Time and Time Again (A.K. Ramanujan)

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A.K. Ramanujan is an English-language poet and translator. He is known for pioneering translations of ancient Tamil poetry into modern English. He was also a professor of linguistics at the University…

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The central image is the clocktowers of an old well-managed city. Their gongs beat round the clock, but each one is slightly different in time, sound, and rhythm. This image works as a symbol of human…

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Their differences come from accidents of alloy, a maker’s shaking hand in Switzerland, and mutual distances commemorating a donor’s whim. The differences are accidental and material, not deliberate. T…

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The clocktowers implicitly compare to the perennial feuds and seasonal alliance of Hindu, Christian, and Muslim communities. The different rhythms of the clocks suggest social difference, tension, and…

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It suggests that communal relations are not stable. Feuds continue for a long time, while alliances happen only at certain times. The phrase captures both conflict and temporary cooperation among comm…

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The poem links the slight differences in clock timekeeping with the differing rhythms of human communities. Just as the clocks are not perfectly synchronized, people and communities also live with dif…

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The title suggests repetition and recurrence. It points to the repeated pattern of difference, conflict, and disruption in human life. The title is not only about clocks; it also hints at the repeated…

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The clocktowers beat their gongs each slightly off the others’ time. The sound creates an image of a city where order exists, but perfect sameness does not. The difference in sound also gives the poem…