Ulloor S. Parameswara Iyer: Classicism, Universal Love, and the Transcendental Spirit in Modern Malayalam Poetry

Abstract

Ulloor S. Parameswara Iyer (1877–1949), one of the celebrated triumvirate of early modern Malayalam poets, is best known for his classicist diction, historical scholarship, and synthesis of devotion and humanism. This paper reassesses Ulloor’s poetry as a fusion of classical poetics and modern universalism, with particular attention to his poem “Music of Love.” The study argues that while rooted in Indian spiritual and ethical traditions, Ulloor’s concept of love, unity, and the Oversoul reveals affinities with the Transcendentalist vision of Walt Whitman and Emerson. Through close readings of “Music of Love,” “Umakeralam,” and “Karnabhooshanam,” the paper explores how Ulloor constructs a poetics of compassion, cosmic brotherhood, and divine participation, anticipating a global humanism that transcends linguistic and cultural boundaries.