Abstract:
Siri Gunasinghe could be identified as a poet who was subjected mostly to argumentation within
the Sinhala poetic field. His maiden poetic composition titled, “Mas Le Nethi Eta” is considered
a land mark in the Sinhala poetic field. He succeeded in signifying his own identity, approaching
a different turn than the independent device which prevailed in the second poetic generation of
Colombo era and also that was introduced by G.B. Senanayake. When considering the
motivational temperament of Gunasinghe enabling to create such a revolutionary change, it
appears that a fundamental concentration should be extended towards western poetic tradition.
“The Waste Land”, the poetic text composed by the famous modernist American poet T.S.Eliot
could be considered an important compilation in this context. This poem illustrates the psychic
tragedy of the urbanite centered in a busy life style disowning all legitimate belongings in the
social system. It appears that the poetic techniques found in “The Waste Land˜ is mostly used by
Siri Gunasinghe in his “Mas Le Nethi Eta˜ composition. Similarly, the subject matter, the
configuration, the vision of life and poetic techniques which are used by T.S.Eliot in his poem
have been used by Siri Gunasinghe too in his composition. Therefore, it is possible to compare
the two poems and identify the influence of T.S.Eliot’s “The waste land” on Siri Gunasinghe’s
poem, “Mas Le Nethi Eta.”
