NO. 45. — 1894.] ANCIENT TAMIL POETS. 



199 



and eyes gentle and dark under brows arched like the death- 

 dealing bow, her voice sweet as music, and ears shaped like 

 the loop of the scissors* used in trimming the hair, neck 

 slightly curved with modesty, her fingers like the ~kdndal\ 

 growing on the summits of lofty mountains, and her small 

 feet resembling in certain respects tonguesj of hounds tired 

 after a long run ; — when thy wife played on the yal, which, — 

 with its two sides low and the middle raised like the im- 

 pression left by the deer's hoof on wet ground, is usually 

 covered with flame-hued skin and is possessed of pegs 

 fashioned after the crab's eye, its strings rung by slender 

 fingers tipped with nails white as the husked tina%,\ — when 

 thy wife touched the yal, lovely as a bride, with her fingers 

 now fondly resting on, now smoothly gliding over, and now 

 rapidly striking its strings, and sweetly sang the Devapani,|| 

 then didst thou, with humble mind, offer prayers to the 

 forest-gods that thy journey might be safe and successful. 

 May thy life be long and prosperous, chief of all minstrels ! 



Even as the sight of the meeting in peace and amity of the 

 three great kings, lords of victorious armies, Chera, Chola, 

 and Pandiya, is pleasant unto the world, so does thy song 

 ever delight men's minds. 



Perchance thou art puzzled and knowest not which of 

 these two paths thou mayest take ; let thy choice be the 

 right one. Thy luck has brought me hither, owing to the 

 good deeds performed by thee in former births. I can 

 direct thee to where wealth lies waiting. 



* The words are LDuSlir^mpiSQ^aSl LDtrsmsmi—ium <osr. Reference to 

 scissors and their use in cutting hair occurs in several ancient poems, e.g. : — 



erfrfflpQ&iu & l$-(t uj & L] i§ !Ei Q (GB)6bt . — Jivalmcintamani, Ilak- 



kanaiyar Ilambakam, stanza 123. 

 6r %QaoL-Q^n~LLL—&iTiT&3(S$mQupp gdsulduit stiQuff <sd. — 



Kalittokai, palai 32. 



f Kdndal (Gloriosa superha). 



% The words are euQ^i ^(Bnih^^^pQu^m^t^^p^, The comparison 

 of the feet of women to the tongues of hounds occurs in other ancient 

 poems also : — 



^i<snrm@iu<m QLH^ib^&fs^Quwq^^rii^-. — Malaipadukadam. 

 f5frLu/E[r&@pu}-QLQffd. — Jivaliaeiniama?ii, Mukti Ilambakam, 

 stanza 96. 

 § Tinai, Panicum italiouni (Winslow). 



|| Devapani, song in praise of the Deity or of any of the celestials 

 (Devas). For some beautiful examples see Nacciriarkkiniyar's com- 

 mentary on the Poruladhiharam of Tolftfyriyam. 



