Out of Sri Lanka

Vidyan Ravinthiran was born in Leeds, to Sri Lankan Tamils. His first book of poems, Grun-tu-molani (Bloodaxe Books, 2014), was shortlisted for the Forward Prize for Best First Collection, the Seamus Heaney Centre Poetry Prize and the Michael Murphy Memorial Prize. His second, The Million-petalled Flower of Being Here (Bloodaxe Books, 2019) won a Northern Writers Award and a Poetry Book Society Recommendation. It was shortlisted for the 2019 Forward Prize for Best Collection, the 2019 T.S. Eliot Prize and the 2021 Ledbury Munthe Poetry Prize for Second Collections. After teaching at the universities of Cambridge, Durham and Birmingham in the UK, he now teaches at Harvard in the US. He is the author of Elizabeth Bishop's Prosaic (Bucknell, 2015), winner of both the University English Prize and the Warren-Brooks Award for Outstanding Literary Criticism. On top of his academic work, he writes literary journalism, and is represented as an author of fiction by the Wylie Agency. Seni Seneviratne, a writer of English and Sri Lankan heritage, is published by Peepal Tree Press, with books including Wild Cinnamon and Winter Skin (2007), The Heart of It (2012), and Unknown Soldier (2019). Unknown Soldier is a Poetry Book Society Recommendation, a National Poetry Day Choice and was highly commended in the Forward Poetry Prizes 2020. She has been widely published in several anthologies and magazines, most recently in 100 Queer Poems (Penguin), Where We Find Ourselves (Arachne Press), Wretched Strangers (Boiler House Press), The Rialto and New England Review. She has collaborated with filmmakers, visual artists, musicians and digital artists and is one of ten commissioned writers on the Colonial Countryside Project. She is a fellow of the Complete Works programme for diversity and quality in British Poetry, with work included in Ten: new poets from Spread the Word, ed. Bernardine Evaristo & Daljit Nagra (Bloodaxe Books, 2010). She is currently working on an LGBTQ project with Sheffield Museums entitled Queering the Archive and completing her fourth collection which will be published by Peepal Tree Press in autumn 2023. Shash Trevett is a Tamil from Sri Lanka who came to the UK to escape the civil war. She is a poet and a translator of Tamil poetry into English. Her poetry has appeared in anthologies and journals (including Poetry, Poetry London and The North), she has read widely across the UK and is a winner of a Northern Writers’ Award. Her pamphlet From a Borrowed Land was published in 2021 by Smith|Doorstop. Shash has been on judging panels for the PEN Translates awards and the London Book Fair, and was a Visible Communities Translator in Residence at the National Centre for Writing. Shash is a Ledbury Critic, reviewing for PN Review and the Poetry Book Society and is a Board Member of Modern Poetry in Translation.

• E = written in EnglishS = translated from SinhalaT = translated from Tamil19 IntroductionAazhiyaal (b. 1968) T37 Unheeded Sights38 Manamperis Bashana Abeywardane (b. 1972) S39 The Window of the PresentPackiyanathan Ahilan (b. 1970) T40 Days of the Bunker III41 A Poem about Your Village and My Village43 Corpse No. 18243 Corpse No. 183. Newborn No. 02Alari (b. 1976) T44 When Someone Is Killed44 A Lifeless Sea45 The Sun Wanders, Searching for ShadeLiyanage Amarakeerthi (b. 1968) S47 Once Upon a Foreign Country49 Will We Find the Strings of the Veena?52 A Poem’s PleaPremini Amerasinghe (b. 1933) E52 The Matrimonial Column53 A Rustic SceneIndran Amirthanayagam (b. 1960) E54 The Death Tree55 Not Much ArtAnar (b. 1974) T58 Killing a Woman58 Woman59 ZulaikhaJean Arasanayagam (1931–2019) E60 The Wasp61 The Poet62 A Country at War63 AncestorsParvathi Solomons Arasanayagam (b. 1964) E67 Identity68 A Familiar Terrain68 Human DriftwoodThiagarajah Arasanayagam (b. 1934) E69 Kappal Matha – KaytsKi. Pi. Aravindan (1953–2015) T72 Look at the Sky73 Directions74 The Night ApproachesUpekala Athukorala (b. 1986) S74 Snaggle tooth75 Some Yashodaras76 Crazy WomanAvvai (b. 1965) T77 The Homecoming78 The ReturnThilakaratha Kuruvita Bandara (b. 1941) S80 The Gods Alarmed, Descend to Earth80 A Child’s PesteringRuwan Bandujeeva (b. 1983) S81 Earthworms82 A Tree to its Flowers82 A Joy – A Bliss82 What Answers from the Common Crows?Briyanthy (b. 1985) T83 Sorrow Created and Sorrows RelievedS. Bose (1975–2007) T85 My life in Books86 from The Veenai86 NowSuresh Canagarajah (b. 1957) E87 Lavannya’s Twilight Bike RideCheliyan (1960–2018) T88 Those Who Enter the Pit89 Untitled89 Merciless Ones90 On a Rainy DayCheran (b. 1960) T91 I Could Forget All This [1983]92 My Land [1981]94 Nandikadal [2009]94 Grave SongRienzi Crusz (1925–2017) E96 Song of the Immigrant97 Leaving – Michael-style98 The Elephant Who Would Be a PoetA.P. David (b. 1964) E99 FishermenMegan Dhakshini (b. 1983) E100 In Lockdown101 21Wimal Dissanayake (b. 1939) S101 Anuradhapura102 Strange Flowering103 Homecoming103 AnjaliDushyanthan (b. 1964) T104 They Do Not KnowPatrick Fernando (1931–82) E106 The Fire Dance107 Aeneas and Dido108 Ballad of a RiverSandra Fernando (———) E109 … and in the middle110 Setting the Table for Dinner112 ShirtRu Freeman (b. 1967) E113 Erasure114 Loose Change114 In Your Hour of Need, GodBuddhadasa Galappathy (b. 1947) S116 I Am Not Sita117 Alms for King VessantaraKapila M. Gamage (———) S118 Teriyum Kokila119 Prayers to KonesvaranV.V. Ganeshananthan (b. 1980) E121 the faithful scholar dreams of being exact121 from The Five-year Tongue TwistersYasmine Gooneratne (b. 1935) E123 Horoscope124 Peredeniya Landscape124 The Brave Man Who Keeps Snakes as His PetsSunil Govinnage (b. 1950) E126 The City of Light126 My English Verse127 On Becoming an IntellectualAmali Gunasekera (b. 1971) E128 How to Watch a Solar Eclipse in a Bowl of Water129 from Beloved130 PeaceDayasena Gunasinghe (1936–96) S131 The Blue of My EyesSiri Gunasinghe (1925–2017) S133 A Memorial134 The Water Buffalo135 RenunciationYvonne Gunawardena (1926–2022) E138 Homecoming138 Ancestral Voices139 Thoughts on a Train Journey140 Letter to EnglandRomesh Gunesekera (b. 1954) E141 The Big Wave142 Circled by CirceRohitha Gunetilleke (b. 1954) E144 Eventually145 CowboysAparna Halpé (———) E146 Poson147 5.45 at St GeorgeAshley Halpé (1933–2016) E149 the tale of Divnuhamy150 all our Aprils151 The Second ReadingTashyana Handy (b. 1998) E152 C189Lal Hegoda (b. 1947) S154 I’m a Man Because You Are a River155 Bhikku at the FerryAjith C. Herath (b. 1967) S156 Last Station157 from Seven DreamsVipuli Hettiarachchi (b. 1968) S160 We Are Women161 Balachandran161 ‘Iron Lady’Eric Illayapparachchi (b. 1954) S163 The Bomb at the Rooftop Restaurant164 Against ColomboFaheema Jahan (b. 1973) T165 The Sea’s Waters166 After CatastropheV.I.S. Jayapalan (b. 1944) T167 One Night in Frankfurt168 Hope169 Blue169 from Song of the DefeatedRamya Jegatheesan (b. 1993) E172 from The Ariel Collection, Or, Colonise