AKAM 009

(9) pālai

• Lines 1-14. Description of the desert region
• Lines 15-16. Description of the talaivaṉ's eagerness
• Lines 17-20. Description of the state of the lady love
• Lines 21-26. Description of the state his mind

Translation

• In the small village which is situated in the desert (சுரம்) and which has good inhabitants (10)
• wherein the places of red leaves of mahua (இருப்பை) tree which resemble thin flat plates of copper (4),
• puts forth buds which are like the tips fixed to arrows (3)
• which are stuffed to maximum capacity in the quiver of archers and have brilliance by the workmanship of the blacksmith and which are sharp and short and they have the name of arrow heads (புழுகு) (1-3)
• (From the leaves) the flowers which have holes and are as sweet as butter having left their stems and having soft parts which can be seen only after removing the stems (5-6),
• are scattered by the wind like the hail falling from clouds and spread on the highlevel red path which resembles coral, like the fat which settles on the blood (7-9)
• (In the villages) women with thin curly hairs husk grains in the mortar with long pestles which are made beautiful by their rings (11-12).
• The sound produced by that (12)
• alternates with the sound produced by the rock horned owls living in the high and big hillside (13).
• Leaving behind such hills and going forward though the sun has set, unmindful of the distance of place (14-15),
• my mind went wishing to embrace the soft shoulders of the small girl who speaks beautiful and sweet words, and has a shining forehead, chastity in conjuction with shyness (24-26)
• having gone there hurriedly than ourselves who is spurring the already galloping horses more and more by my strength and not resting anywhere, (16-17)
• approached the lady who was standing in the evening when calves of cows return home, and who was praying to god every time the lizard made a sound in a good side (19-20),
• who was standing in a corner in the beautiful and eminent house of many sections. (17-18)
• Did it embrace (23),
• having gone near her overshaded the palms and hiding her eyes and having touched the plaited tresses which look like the trunk of a female elephant (21-22)
• for her hands wearing bracelets to shampoo it ? (23)

Syntactical link:- சீறூர்(10) உரற் பாணி(12) இரட்டும்(13) குன்று ஒழியப் போகித்(15), துர்சாச் செலவின்(16) எம்மினும் விரைந்து எய்தி(17), மாலைநின்றோளை எய்தி(20) குறுகித்(21) தோய்ந்தண்று கொல் (23)?

The talaimakaṉ who was returning after finishing his work spoke so as to be heard by the charioteer.

-Kallātaṉār

variant readings :- $$ட.1.குறும் பெஃகின், குறும்பழகின். $$ட.18.நிலைஇய. $$ட.26.மென்றோணசைஇச்