Elegy for My Son

Introduction:

Patrick Fernando is a Sri Lankan poet. He is one of the important writers from Sri Lanka. The dark, tragic and serious tone is the main feature of Fernando’s poetry which can be seen through his poem, ‘Elegy for My Son’. As the title suggests the poem is an elegy. Elegy is a type of poem where the poet expresses his feelings over the loss of someone who is near and dear to him.

Patrick Fernando’s poem “Elegy for My Son” is a touching expression of a father’s grief over the loss of his son. Instead of directly talking about his son’s death, the poet uses the image of a young tree that suddenly dies. This tree becomes a symbol of the son—young, full of life, and deeply loved. The sudden death of the tree shows how unexpected and painful the loss was.

The poem:

The poem begins with a question. The poet asks, the earth, wind and sunshine must have some terrible power, otherwise how can a young tree die in a single day? The poet says he has taken every care for planting and tending the tree. Whenever the poet stands in the empty space, his mind is full of memories of the fine young tree. The poet wonders about the earth, wind and sunshine because they go on working as if nothing's happened. But the poet is overcome with the powerful feeling for the tree, and he announces: 'I'm the tree that’s gone, that tree and I being one.’

Thus, the poet had taken care of the tree with love, just like a parent cares for a child. He gave it sunlight, water, and soil. But despite all this, the tree withers and dies. This shows that sometimes, even with all our efforts, we cannot stop loss or death. The poem reminds us how helpless we are in front of fate.

Language and theme of the poem:

The language of the poem is simple and calm. The poet does not cry or shout in grief. Instead, his pain is quiet and deep. This quiet tone makes the poem even more emotional and real. The reader can feel the sorrow without the poet having to say it directly.

Nature plays a big role in the poem. The same nature that helped the tree grow also allows it to die. This shows that nature is powerful, but also indifferent. It does not stop to feel our pain.

Conclusion:

In conclusion, “Elegy for My Son” is a beautiful and heartfelt poem. It uses simple images to show deep emotions. Patrick Fernando successfully shares his personal loss in a way that many people can relate to. The poem is not just about one father’s grief—it is about the pain of all who have lost someone they love.

                                                        *    *    *    *    *

Patrick Fernando यांची “Elegy for My Son” ही कविता एका वडिलांच्या त्यांच्या मुलाच्या मृत्यूबद्दलच्या दु:खाची भावनिक अभिव्यक्ती आहे. कवी थेट मुलाच्या मृत्यूबद्दल बोलत नाही, पण एका लहान झाडाच्या अचानक मृत्यूचे वर्णन करतो. हे झाड म्हणजे त्याच्या मुलाचे प्रतीक आहे – कोवळे, सुंदर, आशादायक आणि कवीच्या प्रेमाने वाढवलेले.

कवी सांगतो की त्याने झाडाची काळजी घेतली, त्याला माती, पाणी, सूर्यप्रकाश दिला – जसे पालक आपल्या मुलाची काळजी घेतात. तरीही, झाड अचानक मरते. हे दाखवते की कधी कधी आपल्या सर्व प्रयत्नांनंतरही आपण मृत्यू टाळू शकत नाही. ही कविता आपल्याला मानवी असहायता आणि नियतीच्या शक्तीची आठवण करून देते.

कवितेची भाषा खूप साधी आणि संयमित आहे. कवी मोठ्या आवाजात दु:ख व्यक्त करत नाही. त्याच्या शब्दांमध्ये एक शांत पण खोल वेदना आहे. ही शांतता कविता अधिक प्रभावी बनवते. वाचक त्याच्या दु:खाशी जोडले जातात.

या कवितेत निसर्गाची भूमिका महत्त्वाची आहे. ज्याच्यामुळे झाड वाढले, तोच निसर्ग ते नष्टही करतो. यामधून कवी सांगतो की निसर्ग शक्तिशाली आहे, पण तो आपल्या भावनांबाबत उदासीन असतो.

ही कविता अत्यंत हळूवार, संवेदनशील आणि विचार करायला लावणारी आहे. Patrick Fernando यांनी त्यांच्या वैयक्तिक दुःखाला एका सार्वत्रिक अनुभवात रूपांतर केले आहे. “Elegy for My Son” ही केवळ एका वडिलांची कथा नाही, तर प्रत्येकाच्या हृदयातील शोक व्यक्त करणारी कविता आहे.

         

                                                            *    *    *    *    *

Original poem:

Elegy for My Son

There must be some terrible power

In the earth and wind and sunshine

How else could the young tree,

A favourite of these three

Sicken in a single say and die?

And I who took some pride over

Planting and tending it

And caught its assent to life

The sun’s and wind’s keen sponsorship of

This fine young tree, more admiring than proud.

There must be some strange excess of love

In earth and wind and sun that

With notice of just a little day

Took such a fine young tree away.

Whenever I stand in the empty place, thoughts

Brandished wildly sign and sing in memory.

Earth, wind and sun go about their work

As if nothing has occurred,

Calm as conspirators after the deed

Driving me to almost believe nothing

Has happened. I am the tree that’s gone,

That tree and I being one.

                                                       *    *    *    *    *