SHAKIL KALAM' S Anthology of English Poem " ESSENCE OF LOVE" / Analysis by : Siamir Marulafau, a lecturer of Faculty of Cultural Sciences, University of Sumatra Utara-Indonesia

SHAKIL KALAM' S Anthology of English Poem " ESSENCE OF LOVE"

I. INTRODUCTION AND ANALYSIS

The anthology of a poem entitled "Essence of Love" written in English has touched my heart since the writer is a brilliant writer of Bangladesh. He,who had written some topics of poems in this fine anthology was published. It is said that his anthology was originally written during thovid-19. No wonder if he is said as one of the activists in terms of writing poems with varies topics. All the topics he wrote are magnificent because they are written in a very good English with suitable themes in every poem written. It is a tremendous for me as an analyst and literary critic to read all the poems in his anthology.
The quality of this anthology gives readers fine and wide systems and techniques of writing, which brings new impacts of writing poems. This anthology contains many topics like : Essence of Love, Endorsments of Love Visa, Speaking of Artists and Art, The Broken -Glass Life, Love and Nature, The Thorns of Rose, Neither Poet nor Poetess, Firefly's Lighting and Dreamy , Star of the Distant Sky, Living with Mistakes, Twilight Ascension and others Stories, The Dawn's Narration of Tiger-hill, For Whom?, Who is He?, Adolescent Nature Wants to Dedicate Itself, My love , Kuntala, In The Southern Wind, Life in Wandering, The Poisonous Tree of Racism, Where Did You Get Lost, Where I Anchore, The Orange Coloured Moon, The Pale Moon-Night, The Lighthouse, Environment Got Its Original Form, I Love You , Make the Poet Barve, I Want Brightening Morning, I Will Go Abroad, The Story of a Dreamy Man, The World be Emerged with its New Looks and Outfits, A Mysterious Net, The Evolvements of Time,The First Day of Ashar, The auto biography of a Street, The Age of Corona, The Starry Night, Tale of a War, Birds of Dreamland, Reenergized Mind Calling You, Chewing the Cud of My Memories, Appetency, Black roses and white roses, This is how you go, Autobiography of Palestine, Alien, Dreams of Mandela, I will go to golden port, Companion of One Night.
Though the poems i have read seem very good but some of them make me be more attractive like "Essence of Love". This poem is written in the form of a narrative prose poetry. The writer seems to narrate something about the essence of love which comes from heaven or paradise and it goes to heaven such as imagery, some pains,joys and sorrows. In this poem, he further acknowleges that love does not mean any obstacle. Love dose not have boundaries with no caste, no religion, no distinction and no distances.
Let's see these following lines:

"Love comes from heaven, it goes toheaven-
This is the word forever, it leaves some of its
Glories on this earth, it leaves some similies,
Examples, imagery, some pains, joys and sorrows,
Hopes and aspirations.Some more despair frustration"
"We know that love does not mean any obstacle,
There are more obstacles than its infinite speed
There are nomaps and no boundaries
There is no caste, no race, no religion,
no distinction and no distance"

The lines of poem which make me interested to read is that the poet directly gives fine suggestions to readers that they may not forget someone in the triumph of love. He further says that "Once upon a time there was and enchanting pull of love". This poem indicates to look for happiness and joy so as to reveal the aim of human existence living in this universe. Surely, man should be patient to netralize the life because of getting lost sometimes as what he says in these lines:

"In love, do not forget someone in the triumph of love
Once upon a time there was an enchating pull of love,
Looking for a happy addrsss and joy
Some get their dream address,some get lost"

In my mind, this anthology is precisely named as "ESSENCE OF LOVE" because the author put valuable inspiration and aspiration to love the nature and human beings as well so as to provide an illustration that LOVE is really precious. So, he tends to say ''Keeps the love among so that Almighty will give mercy to all man on the earth". This utterance also can be found in the poem "The Age of Corona". In this poem,the writer specifically elaborates how dreadful human beings are suffering and victimized caused by Corona Virus. He seems to state his sad feeling as a poet towards infectious people like children so as to know how the author has a full attention among societies. Let's see these following lines of his poem:

"Corona! Corona!- Crying howl, unsettled, helpless
Seven hundred, Siblings, nieces, and nephews;
Everyone's weeping, crying - the whole human race in tears
Turbulence of Corona snatches man,
The glory of harmony, friendship and sacrifice
When a human child is infected , then comes groups of beats"

In the last lines of his poem, he shows his great tolerance as a prayer and tries to pray by the name of God so that man may be blessed to give health and get rid off from the scattering virus. He elaborates his attention to keep social distance, lock down and isolation to make people free from Corona Virus.
Let's see these following lines as a proof of statement :

