Tamil Poetry

Below is an Tamil (a South Indian language) poem.

தழங்குரல் முரசம் காலை இயம்ப,
கடுஞ் சின வேந்தன் தொழில் எதிர்ந்தனனே;
மெல் அவல் மருங்கின் முல்லை பூப்பப்
பொங்கு பெயல் கனை துளி கார் எதிர்ந்தன்றே;
அம் சில் ஓதியை உள்ளுதொறும்,
துஞ்சாது அலமரல் நாம் எதிர்ந்தனமே.

English translation:

As resounding war drums sound at daybreak
Fiery ruler gets ready to face battle;
As jasmine buds bloom on the sides of valley,
Monsoon season faces intense raindrops;
Thinking of my beautiful haired girl,
Sleeplessly I face a spiral of misery.

This poem is interesting because although I can read and understand the language, it is written in a really pure form that is not commonly used anymore. It let me learn more about my culture as I was never taught much about the ancient arts of the region. Although there is no listed author, this poem was written by a solider in the army. The meaning is also really interesting as it gives us a perspective that isn't thought about much when someone mentions war. Not only is the poem written in a really pure language, I think the way the poems are spoken also have an interesting element that adds to the meaning of the literature itself. When read aloud, the poem also has a deeper meaning as it is different, not only in language but in time period. Just as some of us find old, formal English interesting, I think the equivalent in other languages is often overlooked and can be an interesting thing to take into consideration when reading these poems.