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Book Review
TAMIL
Sangam classic
S. N. KANDASWAMY
NATRINAI: N. Kandasamy Pillai — Tr. in Tamil; French Institute of Pondicherry, Pondicherry-605001.
THE NATRINAI is one of the eight ‘Super Anthologies’ of the Sangam period. It comprises 400 verses, each of which runs between nine and 12 metrical lines of Akaval metre on erotic themes, composed by about 175 poets in conformity with the architectonics, formulated by Tolkappiyar. The word ‘Tinai’ basically denotes the fivefold geographical division encompassing the hilly, pastoral, arid, riverine, and littoral regions, and in its extended meaning signifies the behavioural patterns of the people inhabiting them. Each poem is set forth against the backdrop of the specific season and particular division of a day in the form of a monologue, dramatised by any one of the Akam characters viz., the hero, heroine, companion, confidante and others, transmitting not only their refined feelings and sublime emotions, but also the noble sentiments and lofty thoughts, reflecting the ancient Tamil culture. The creative power and imaginative faculty of the poets are manifested in the delightful descriptions of Nature and the delicious rhetorical expressions.
The present book is a faithful translation by N. Kandasamy Pillai of Thanjavur, an eminent scholar and a polyglot, reputed for his rich contribution to Tamil studies in diverse fields. He prefers the prose form of translation, in which the metrical lines are not treated as they are in the verse, but freely changed to suit the semantical and syntactical coherence in order to make the translation intelligible. On the whole, the translation is elegant and enjoyable.
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