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274
VAJJĀLAGGAM
(21
and from the drinking of water cool and charged with fragrance.
22) The poet arranges the words (in his poem) some how (i.e. very carefully or cautiously), looks to (the requirements of) the (various) literary styles, mounts on (practises) alliteration of consonant-groups etc., and taking (i.e. bearing in mind) the sense (intended to be conveyed), (very) carefully completes (the poem), even as a thief plants his footsteps (on the ground) very carefully, (constantly) looks (forward and backward) on the way (as he moves along), climbs up to the breach (made by him in the wall of the house to be burgled), and taking hold of the property (stolen by him), (very) carefully finishes (his job).
23) Meticulously careful about correct and incorrect words, thinking endlessly over the choice of) each and every word (or each and every line of the stanzas) the poet with great labour somehow (with great effort) gets ready (composes) his poem, just as a thief nervous about sounds big and small, endlessly planning in his mind at each step, with great toil some how gets hold of the property (which te interds to steal).
24) Poetry cast in metrical form, expressed with (clothed in) apt words, devoid of blemishes, graceful, explicit in meaning and pleasing is obtained (achieved) (by a poet) with great effort, as a result of virtue (practised in earlier lives), just as a wife, obedient to the will of her consort, acting up to his words, free from faults, graceful (charming), frank-hearted and sweet-tempered is secured by a person with great effort, as a result of virtue (practised in earlier lives).
25) What avails that poet ry and what avails that love, which neither producing a cloak of incessant and copious horripilation (on the bodies of the readers and the lovers) nor yielding delight to the minds of people (i. e. to the minds of the readers and lovers), does not cause their heads to nod in approbation ?
26) The critic (though) finding faults with various poems composed by poets, looks charming (i. e. is welcome), provided he is able to eliminate a faulty phrase (or word) and to insert (in its place) a beautiful (apt) one.
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