Sri Lanka through the eye of a poet

The Sri Lanka Convention Bureau, which deals with up-market high-end foreign visitors, released the first ever poetry brochure on Sri Lanka which consists of 55 verses depicting the history, past glory, ethnic and religious harmony, and diversity of attractions in the country.

Poet Yohanka Jayasuriya has given the Bureau exclusive rights for the publication of the poems in a colourful brochure printed by Selecine.

“At a time when Sri Lanka is striving to attract high-end tourists, it is timely that we were able to produce such material particularly to give to delegates at high profile events,” said General Manager of the Sri Lanka Convention Bureau and Acting Director General of the Tourism Development Authority Vipula Wanigasekera.

The poetry which depicts prehistoric times, goes on to boast the country’s advanced civilisation and the engineering marvels in the past, tourist attractions and the rich culture which encourage readers to pass on the presentation of the poems to likeminded friends and relatives and visitation to important sites in Sri Lanka.

The poet Yohanka Jayasuriya hails from Kandy and manages her own speech and drama academy.  She is a licentiate holder in Speech and Drama of Trinity College London.

Extracts of a few poems

 Behold the island in the sun,

Greenish blue from afar like a gem, the cut well done,

With a pearly boarder to it all around,

The Indian ocean’s blue rollers it surround.

 

Around 500 BC Vijaya the wayward son of India’s Lion King,

Lands on the island with a band of 700 that he brings.

Subdues the tribes successfully and with natural assimilation

Founds the ancient Ariya Sinhala nation.

 

In Sri-Lanka’s pageants of history however we see the walk of some magnificent monarchs true;

They repelled invasions, built temples, tanks and fostered trade and the arts too   

The great ‘dagabas’(stupas) a-spring 300/400 feet to the sky,

The massive tanks (reservoirs) with miles of rice paddies around all their works, we still benefit.

 

 King ‘Parakrama’ the great; knowing the needs of much water for rice paddies

and the countries dry and wet season vagaries,

Ordered “Let not a drop of rainwater flow to the sea,

Without benefiting man to some degree.”

  Lived and still remains a living arch between Emperor Ashoka’s time and now.

Sri-Lanka’s ruined cities are found in other sites too,

In Polonnaruwa, Yapahuwa, Dambadeniya, Kurunegala,Gampala and places few more

The visitor to history and archeology bent,

Will find a visit to these sites well worth the time and money spent.

  Sigriya the ‘Lion rock’ is a UNESCO world heritage site;

It gives the visitor awe and much delight.

Soaring 600 feet with shear sides to a sloping table top

It majestically dominates the plain wooded and in rice paddy green.

 

To the worker of the industrial East and West

Worn out, fighting with the flying minute and in need of rest

Sri-Lanka offers within a short span of space and time

Many a mode of relaxation to refresh the body and mind.

 

 Hundreds of golden sandy beaches the visitor can find  

All around the island and with the sun, surf, sand and wind;

Either with the crowds of bonhomie holiday makers with storied hotels behind

Or in quiet beaches, in cabanas under swaying palm he can swim and dine.

 

We have 435 endemic species of birds of various hue and song,

And thousands of migrants that winter for six months long;

Kumana in the East coast is migrant bird paradise

So is Bundala in the South East which is called likewise.

 

The Singharaja reserve in the South central parts is a forest primeval,

It’s listed a UNESCO heritage, not to any other unequal

In it very rare fauna and flora are found

As the axe of civilization has never reached its bounds.

 

One of Sri-Lanka’s unforgettable sights is the Adam’s peak

Also called ‘Sripada’‘Sacred foot’ mountain in local speech.

It rises to about 7000 feet to a sharp peak like two hands joined in prayer

And the annual pilgrimage trek to it starts in January there.

 

Within Sri-Lanka’s shores four races and four religions meet harmoniously

Though Buddhism predominates, churches, kovils and mosques are spread throughout tolerantly.

Any peaceful visitor to this country is welcomed by everyone here

There’s kindness to strangers, and a ‘Sri-Lankan smile’ is given readily.