From: vigneswa@ecs.umass.edu
Newsgroups: soc.culture.tamil
Subject: Inquiry .....
Date: 11 Sep 92 14:33:18 GMT

	Thanks for the comments about my postings, A Ghost Peom and 
Modern Gun King (both were Cheran's poems).  In this, I have a poem 
by Selvam. The background is not a war front at Jaffna, but another
battle ground.  A "displaced" person who seeks a legitimate refugee
status....  He has to face an(other) interview tomorrow... This was
written when IPKF was in action in Sri Lanka (April 1988).  

	I was partially  successful with Cheran's poems.  My trans-
lation (one-to-one) definitely fails here!

__________				_______
visaaraNai				inquiry
----------				-------

pani kodda				snow
veLLaiyaay iravu			white night outside

kodumaik kuLirkaRRu			cruel cold breeze
oorin kOdaiyai ninaippoodda		reminds summer at home
vidiyaamal iravu neeLum			night extends with no dawn

naaLai kaalaiyil visaaraNai		tomorrow morning inquiry
akathiyin kathai kEdparkaL		(they) will ask refugee story

pasi theerkka vanthavarkaL		(I) will tell the battle of 
pakai aaRiya kathai solvEn		whom came to settle our hunger

kaN vazhiyE uyir piriya			kid Thileepan** sat straight
palapEr paarththirunthaar 		(when his) soul escaped through eyes
paalan thileepan nimirnthirunthaan	so many witnesses
paththirikai kurippundu			(I) have a paper cutting

kadalaiyum koyilaiyum thavira		next door (old) Sebamalai appu
vERonRumaRiyaa				who didn't know anything other than
pakkaththuveeddu sepamaalai appu	sea(fisherman) and temple (church) 
amaithikku thadankalaaki		was an obstacle to peace
moonRu naadkaLukkup pin thaan		body was found		
udal kidaiththathaam			after three days
ammavin kaditham thalaimaaddil		mom's letter is under my pillow

kaNNyarntha orukaNam			dozed off a moment
iruntha kachchaiyaiyum avidduviddu	there was a dream
kaanthi thaaththaa vadaliyadaippil	(mahathma) Gandhi walked in my
nadanthu varak kanavu kaNdEn		backyard without even that
					peace of cloth (he wears)

nALai kalaiyil visaaraNai		inquiry tomorrow morning
naLthORum vaathikkappaddu		daily arugued (and)
kaalaikaL thORum thandikkap padukiREn	(I am) punished in the mornings

udal sumanthu manam salikkum		mind (which) carries the body
irunthaalum				gets tired   however (the)
yuththamE ennai vaazhachcholluthu	battle itself encourages me to live 
seeviththida kaariyankaL undu		there are matters to be alive
irukkappOkiREn				(I) am going to live
naaLai kaalaiyil visaaraNai		inquiry tomorrow morning


From:  		 kaddidak kaaddukkuL 
       		 (Selvam Kavithaikal)

Published by:	 Arts and Social-sciences of Eelam Association
		 (at France)
Contact address: ASEA
		 3, Allee Paul Leautaud
		 95200 Sarcelles
		 France	

Thanks: Suvadukal, Norway

Note: The above was a piece of literature, not necessarily Vicky's color.

**  Thileepan was a young member of LTTE.  He was in a fast unto death in 
    front of the Dutch Fort of Jaffna (Sri Lankan army and IPKF camp) and 
    really died.  This  non-violent battle (introduced  by MK Gandhi) was
    against R Gandhi's government.  I avoid the description  here as I do
    not have any printed sources with me.  If anyone wants them (in order
    to save the SCTamil readers from being misled), someone else in would
    do that I hope.

Vicky:  
UMass, Sep 11