The Love Poems from Thirukkural
The Tirukkuṟaḷ also called the Kural, is a classic Tamil language text consisting of 1,330 short couplets of seven words each.The text is divided into three books with teachings on virtue, wealth and love. Considered one of the greatest works on ethics and morality, it is known for its universality and secular nature. Originally written by Valluvar, also known as Thiruvalluvar around 300BCE in Tamil language.
The text came to print for the first time in 1812, it has been translated into at least 41 Indian and non-Indian languages, making it one of the most translated non-religious works. As of 2014, the English language alone had about 57 versions available, which is estimated to have crossed 100 by 2020.
The Kural has been widely admired by scholars like Ilango Adigal, Kambar, Leo Tolstoy, Mahatma Gandhi, Albert Schweitzer, Constantius Joseph Beschi, Karl Graul, George Uglow Pope, Alexander Piatigorsky, and Yu Hsi which has made The Kural very popular in the ethical, social, political, economical, religious, philosophical, and spiritual spheres.
We are very thankful to Kanan, a farmer, founder of Seer7 Timeless Solutions, a doting father, a self-professed Tamil poet, bilingual blogger, translator who has given us a permission to reprint his poetic translation of The Tirukkuṟaḷ. The following love poems comes from the third book of The Tirukkuṟaḷ called Love. I have selected two poems from Chapter 110 through Chapter 114. I hope you would like it
Raj Shah
Managing Editor
Her gorging eyes
Have two gazes.
One gaze inflicts the malady.
The other gaze is remedy
For that malady.
Chapter 110: Reading the cues – Kural 1091
A certain beauty lies
In this pliant girl:
Oh, the way she smiles,
Gently, her heart melting,
When I look at her!
Chapter 110: Reading the cues – Kural 1098
The five senses of
Sight, aural, taste, smell and touch
Come alive
Only with this girl
Of gleaming bangles.
Chapter 111: The joy of making love – Kural 1101
For any disease
The cure lies elsewhere.
My girl decked with jewels
Is herself the cure for
The ailment she induced.
Chapter 111: The joy of making love – Kural 1102
Which is the moon
And which the girl’s face,
Unable to discern,
The baffled stars have
Strayed from their course.
Chapter 112: In praise of her charms – Kural 1116
Long live moon!
I shall love you too
If only
You can be radiant
As my girl’s face.
Chapter 112: In praise of her charms – Kural 1118
What is the soul
to the body?
Such is the bond
Between me
And my lady.
Chapter 113: In praise of love – Kural 1122
The girl decked with splendid jewels
Is my very life
When she is with me,
And brings on death
When she leaves me.
Chapter 113: In praise of love – Kural 1124
Ignorant folks
Sneer at me
When they see me.
Ah, they haven’t been through
What I have undergone.
Chapter 114: Shedding shyness – Kural 1140
