Page:The Tamils Eighteen Hundred Years Ago.djvu/164

Rh were many gay parties bathing in the sea or seated in the open air, and they rested themselves on a sofa, which had been placed by their attendants, within an enclosure of painted canvas, under the shade of a Punnai tree, which was then in full blossom. After resting a while, Mâthavi received .from the hands of her maid Vasantamâlai, her favorite lute, It was beautifully painted and polished and a garland of fresh, flowers was wound round its handle. She tuned the instrument and handed it to her lover, begging to know his wishes. Kovilan who was tempted by the gay scenes around him to give vent to his joyous feelings in song, began to play on the lute, and sang, in a fine melodious voice, a few sonnets in praise of the river Kâviri, and the ancient city of Pukâr. Then he poured forth a number of love songs describing the alluring beauty of a girl of the fisherman tribe, whose eyes were as sharp as arrows in piercing the hearts of men, and who was herself a ‘cruel murderess, for those who set their eyes on her died broken-hearted. Mâthavi, who listened with pleasure to the masterly manner in which Kovilan sang and played on the lute, fancied that the verses were meant to refer to herself, and that her lover was beginning to dislike her. Receiving the lute from her lover’s hand, she began to sing in a voice so sweet and enchanting that it soothed and gladdened the hearts of every one who had the good fortune to listen to it. She too sang of the river Kâviri and of the city of Pukâr, and then a few songs which describe the lament of a girl of the fisherman tribe for her absent lover, as follows :—