METAPHORS AND SIMILES PART III

Another aspect of Bharatha Natyam is the use of comparative devices that are not present in the lyrics. For example, in the following piece, the line smara sundaranguni seri evaro asks: “who is equal to my beautiful lord?” The word beautiful is available for any interpretation by the dancer: As beautiful as manmatha, eyes like the lotus, lips like coral, hair like the bees, brows like a bow, teeth like a string of pearls, skin the colour of tender mango leaves, chest as broad as a mountain, waist like a lion, gait like an elephant, etc. However, it is important not to lose the essence of the lyrics and choose comparisons that are completely unrelated to the poetry.

Similarly, in the javali marulu minchera, the words “parama sundara kara” translate as “oh the beautiful one”, but can be interpreted as the following:

            Oh my beautiful lord.

            Your lotus eyes are meant to look at me.

            Your coral lips are meant to kiss me.

            Your broad chest is my abode and I will adorn you like a creeper.

            Your long limbs are meant to embrace my beautiful body.

In the following number from Kumara Sambhavam, the lyrics do not provide any specific comparative description, and are thus:

            Paani peedana vidhdheranannintharam, shaila raja duhi duhir haram prati

            Bhava sadhva sa pari grihathu aa boothkama dhohatha sugam manoharam

            After the wedding of Shiva to Parvathi, the daughter of the mountain king, Shiva looks at his new bride, who is coy and full of love, and derives pleasure from observing her shyness. Here, the lyrics do not explicitly say anything about beauty, but I have interpreted them to show Shiva looking at Parvathi, and describing her beauty using his own accessories. Doing this immediately establishes the scene of Shiva and Parvathi in the bridal chamber.

When the situation of the poetry warrants, the dancer may employ relevant metaphors and similes to more creatively describe the scene.

 In the Kamas varnam of the Tanjore quarter, the line “avar samanya durai alladi sakhi” indicates a heroine telling her friend that Shiva, her lord, is not someone ordinary, but a great being. Greatness is here illustrated by incomparability:

The glowing sun is ashamed looking at Shiva’s glowing body, his

majestic walk puts an elephant’s majesty to shame, his small waist embarrasses the slender lion, the mountain bends its head looking at

Shiva’s broad chest. 

                                                                                                       TO BE CONTINUED..........

METAPHORS AND SIMILES IN BHARATHANATYAM PART II

Beauty is a favourite topic of the poets of yore. In countless pieces, the beauty of the face is described in numerous ways. The face is compared to the moon, a lotus flower, a mirror, the sun, etc. When one compares the face to the moon, what exactly does one mean? One might mean that the face is as round as the moon, as fair as the moon, as cool as the moon, or as romantic as the moon. One might mean that the face that is hidden by tresses of hair is like the moon that plays amongst the clouds. Or that the face that evokes a smile in another is like the moon, which touches the lilies and makes them bloom.

The dancer can make many interpretations describing the qualities of the moon within the framework of the given comparison. In the piece Yaro Ivar Yaro, Rama speculates about the identity of the beautiful girl that he sees, and in the charanam, he describes her faces as “Chandra bimba mukha.” In the first line, the lyrics are “yaaro ivar yaaro”, which the dancer can interpret in any way. In the charanam, however, the lyrics “Chandra bimba mukha” encourage the dancer to elaborate within the framework of the comparison of her face to the moon.

It is obvious that in this open-ended line, the dancer can elaborate on the comparison using many different attributes of the moon, but the dancer must use artistic discretion when doing this so as not to show so many comparisons that the essence of the lyrics is lost. Similarly, when choosing the phrase on which to elaborate ,  the dancer to be careful in choosing the word which is relevant to the context and evokes the proper emotional response from the audience.

            Another piece that can illuminate the importance of word selection contains the following lyrics: “Varaji mukhi neevu vachae vella anukonni, korrikatho raja gopala swamy nee.” In this line, the dancer is a sakhi, who takes the message of love to the lord and tells him: “that lotus-faced girl is waiting for you full of love, oh Raja Gopala Swamy.” Here, if one chose to elaborate on the words “Rajagopalaswamy”, it would be irrelevant to the mood of the song, as this simply the lord’s name. One has to read the lyrics fully to find the basic mood, or sthayi bhava, and then interpret accordingly. Here, the sthayi is the sakhi describing her friend waiting, so the words “varija mukhi neevu” is a more appropriate choice for elaboration.

In this interpretation, the heroine’s state is compared to the lotus, although the lyrics say “lotus-faced”, indicating that there are different ways that one may interpret the poet’s lyrical intention. Additionally, taking the poetry too literally is also a danger that the dancer must avoid. For example, in the piece Chinnan Chiru Killiyae, Bharathiyar uses many similes to show a mother’s love for her child. If these descriptions are acted out literally with no nuance, the piece will become immature and childish.

                                                                                            To be continued.........

METAPHORS AND SIMILES IN BHARATHANATYAM

PART I

Metaphors and similes have been created by people as a means to relate to the world around them; in other words, as instruments to bring some familiarity to the incomprehensible. It is extremely difficult to describe sublime or profound emotions in direct terms, as these deeply subjective and personal experiences (such as love, isolation, anger, or despair) are beyond the bounds of language. As a result, it is common to employ modes of figurative language in order to illuminate these otherwise elusive emotions. Dance and music are very personal experiences of an artist, and so he or she may use metaphor and simile to communicate feeling to the audience.

             Metaphors and similes are not technically the same, but instead of examining the differences, the terms and their interpretations can be used interchangeably in Bharatha Natyam. There are two aspects of metaphor and simile in dance: one is the use of these devices in the lyrics written by the poet, and the other is their use in places where the lyrics do not explicitly state them.  In the first instance, the lyrics provide the dancer with a base to expand, but confines him or her to the given lyrics, restricting the interpretation to the given metaphor or simile. In the second instance, the open-ended quality due to the absence of these devices in the lyrics, leaves the interpretation entirely to the dancer’s imagination. However, the lack of restriction can cause the interpretation to become tangential or unrelated to the artist’s intention or lyrical nuance. It is the dancer’s task to make the comparison both interesting and relevant.

                                                                                             

                                                                                                  To be continued....................