Page:Introduction to Tamil Poetry.pdf/17

 16 Tālnta kudaiyan Talarnta cenkolan Poncey kollan tancor kētta Yano arasan yāné kalyan Manpatai kakkum Tenpulam kāva! Enmutal pilaittatu keduka en äyulena Mannavan mayanki vilntananě. As soon as the king saw the diamond spurting from the broken anklet, he became conscious of his mistake and regarded him as one who was no longer fit to rule the land, as one who has failed to give succour to the helpless, as one whose sceptre has weakened. He exclaimed “Am I a king? No, I am the thief. The pride with which we, the Pandyas, have been guarding all the creatures against evil is gone, gone with me! Let me die!” This is but my im- perfect rendering in English of a portion of the Tamil original. MANICKAVĀCHAKAR, in one of his devotional lyrics speaks to his mind accosting it as a mind comparable to a corpse. He says further, “O! Guideless Mind! You do not dance, nor do you sing of the Lord of cosmic Dance, You have no love for Him. Should you not sing with great fervour? Are you not worried with the burden of your sins? You don't bow! You don't cherish the Feet of the Lord ! Nor do you offer flowers at the feet of the Lord ! You never seek Him! You don't roam about the streets in search of Him. I wonder what to do!” (poem 35). In another verse, he compares himself to Yama, the Destroyer who after coming into conflict with the Lord actually surrendered himself and gained His Feet (while capturing the life of Markandeya). That is to say, Manickavachakar alluded to the time when he had not completely done devotional and pious deeds and yet was hoping to receive the grace of God by occasionally offend- ing Him. He appeals to God in another verse (No. 54) to shower His grace on him in the following manner :- “All-knowing Lord ! Nectar ! Do you take me, this slave, into you fold because I am learned ? When you