my tongue and laugh at the ironyA. Jesurasa (b. 1946) T174 Under New Shoes175 In Memory of the Nameless176 Afterwards176 Yet, Time RemainsRamya Chamalie Jirasinghe (b. 1971) E178 Food for My Daughter179 On Waiting with a Friend Getting His Heart TestedMadri Kalugala (b. 1990) E180 Last night I dreamed your horse had died181 SundowningKarunakaran (b. 1963) T182 Along That Very Road183 Burning Nests184 The Warrior Who Could Not Part from His ShadowU. Karunatilake (———) E185 Letter from Boralanda186 HometownTimran Keerthi (b. 1980) S187 The Forgotten BookGeorge Keyt (1901–93) E189 Kandyan VillageParakrama Kodituwakku (b. 1943) S195 Court Inquiry of a Revolutionary.196 An Unfinished Lesson197 Little BrotherSenerath Gonsal Korala (———) S199 The Song of a New ShawlSita Kulatunga (1930s–2014) E200 Pitu padam namamaham (I worship at the feet of my father)201 WhyNeetha Kunaratnam (b. 1976) E202 The Afterlife203 Poppy204 BeelineLatha (b. 1968) T205 from UntitledSundra Lawrence (b. 1975) T208 Gold208 RassamMahakavi (1927–71) T209 Ahalikai212 from Birth213 from ExcellenceSunanada Mahendra (b. 1938) S215 The MountainImaad Majeed (b. 1991) E216 arma christi217 ‘keppetipola mawatha’Sharanya Manivannan (b. 1985) E219 The Mothers220 RiverArji Manuelpillai (b. 1981) E221 credit card221 after the Sri Lankan bombing that kills 360 (after the 20-year war that killed significantly more)222 after being called a pakiMishal Mazin (b. 1994) E223 Rajagiriya224 Té KadéCiara Mandulee Mendis (b. 1991) E226 The Dancing Woman at Embekke227 SWOT Analysis on MarriageTyrrell Mendis (1934–2021) E228 Pivot228 Spring MorningCarl Muller (1935–2019) E229 Deiyyo Saakki!233 Que sera, seraR. Murugaiyan (1935–2009) T234 Variations236 Toil236 Aboard a VanNeelaavanan (1931–75) T238 Sleep239 Murungaikaai240 Faster, FasterNilanthan (b. 1970) T241 End of an Age 2241 Kanji Song 1242 The Mother of Two Martyrs243 Pina KooraiS. Niroshini (b. 1984) E244 Neruda’s Last Word(s)245 Period Party /246 Girl, CeylonM.A. Nuhman (b. 1944) T249 from Saluting Heroic Vietnam from the Corners of Our Little Village250 Last Evening, This Morning252 Buddha MurderedMichael Ondaatje (b. 1943) E253 Letters & Other Worlds255 The Cinnamon Peeler257 House on a Red CliffS. Pathmanathan (b. 1939) T258 See Through259 A Thorn in My FleshVihanga Perera (b. 1984) E260 The Playwright261 The Memory of FragranceKasro Ponnuthurai (b. 1995) T262 Amir’s LoverS. Porawagamage (b. 1993) E265 My Kinda Name266 The Wings266 The First NamePramil (1939–97) T268 The Desert268 (your) Name269 The Great Wind TamerShirani Rajapakse (b. 1967) E269 Unwanted270 Chant of a Million WomenS. Rajasingham (b. 1927) T272 LizardsT. Ramalingam (1933–2008) T273 The FutureAnne Ranasinghe (1925–2016) E275 Judgement276 At What Dark Point278 July 1983Ariyawansa Ranaweera (b. 1942) S279 Today’s Lion280 The Giraffe281 Paintings at Gothami Vihara282 The IntersectionEva Ranaweera (1924–2010) E283 In the Street of the Pearl TreeChalani Ranwala (b. 1991) E284 The in-betweenersA.M. Rashmy (b. 1974) T285 from Songs in a Time of ConfinementSahanika Ratnayake (b. 1989) E287 from Murmur288 from Case Study #1: Vocabulary Lesson289 Case Study #3: ChariotVidyan Ravinthiran (b. 1984) E290 Uncanny Valley291 Ceylon291 The AnnupoorunyamalMonica Ruwanpathirana (1947–2004) S293 My Grief293 Wife Lamenting294 from Your Friend She Is WomanPubudu Sachithanandan (b. 1980) E295 Anthem: The war is overMinoli Salgado (b. 1960s) E297 Blood