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JULY 5, 1872.]
POPULAR TAMIL POETRY.
201
Attalum palsuveiyir kundratalavalla Nattalum nanballar nanballar. Kettâlum Menmakkal meņmakkalê, sangu suttalum Tânmikka veņmei tarum.
The bad are bad though cherish'd. Yet when
boil'd, Sweet milk still sweet remains, and is not spoil'd. And fire but whitens white shells.---Thus we see Good men remain good in adversity,
Nanjudeimei tanasintu nagang karantureiyum The cobra, conscious of its poison, hides; Anjâ purangkedakkunir pambu. Nenjir
Abroad the water-snake unfearing glides. Karavudeiyâr tammei karappar karavar
Thus they whose hearts hide guile exposure fear, Karavillâ nenjattavar.
But secrecy befits not the sincere. Adakkam udeiyar asivillar endreņņi
Esteem not witless, nor with ease o'ercome, Kadakka karutavum vêndâm. Madei taleiyil That man whose lips with wise reserve are dumb. Odum mîn ôda, oru mîn varum aļavum
At the sluice-head the stork, whilst fish play by, Vadi irukkumäng Kokku!
All withered seems-till the right fish comes nigh! The last of these stanzas has always struck No notice of Tamil Popular Poetry would be me, as being a good example of the fact that some complete without mention being made of Tamil poets possess one of those “faculties di- PATTANATTU PILLAI's writings. These are very vine" which is a sure note of genuine inspiration, unequal : in parts they rise to the level of .viz:- the faculty of appretiating nature. The epi- Sivavakkiyar, but as a whole they are pro
thet withered (Tamil, Vadi) is an extremely beau- ductions characterized more by melodious tiful one, because it is so extremely true to nature. verbiage than striking thought. The most reAnyone will recognize the felicity of this epithet markable poem ever penned by this writer is who has watched a paddy-bird (Kokku) perched one in which he bewails the loss of his mother. on the brim of a tank waiting, perfectly motion- The verses, however, which I have selected less, and as if it were but a piece of withered vege- have, as far as I know, never been translated tation, for the rash approach of its finny prey. before.
VERSES PATTANATTU PILLEIYAR PADAL.
From various writings of Pattanattu Pillai. Yen pettra tâyârum yennei piņam 'endru When dead, my mother scorns me Igalntu vittâr.
Saying. But a corpse is he,' Pon pettra mâtarum pô vendru solli
My gold-bought wife with weeping Pulambi vittâr.
Cries out.depart' to me; Kon pettra meintarum pinvalam vantu
My sons, my pyre encircling, Kudam udeittar.
Their wonted pots let fall; Un pattr'oliya oru pattrum illei
There is no love but Thy love Udeiyavanê!
O thou who ownest alli Sollinum, sollin mudivilum, vêda
In speech, and its conclusion, Suruti hilum,
And in the Vedas too, Allinum, mâsattra âgâsa tannilum,
In darkness, and in heaven's Ayntu vitfôr
Stainless expanse of blue; In hearts of true ascetics,
And in each loving mind, Illinum, anbaridattilum, Isan
The Lord's unbounded presence Iruppatallal
Ye certainly may find ; Kallinum, sembilumo iruppanengal
But how in stones and copper, Kaņņutale.
Can ye the God descry, Who in his forehead beareth
The terrible one eyelt • In these remarkable verses, the poet broods over the Pyre, advancing from behind on the left side of the corp time when he shall be a corpse. His mother will esteem breaking their vessels of water, as if to my. we thus po him & useless thing. The wife, whom he obtained by pay- our last bounden service to you! Thy love only is eve ing (as is the Hindu custom) a large sum of money, she too lasting, unaffected by life or death, O God!" with weeping will not desire him to remain by her side when he is a corpse. His children will encircle his funeral S'iy
