaceful life?
 ANALYSIS
• By demanding a simple and peaceful life, Bharathi in this poem continues the
romantic tradition of finding happiness in the smallest of things.
• In fact in this poem Bharathi shows the readers that the need for material
things is limited to the bare minimum – food, clothing and shelter.
• Bharathi does not ask for food and clothing – perhaps he thought he could earn
them on his own.
• By beginning with a patch of land, Bharathi begins with material things and
moves on to more necessary things for survival like human company, divine
protection and satisfaction which can be gained only by being useful to others.
Therefore Bharathi ends the poem with “with the power of my songs,
Parashakti,/enable me to defend this earth.”
• This poem stands as an example to the pride that Bharathi took in being a
poet.
 காணி நிலம் வேண்டும்

காணி நிலம் வேண்டும் – பராசக்தி

காணி நிலம் வேண்டும், – அங்கு

தூணில் அழகியதாய் – நன்மாடங்கள்

துய்ய நிறத்தினதாய் – அந்தக்

காணி நிலத்தினிடையே – ஓர்மாளிகை

கட்டித் தரவேண்டும்  – அங்கு

கேணியருகினிலே – தென்னைமரம்

கீற்று மிளநீரும்.
 காணி நிலம் வேண்டும்
பத்துப் பன்னிரண்டு – தென்னைமரம்

பக்கத்திலே வேணும் – நல்ல

முத்துச் சுடர்போலே – நிலாவொளி

முன்பு வரவேணும், அங்கு

கத்துங் குயிலோசை – சற்றே வந்து

காதிற் படவேணும், – என்றன்

சித்தம் மகிழ்ந்திடவே – நன்றாயிளந்

தென்றல் வரவேணும்.
 காணி நிலம் வேண்டும்

பாட்டுக் கலந்திடவே – அங்கேயொரு

பத்தினிப் பெண்வேணும் – எங்கள்

கூட்டுக் களியினிலே – கவிதைகள்

கொண்டுதர வேணும் – அந்தக்

காட்டு வெளியினிலே – அம்மா! நின்றன்

காவலுற வேணும், – என்றன்

பாட்டுத் திறத்தாலே – இவ்வையத்தைப்

பாலித்திட வேணும்.
COMPARING ENGLISH AND TAMIL VERSIONS OF THE
POEM
• English version is faithful to the Tamil version in its meaning and structure.
Both the poems have 24 lines each. The demands remain the same in both the
poems.
• The rhythm of Bharathi is completely lost in the translation even though the
poem repeats the word Parashakti in every other line whereas in Tamil
Parashakti is used only once.
• A beautiful metaphor – the white light of the moon being called the shiny
whiteness of the pearl (“நல்ல/முத்துச் சுடர்போலே - /நிலாவொளி”) is replaced with “veil of
white” which is mundane and Christian (veil reminds us of the bride’s veil)
• Bharathi says, “கத்துங் குயிலோசை – சற்றே வந்து/ காதிற் படவேணும்.” The word “கத்துங்” which
means loud is an unconventional adjective to describe the music of the cuckoo.
The English version uses the conventional “The soft cooing of the cuckoo.”
COMPARING ENGLISH AND TAMIL VERSIONS OF THE
POEM
• The combination “கத்துங்... – சற்றே” leaves it unclear whether Bharathi wants the
cuckoo’s loudness to be toned down or should it be heard from a distance. The
translation removes the ambiguity and declares that Bharathi wants the music
of the cuckoo to fall in his ears.

• The last line of poem “With the power of my songs, Parashakti,/enable me to

defend this earth” is humbler compared to “என்றன்/பாட்டுத் திறத்தாலே – இவ்வையத்தைப்/பாலித்திட
வேணும்.”

• The last line in Tamil also exemplifies the pride that Bharathi took in being a
poet.

• In conclusion, the English version is a faithful translation of the poem, though

it couldn’t bring out the soft romance embedded in Bharathi’s Tamil.