Witness298 TelegraphA. Sankari (b. 1948) T299 Living and Dying300 In Their EyesDipti Saravanamuttu (b. 1960) E301 Among the Icons302 Landscape Art304 Line Drawing305 Flying North in WinterPeter Scharen (———) E306 Landscape306 Winter Lines307 TransitoryMahagama Sekera (1929–76) S308 The Moon and New York City.309 No. 16309 No. 24310 See Yourself in My PoetrySelvi (1960–91) T311 Summertime312 Raman, like Raavanan312 Within MeG.B. Senanayake (1913–85) S314 Philosophers and PunditsDishani Senaratne (b. 1986) E316 Dreams316 LamentGamini Seneviratne (———) E317 Tune for Ariel319 Nangi319 ArjunaMalinda Seneviratne (b. 1965) E320 Nangi321 Oil-bullets321 MitsiSeni Seneviratne (b. 1951) E322 Dear Mum323 Opus Tesselatum324 Slave Lodge, Cape TownNatchathiran Sevvinthiyan (b. 1974) T326 Until My Wineglass Was Empty326 Kokkatticholai 166Sharmila Seyyid (b. 1982) T327 Three Dreams328 Keys to an Empty Home329 FireAlfreda de Silva (1930–2001) E330 Grassfields in Sunlight331 Cormorants and Children331 The End of Something332 KotmaleLakshmi de Silva (b. 1936) E333 Tangalla, 9th April 1971334 Addition and SubtractionS.J. Sindu (b. 1987) E335 Gods in the Surf335 For Sale: 1997 Christmas Barbie, $600Regi Siriwardena (1922–2004) E337 Birthday Apology and Apologia340 Colonial Cameo340 To the Muse of InsomniaShirani Situnayake (b. 1957) E341 BeginningsShanmugam Sivalingam (1936–2012) T342 Nowadays342 Unsung Songs343 In Memory of Our SongsSumathy Sivamohan (b. 1959) E345 on reading the astonishing novel ‘mm’ by shoba shakthiS. Sivaramani (1968–91) T347 Oppressed by Nights of War348 [Untitled]S. Sivasegaram (b. 1942) T350 from Faces of WarSolaikili (b. 1957) T353 The Story of a Golden River354 A Refugee Poet Talking to the MoonIsuru Chamara Somaweera (b. 1981) S355 The Little Fellow356 My Pillow Is Wet357 Mother’s Actress Friend357 The Meaning of Life.Sandaresee Sudusinghe (b. 1984) S358 from Gini Wadunu PiyapathPireeni Sundaralingam (b. 1977) E360 Lot’s Wives361 Fugue362 Times TwoYasmin V. Tambiah (b. 1961) E364 The Civil War365 SandalwoodM.J.T. Tambimuttu (1915–83) E366 My Country, My VillageTheepachelvan (b. 1983) T369 The Lost Kitten370 A Friend Stands Behind Me371 An Unpublished PoemAjith Thilakasena (b. 1933) S371 Where372 I do not know if…Thiru Thirukkumaran (b. 1978) T373 Resurrection374 This Is How the Buddha Disappeared375 A Detached FeatherThirumavalavan (1955–2015) T376 Mullaitivu376 LivingShash Trevett (b. 1974) E377 Uduvil, Nightfall378 The Sinhala Only Act, 1956379 My Grandfather’s HouseUrvasi (b. 1956) T380 Do You Understand?381 Why Must We Wait?Vivimarie Vanderpoorten (———) E382 Cadaver383 Traditional384 DiplomaticS. Vilvaratnam (1950–2006) E385 There Was a Time386 The Echo of MoonlightS. Vinothini (b. 1969) T388 The Mask Maker389 The NightNandana Weerasinghe (———) S390 The Moon-shadow390 Full Moon on a Dewdrop.391 Kalidasa and the Moon392 Something Square-shapedRushika Wick (b. 1973) E393 Hair393 Ultramarine Pink PV15394 Yellow Phone in the Yellow HouseIllavalai Wijayendran (b. 1961) T395 To Those Who Bear Sticks395 The Missing Children396 The Veenai and the SwordRatna Sri Wijesinghe (b. 1953) S397 Two Teardrops398 from The Motherless TwoLakdasa Wikkramasinha (1941–78) E400 Don’t Talk to Me about Matisse400 The Flames, 1972401 Luis de Camoes402 MiddleRichard de Zoysa (1958–90) E402 Animal Crackers404 Corporation Love Song (1)405 [as Angela de Silva] Gajagavannama406 The Poet409 Translators415 Acknowledgements