mvishnu@csg.uwaterloo.ca (Meenan Vishnu) (06/15/91)
Dear Netters,
I tried to translate some couplets from the Tamil scripture called
"thiruk kuRaL". I followed the style of Winthrop Seargent's
translation of Bhagavad Gita.
I welcome any comments/suggestions.
Vishnu
(University of Waterloo)
===================================================================
kollaan pulaalai maRuththaanaik kaikoopi
ellaa uYirum thozum
-------------------------------
kol + aa + aan == kill + not + <third person singular male suffix>
pulaal + ai == flesh + <object suffix>
maRu + th + aan + ai == refuse + <particle> +
<third person singular male suffix> + <object suffix>
kai + koopi == hand + raised together
ella == all
uYir + um == lives + verily
thozum == salute (third person pulural future;
infinitive 'thozu')
------------------------------------------
Verily all lives will salute with raised hands the one who is
both a non-killer and a non-flesh-eater.
idukkaN varunkaal nakuka athanai
aduththoorvathu ahthoppathu il
------------------------------------
idukkaN == mishap, misfortune
va + um + kaal == come + <third person singular future suffix>
+ <'in the event of' suffix>
nakuka == laugh (imparative)
athu + an + ai == that + <possessive suffix> + <object suffix>
aduththu == next, following, consequent
oorvathu == that which creeps (infinitive 'oor' creep)
ahthu + oppathu == that + compare
il == not
------------------------------------
Laugh when mishap comes.
That which follows does not compare to this
(ie. there is no better way to overcome it)
theYvaththaan aahaathu eninum muYaRcithan
meivaruththak kooli tharum
------------------------------------
theYvam + aal == god, fate + by
aahaathu + en + um == accomplishment impossible + though + even
muYaRci + than == effort + own
mei == body
varuththa == cause pain (incomplete verb)
kooli == payment, result, reward
tharum == give (third person singular future; infinitive 'thaa')
-----------------------------------------
Even though, according to fate* accomplishment is impossible
As hard effort pains one's body, (favourable) results will be produced.
(*fate == accumulated effects of past actions)
muYaRci thiruvinai aakkum muYaRRinmai
inmai puhuththi vidum
------------------------------------
muYaRci == effort
thiru + vinai == wealth + work
aakkum == make, produce (third person singular future;
infinitive aakku)
muYaRci + inmai == effort + void
inmai == void
puhuththi == put, insert, introduce (incomplete verb)
vidum == leave (third person singular future; infinitive vidu)
-------------------------------------
Effort produces wealth;
Indeed lack of effort introduces poverty.
eNNith thuNika karumam thuNinthapin
eNNuvam enpathu izukku
-----------------------------------
eNNi == think, evaluate (incomplete verb; infinitive 'eN')
thuNika == dare, start, take a decisive action
(imparative; infinitive 'thuNi')
karumam == work, job, project, action
thuNintha + pin == having dared, having started + after
eNNuvam == think (first person pulural future; infinitive 'eN')
enpathu == thus(?)
izukku == bad, fatal, low, disgraceful
------------------------------------
Think fully before making a decisive action;
To think of means and ways during the course of action can be fatal.
kaRka kacadaRak kaRpavai kaRRapin
niRka athaRkuth thaka
---------------------------------
kaRka == learn (imparative; infinitive 'kal')
kacadaRa = kacadu + aRa
kacadu == flaw, dirt, impurity, illogicity, bad, blemish
aRa == removed, torn, cut (nfinitive 'aRu' cut)
kaRpavai == those which are worth learning
kaRRa + pin == having learned + after
niRka == stand by, abide, uphold
athu + an + ku == that + <possive suffix> + <'to' suffix>
thaka == accordingly, in accordance with
----------------------------------
LEARN flawlessly those which are worth learning;
Having learned, ABIDE by it.
veLLath thanaiYa malarneeddam maanthartham
uLLath thanaiYathu uYarvu (kuRaL: 595)
------------------------------------------
veLLam == water, flood, pond
thanaiYa == accordingly, determined by (?)
malar + needdam == (lotus) flower + elongation, height
maanthar + tham == human, people, person + own
uLLam == mind
thanaiYa + athu == accordingly + that(?)
uYarvu == height, merit, exaltation
-------------------------------------------
Height of lotus plant is determined by depth of water;
So is ones merit determined by ones mental strength.