Divine-Human Symphony A Comparative Reading of Ecclesiastes and Pattinattar

includes index and biblioraphy

I. First Things First 1 A. Two Poems: First Impressions I 1. Poem or Inset Hymn 1 2. Narrative Poem 3 3. Metaphors and Reality 4 3.1. Metaphor of Light 4 3.2. Tasting`Sweet` 7 3.3. Rhythm of Human Life 9 B. Status Quaestionis: Contributions and Lacunae 11 1. Status Quaestiones of Eccl 11:4-12:8 11 1.1. Parallel Literature Approach 12 1.2. Figurative-Literal Approach 15 1.3. Historical Approach 16 1.4. Ethical Approach 16 2. Status Quaestiones of Pattinattar`s Utalkurruvannam 17 3. Contributions and Lacunae 17 3.1. Narrative Analysis 17 3.2. Comparative Literature 19 C. Human Life-Stages and Life Transition 20 D. Conclusion 22 II. Analysis of Ecciesiastes 11:4-12:8 25 A. Poet: Name and Historical Context 25 B. Poem: Text and Translation 27 C. Delimitation and Structure 30 D. Setting 34 E. Style 37 1. Parallelism 38 1.1. Synonymous Parallelism 38 1.2. Semantic Parallelism 40 1.3. Staircase Parallelism 42 1.4. Chiastic Parallelism 42 2. Word-Play 43 2.1. Word-Pairs 43 2.2. Assonance 44 2.3. Alliteration 45 2.4. Onomatopoeia 45 2.5. Ellipsis 45 2.6. Merismus 46 2.7. Hendiadys 46 2.8. Double Entendre 46 2.9. Metonymy 46 2.10. Hyperbole 47 2.11. Synecdoche 47 2.12. Allusion 47 2.13. Enjambment 48 2.14. Parataxis 48 2.15. Envoy 48 3. Word-Picture 49 3.1. Metaphor 49 3.2. Allegory 50 3.3. Simile 52 F. Characterisation 52 1. Self 54 1.1. The Ontological Self 54 1.2. The Functional Self 56 2. Transcendental Other 57 2.1. God who Makes All 58 2.2. God who Judges 58 2.3. God: Giver of Life-Breath 60 2.4. God-Creator, Object of Remembering 60 3. Social Other 62 4. Environmental Other 63 G. Themes and Motifs 67 1. `Vanity` 67 2. `All` 69 3. `To Rejoice` 70 4. `To Remember` 71 5. Complementing Contradictions 73 H. Conclusion 75 III. Analysis of Pattinattar`s Utalkurruvannam 77 A. Poet: Name and Historical Context 77 B. Poem: Text and Translation 80 C. Delimitation and Structure 85 D. Setting 87 1. Summary Statements 91 2. Pause 92 3. Ellipsis 92 4. Order and Frequency 92 E. Style 93 1. Linguistic Characteristics 101 2. Metrical Factors 101 3. Imagery 102 4. Word-Pictures 103 5. Direct Addresses 105 6. Word-Plays 107 7. Itakkaratakkal 108 F. Characterisation 108 1. Self 109 2. The Transcendental Other 113 3. The Social Other 114 4. The Environmental Other 115 G. Themes and Motifs 116 1. Body 116 2. Women 117 3. Dance 119 4. Related Opposites 119 5. Dependence 120 H. Conclusion 120 IV. Poems and Poets in Dialogue 121 A. Poets and Poems with One Another 121 1. Similarities 121 1.1. Contextual 121 A Wake-up Call 121 1.1.2. Names Not Theirs 122 1.1.3. Delighted, Not Depressed 122 1.1.4. Individual in the Crowd 123 1.1.5. `No`to Organized Religion 124 1.2. Communicative 124 1.2.1. Genre of the Text 124 1.2.2. Imaginary Audience 125 1.2.3. Style 125 1.2.4. Images 125 1.3. Conceptual 126 1.3.1. Human Person in Four Stages 126 1.3.2. God, the Author of Life 127 1.3.3. Impermanence of Reality 127 1.3.4. Miseries of Old Age and Death 128 1.3.5. Life After Life 129 1.3.6. Ethics of Joy 129 1.3.7. Accountability of Humans 130 1.3.8. Meaningless Meanings 130 1.3.9. Invitation to Remember God 131 1.3.10. Socio-Cultural Elements in the Poems 131 2. Dissimilarities 131 2.1. Ethical vs. Philosophical 131 2.2. Monologue vs. SoHloquy 131 2.3. Addressing Down vs. Crying Up 132 2.4. Spirit vs. Matter 132 2.5. Individual vs. Communitarian 132 3. Duet or Duel 132 B. Poets and We; Perspectives and Queries 133 1. Is God a Cultural Memory? 133 2. The God-Talk in the Poems 135 2.1. Two Gods: `Creator God,` `Created God` 135 2.2. God whom We Can`t Pray To 136 3. Human Person: Who? Why? 137 3.1. Imago and Similitudo Dei 138 3.2. Human Personhood 139 3.3. Persons in Process 140 3.4. Persons as Suffering 140 3.5. Cry for the Transcendent 140 3.6. Human Person: Meaning-Making 141 3.7. Human Perso