Tamil Verses From Tirukkural In English Translation Poem by Ravi Kopra

Ah! This beauty adorned with
bright bangles, brings in all
five senses' delight - hearing,
taste, smell, touch and sight.

***


Medicine and malady,
two different things.
For my malady what this
bejeweled beauty brings -
herself - is my medicine.

***

Ah, resting on my beloved's
slender shoulders!
Could this be sweeter
than the world of
the lotus-eyed Vishnu god?

***

This lovely maiden,
where did she get the fire
that burns me on separation
and cools me in union?


***

O! her tresses falling on hershoulders,
adorned with flowers in profusion,
are so pleasurable.

***

Her shoulders like elixir
put new life into me
the moment I touch them.

***

O the joy of embracing
this fair maiden!
It's like the joy of
sharing a meal with others.

***

The pleasure is the highest
when the embrace is the tightest,
and there is no air
between you and your lover.

***

What a pleasure!
when lovers reconcile
after quarrels in union.

***

O this maiden adorned
with red ornaments!
Each time I embrace her
My yearning for her rises
like after soul searching
one's ignorance one realizes.


Note: Renderings based on the original verses of
Tirukkural in Tamil with literal translations at
http//acharya.iitm.ac.in/mirrors/vv/literature/tirukkural/kl111.html