"Praying in his heart,Oh Creator! Give himhealth, take care of us
Lock down, social disance, isolation.Home quarantine"

What thing makes him worry about is hunger and shortage of food suffered by his people. He knows that it is impossible to survive them. He hopes the team of humanity to settle this problem. Let's see his statement in the following lines :

"A groupog hungry, on the rise of famine

It is impossible to survive them. Sitting on the side of the road at dawn; waiting;
When will the team of humanity come with relief and food!
Shakil Kalam as the writer of this anthology seems to retell his own traveling towards his wandering to some places like Singapore, Kuala Lumpur and island of Langkawi. His travelling indicates his love on the nature, which brings his feeling into a surprise. All what he had seen seemed to be much different in life like Marina Bay located in Singapore. This couldn't delight him and even he went to Sentosa Island also made his feeling not attractive.



Shakil Kalam

Let's see the following lines of his poem entitled "Life in Wandering"

"I am living in my life in tropical ways,all over Southeast Asia
Even small narrow roads.
Flashing lights of Marina Bay , can't delight me,
So, a purple lantern could not enlighten my wandering life.
I have observed wings of fire; a flashing lighting movie
mixed with water, at Sentosa,in Singapore
It could not attract foreign me
I didn't find there any delighted life".

The writer of this anthology has no a heart of satisfaction to explore what he had seen. As a matter of fact, he directly set his foot on the land of Mahathir Mohammad. What he had seen there seems to make his feeling surprised because the situation in this country is hot. Though he had forgotten the sultry air in Dhaka. He confessed that this country has rows of vehickles and no traffic jams. Let's see the following lines how of his poem:

"Then I set foot in the land of Mahathir Mohammed,
As soon as I set foot in Kuala Lumpur, I felt a heat; Tropical region'
I have forgotten the sultry air of Dhaka for some time;
There was and rows of vehickles but no horns, no traffic james".
In the end of this poem, the poets intends to say that people who are on the land and motherland as well should have become one in mind that the peace will be more important to keep so as to make poeple be more fresh and saved. Let's see the following lines of his poems :
"Mother, soil, people and motherland have become one in mind,
The heart twisted , the mind cried, two drops of salty water
fallen down from my chin
Muttering, thinking, theind pierces;
When the mother's chest will be filled with peace!"

II. LITERARY REVIEWS

This anthology is a really magnificent of writing by the poet because of its choice of words. It consists of 49 topics which shows a great written words suited with each theme of every topic. I my self a reader feel astonished to read. It is because the poet is smart to arrange sentences which do not break the rules of English structure.
As a matter of fact, this anthology can be used to those who are learning poetry in Universities whereas English is dominantly be used, spoken and written there as a foreign language. Besides, all the poems in this anthology entitled "ESSENCE OF LOVE" can be analyzed by using literary theory like : "Theory of Literature" by Rene Wellek & Austin Warrent, Dr A. Teew's Literary Theory and some other literary theories in English Literature.
This anthology is constructed in quite simple English language, which related to the exact use of words in many figures of speech in the techniques of writing poems. In short, there is no a single word or sentence found as wrong written in it.
In my analysis, I chose three topics of poems among as representative of all the poems so as to be a framework or data of research that may come up to say this antology of English poem by Shakil Kalam is really very good in its "ESSENCE OF LOVE".

III. REFERENCES

Alexander, L.G. 1977.Poetry and Prose Appreciation for Over Sea Studies.
London :Longman Group.
Aminur Rahman.2016. Perpetual Diary. Persatuan Sastrawan Malaysia.Kuala Lumpur.
Arthur , B. 1968. Reading Literature and Learning a Second Language. Language
Learning 18(3-4), 199-210.
Benton, M. & Fox, G.1987. What Happens When We Read Poems in Lee, V J.(ed)
English Literature In Schools,Milton Keynes: Open University Press
Booth, D.E,& Moore,B.1988.Poems Please.Markham,OntarioPembroke PublisherLtd.
Carter, R & M. Long. 1991 Teaching Literature.Longman

IV. READER AND ANALYST


Siamir Marulafau

Siamir Marulafau was born in Nias, North Sumatra-Indonesia,17-05-1958. He was graduated from English and Literature Department, Faculty of Cultural Study, University of North Sumatra, Medan-Indonesia.
He is now still teaching English and Literature, and writing poems and short stories. His works were mostly published in social medias such "HUMANITY"(2015); "LIGHTING”(2016), and some other works or poems in Indonesian language and English. He was a poet and conducted a scientific paper and research in Terengganu, Malaysia,2017, Pahang,2017, USM Penang, 2017, Singapore,2018, UPM,Malaysia,2018 and ULongman
REVIEWS