Veena Poovu (English: Fallen Flower) is a 1907

Malayalam Malayalam (; , ) is a Dravidian languages, Dravidian language spoken in the Indian state of Kerala and the union territories of Lakshadweep and Puducherry (union territory), Puducherry (Mahé district) by the Malayali people. It is one of 2 ...

poem written by

Kumaran Asan Mahakavi Kumaran Asan (Malayalam: എൻ. കുമാരൻ ആശാൻ) (12 April 1873 – 16 January 1924) was a poet of Malayalam literature, Indian social reformer and a philosopher. He is known to have initiated a revolution in Malayalam ...

. The poem is considered the beginning of a new era in Malayalam literature, and is one of Asan's most significant works. Legends are that the poet saw a fallen flower on his way while walking and wrote this philosophical poem. Various translations and other artistic representations of the poem have been produced, and its centennial was celebrated in

Kerala Kerala ( ; ) is a state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile regions of Cochin, Malabar, South ...

. Composed of forty-one stanzas, the poem is a philosophical treatment of death by looking at the life cycle of a flower.

References

Malayalam-language literature {{poem-stub