Ismail is one of the pre-eminent poets of late 20th century. He retired as a lecturer. ceTTu naa aadarSam (Tree, my ideal), raatri vaccina rahasyapu vaana (Secret rain last night), etc., are volumes of poetry published. He also published a compilation of literary essays in which he explained his poetic vision and discipline. A poet beyond the reach of any " - isms", Ismail loves life, world and the entire universe in all its diversity. It is rare to find a poet who defined his poetic stance with such clarity and stayed true to that spirit - this is remarkable during a time when every serious poet attached himself/herself to some political ideology or the other. He rejected many proffered awards and titles. Brevity, simplicity and a certain fearlessness mark his poems. Today's selection may not be the best example of his poetry, but it amply illustrates his style and vision.

raayi

palakaristae palakadu
kaneesam kaLLu vippi cooDadu

duvvi bujjagistae
navvanae navvadu
ruvvitae umDipoetumdi
rivvuna tirigi raadu

ennaaLLu snaeham caesinaa
ninnu gurtu paTTadu

paniki maalimdi!
ani anukunnaanu, kaani
ivaaLa telisimdi
deeniki manasumdani

emDaloe paDukoebeDitae
emta veccabaDutumdi !
sooryuDu deeni priyuDu.

A couple of observations: I don't know if the poet consciously tried to incorporate them, yet one can notice the second syllable praasa in a couple of places, especially in the second stanza. Also, when you read the poem out loud, you'll notice a calm and gentle cadence in the flow of the syllables. Try it!

A rendition in English
Stone

Doesn't reply when you greet
Not even a glance at you

You coddle and pamper,
yet doesn't even smile
When thrown, just stays there,
doesn't bounce back.

"What a useless creature!"
I thought, but
I found out today
that it has a heart

How warm it gets
when laid out in the sunshine!
It is in love with the Sun.