Give, Eat, and Live: Poems of Avvaiyar

The Right Road

The Right Road Poems from Nalval –i 44 ghYe; bjspnjDk; ghFk; gUg;g[kpit ehY'; fye;Jdf;F ehd;jUntd;—nfhy|;bra; J';ff; fhpKfj;Jj; J}kzpna ePbadf;Fr; r';fj; jkpH;\d;We; jh 2. rhjp apuz;blhHpa ntwpy;iy rhw;W';fhy; ePjp tGth bewpKiwapd;—nkjpdpapy; ,l;lhh; bghpnahh; ,lhjhh; ,HpFyj;njhh; gl;lh';fpy; cs;s go 5. tUe;jp miHj;jhYk; thuhj thuh bghUe;Jtd nghkpbdd;whw; nghfh—,Ue;nj';fp be|;rk;g[z; zhf beLe;J}ue; jhk;epide;J J|;Rtnj khe;jh; bjhHpy; 45 Milk and clear honey and jaggery and gram— These four I will mix you and give. Elephant-faced Noble grace-giving great ruby, give me Tripartite Sangam Tamil. 2. There are only two classes, to give it speech. On earth, on the path that doesn’t swerve, The great give. The base don’t. Thus say the books that endure. 5. Plead as you will, what won’t come will not come; What is fitting will not go by saying go. To lament In long thought, and make a wound of one’s heart, And then die is the labor of men. 46 7. vy;yhg; goahYk; vz;zpdhy; ,t;t[lk;g[ bghy;yhg; g[Gkypneha;g; g[d;Fuk;ig—ey;yhh; mwpe;jpUg;ghh; Mjypdhy; M';fky ePh;nghw; gpwpe;jpUg;ghh; ngrhh; gpwh;f;F 9. Mw;Wg; bgUf;fw; woRLke; ehSkt;thW Cw;Wg; bgUf;fhy; cyTl;Lk;—Vw;wth;f;F ey;y Fog;gpwe;jhh; ey;Th;e;jhh; MdhYk; ,y;iybad khl;lhh; ,ire;J 10. Mz;lhz;L njhWk; mGJ g[uz;lhYk; khz;lhh; tUtnuh khepyj;jPh;—ntz;lh ekf;Fk; mJtHpna ehk;nghk; mst[k; vkf;bfd;bdd; wpl;Lz; oUk; 47 7. Looked at in all ways, this body is a hovel For foul worms and teaming disease. The great, Because they know this, stand apart from it, silent, Like water on a lotus’s leaves. 9. A river without water, in days that burn feet, Will yet well from below and give. Even in poverty Those born to great families, when asked, Will not say no. 10. Even if you wallow, weeping year after year, Will those who have died come back? You of this earth Weep not. That too is our way. Till going, give —what is it to us?—give, eat, and live. 48 11. xUehs; czit xHpbad;why; xHpaha; ,UehSf; nfbyd;why; Vyha;—xUehSk; vd;ndh twpaha; ,Lk;igTh; vd;tapnw cd;ndhL thH;jy; mhpJ 12. Mw;w'; fiuapd; kuKk; murwpa tPw;wpUe;j thH;t[k; tpGkd;nw—Vw;wk; cGJz;L thH;tjw; bfhg;gpy;iy fz;Oh; gGJz;L ntnwhh; gzpf;F 13. Mthiu ahnu mHpg;gh; mJtd;wpr; rhthiu ahnu jtph;g;gth;—Xthky; Iak; g[Fthiu ahnu tpyf;Fthh; bka;ak; g[tpajd; nky; 49 11. If I say give up food for one day, you won’t. If I say for two take, you won’t take. O belly, full of pains, You don’t know one day of my grief. How great, how rare, to live with you! 12. The riverside tree and the regal life of kings, Will these not totter and fall? To plow and then eat Is majesty without peer. All other work Has flaws. 13. Who can end those with life? Who can keep men from death? Who, in truth, Can stop men from begging, here On this beautiful earth? 50 14. gpr;irf;F \j;jFo thH;f;if ngR';fhy; ,r;irgy brhy;yp ,oj;Jz;if—rpr;rP tapW tsh;f;iff;F khdk; mHpahJ caph;tpLif rhy cWk; 16. jz;zPh; epyeyj;jhy; jf;nfhh; Fz';bfhilahy; fz;zPh;ik khwhf; fUizahy;—bgz;zPh;ik fw;gHpah Mw;why; fly;NH;e;j itafj;Js; mw;g[jkhk; vd;nw mwp 17. bra;jP tpidapUf;fj; bja;tj;ij behe;jf;fhy; va;j tUnkh ,Uepjpak;—itaj;J mWk;ghtk; vd;dtwpe;J md;wplhh;f; fpd;W btWk;ghid bgh';Fnkh nky; 51 14. Far worse than begging to make ends meet Is to flatter, and jostle, and eat. Awful. Better to keep honor and give up one’s life Than fatten one’s belly and live. 16...