தமிழ் கவிதை சொற்களஞ்சியம்

Tamil Poetry Glossary

A comprehensive reference for understanding வெண்பா (Venba) poetry terminology, meter patterns, and classical Tamil prosody concepts.

வெண்பா (Veṇpā): A classical Tamil poetic form characterized by strict metrical rules based on syllable patterns. The name means "pure song".
பா (Pā): Poetry or song in Tamil. The fundamental unit of Tamil poetic composition.
அடி (Aḍi): Line or verse. The basic structural unit of Tamil poetry. Venba poems contain 2-12 lines.
சீர் (Sīr / Seer): Metrical foot consisting of 2-3 syllables arranged in specific patterns. The building block of Tamil meter.

நேர் (Nēr (Ner)): Short syllable taking one unit of time (mātrā). Consists of consonant + short vowel. Marked as (.) or (|).
நிரை (Nirai): Long syllable taking two units of time. Consists of consonant + long vowel OR consonant + short vowel + consonant. Marked as (-) or (||).

தேமா (Tēmā): A seer with pattern ner + nirai (. -). One short syllable followed by one long syllable. Example: மலர் (ma-lar)
புளிமா (Puḷimā): A seer with pattern nirai + ner (- .). One long syllable followed by one short syllable. Example: பாடு (pā-ḍu)
கூவிளம் (Kūviḷam): A seer with pattern ner + ner + nirai (. . -). Two short syllables followed by one long syllable.
கருவிளம் (Karuviḷam): A seer with pattern nirai + nirai (- -). Two long syllables in sequence.

குறள் வெண்பா (Kural Veṇpā): Two-line Venba form (couplet) with 4+3 word pattern. Made famous by Thiruvalluvar's Thirukkural. Most compact and popular form.
சிந்து வெண்பா (Sindi Veṇpā): Three-line Venba form with melodious rhythm. Used for more descriptive poetry.
நேரிசை வெண்பா (Nērisai Veṇpā): Four-line Venba form (quatrain). The standard classical extended form allowing elaborate themes.
ஆசிரிய வெண்பா (Āsiriya Veṇpā): Longer form with 5-12 lines, used for narrative and descriptive poetry.

தளை (Thaḷai): The ending pattern or constraint of a Venba line. Specific syllable patterns required at line endings.
எதுகை (Edukai): Consonantal rhyme - matching consonants in specific positions across lines, creating sonic cohesion.
மோனை (Mōṉai): Initial rhyme or alliteration - words beginning with the same sound in corresponding positions.
பிரிப்பு (Pirippu): The caesura or natural pause within a line of poetry, dividing it into metrical segments.

செய்யுள் (Seyyuḷ): Formal poetry following metrical rules, as opposed to prose. Venba is a type of seyyuḷ.
இன்னிசை (Iṉṉisai): Pleasant sound or euphony. The melodious quality achieved through proper syllable arrangement.
சிந்து (Sindu): Flowing, melodious quality in poetry, often associated with lyrical verse.
நூல் (Nūl): Classical text or treatise. Major works written in Venba are called nūl (e.g., Thirukkural is a nūl).

யாப்பு (Yāppu): Prosody or metrics - the systematic study and rules of poetic meter in Tamil.
மாத்திரை (Māttirai): Unit of time (mora). Ner = 1 mātrā, Nirai = 2 mātrā. The basic temporal unit of meter.
அளபெடை (Aḷapeḍai): Metrical lengthening of syllables for rhythmic purposes in poetry.
குறில் (Kuṟil): Short vowel sounds (அ, இ, உ, எ, ஒ) forming ner syllables.
நெடில் (Neḍil): Long vowel sounds (ஆ, ஈ, ஊ, ஏ, ஓ, ஐ, ஔ) forming nirai syllables.

திருக்குறள் (Tirukkuṟaḷ): The most famous Tamil classical text, containing 1,330 couplets in Kural Venba form by Thiruvalluvar (circa 2nd century CE).
திருவள்ளுவர் (Tiruvaḷḷuvar): The legendary Tamil poet-philosopher who composed the Thirukkural, master of Kural Venba form.
தொல்காப்பியம் (Tolkāppiyam): The oldest extant Tamil grammar text (circa 3rd century BCE), codifying rules for Tamil prosody including Venba.
சங்க இலக்கியம் (Caṅka Ilakkiyam): Sangam literature (300 BCE - 300 CE), the classical Tamil literary corpus that established poetic traditions.

. or | = நேர் (ner, short)

- or || = நிரை (nirai, long)

தேமா: . - (ner-nirai)

புளிமா: - . (nirai-ner)

கூவிளம்: . . - (ner-ner-nirai)

Kural: 2 lines

Sindi: 3 lines

Nerisai: 4 lines

1 mātrā = 1 ner syllable

2 mātrā = 1 nirai syllable