“Between the King and the Careful Poet,” from the Tamil poet Avvaiyar | மன்னனும் மாசறக் கற்றோனும்

A poem about poetry and power by the 12th century Tamil woman, poet, and saint Avvaiyar. From her collection, “The Word that Endures.”

Moothurai 26, “Mannanum maasara kattronum.”

Translated from the Tamil by Thomas Hitoshi Pruiksma
GIVE, EAT, AND LIFE: POEMS OF AVVAIYAR
Red Hen Press, Los Angeles