A verse on what makes a true country.
From chapter 74, “Country.”
Translated from the Tamil by Thomas Hitoshi Pruiksma
THE KURAL: Tiruvalluvar’s Tirukkural
Beacon Press, Boston
author, poet, teacher, and performer
A verse on what makes a true country.
731
The union of unfailing yields untarnished wealth and people
Of wisdom—that is a country
தள்ளா விளையுளும் தக்காரும் தாழ்விலாச்
செல்வரும் சேர்வது நாடு
From chapter 74, “Country.”
Translated from the Tamil by Thomas Hitoshi Pruiksma
THE KURAL: Tiruvalluvar’s Tirukkural
Beacon Press, Boston
A verse on endurance and having energy.
597
Even stung by arrows the elephant stands tall—even stung
By failure the sturdy do not slacken
சிதைவிடத் தொல்கார் உரவோர் புதையம்பிற்
பட்டுப்பா டூன்றுங் களிறு
From chapter 60, “Having Energy.”
Translated from the Tamil by Thomas Hitoshi Pruiksma
THE KURAL: Tiruvalluvar’s Tirukkural
Beacon Press, Boston
A verse on how knowledge is passed from generation to generation.
61
Of all we may have we know nothing higher than having
Children with knowledge
பெறுமவற்றுள் யாமறிவது இல்லை அறிவறிந்த
மக்கட்பேறு அல்ல பிற
From chapter 7, “Having Children.”
Translated from the Tamil by Thomas Hitoshi Pruiksma
THE KURAL: Tiruvalluvar’s Tirukkural
Beacon Press, Boston
A verse on sharing food with guests and the elixir of immortality.
82
With a guest at the door it is not worth eating
Even the nectar of the gods
விருந்து புறத்ததாத் தானுண்டல் சாவா
மருந்தெனினும் வேண்டற்பாற் றன்று
From chapter 9, “Hospitality.”
Translated from the Tamil by Thomas Hitoshi Pruiksma
THE KURAL: Tiruvalluvar’s Tirukkural
Beacon Press, Boston
I was honored to read “Here” for the Day of Exile 80th Anniversary Event at Mukai Farm & Garden on May 15, 2022. You can learn more about Mukai on their website: https://mukaifarmandgarden.org/
With storyteller, author, and scholar of mythology Michael Meade, I was delighted to speak about being known well, dying before you die, and the presence of the divine as reflected in THE KURAL: Tiruvalluvar’s Tirukkural.
Here are a few highlights and where in the video you can find them:
Michael Meade is a renowned storyteller, author, and scholar of mythology, anthropology, and psychology. He combines hypnotic storytelling, street-savvy perceptiveness, and spellbinding interpretations of ancient myths with a deep knowledge of cross-cultural rituals. He has an unusual ability to distill and synthesize these disciplines, tapping into ancestral sources of wisdom and connecting them to the stories we are living today.
He is the author of “Awakening the Soul,” “The Genius Myth,” “Fate and Destiny: The Two Agreements of The Soul,” “Why the World Doesn’t End,” “The Water of Life: Initiation and the Tempering of the Soul;” editor, with James Hillman and Robert Bly, of “Rag and Bone Shop of the Heart”; and the creator of the Living Myth Podcast.
Here are the key verses we talked about, in both English and Tamil:
236
If you appear appear with renown—better not to appear
Than to appear without it
தோன்றிற் புகழொடு தோன்றுக அஃதிலார்
தோன்றலின் தோன்றாமை நன்று
239
Even the blameless abundance of earth dwindles
Beneath bodies without name
வசையிலா வண்பயன் குன்றும் இசையிலா
யாக்கை பொறுத்த நிலம்
235
Gain in loss—life in death—the discerning alone
Attain them
நத்தம்போற் கேடும் உளதாகும் சாக்காடும்
வித்தகர்க் கல்லால் அரிது
231
Give freely and gain glory—nothing else
Gains a life more
ஈதல் இசைபட வாழ்தல் அதுவல்ல
தூதியம் இல்லை உயிர்க்கு
From chapter 24, “Renown.”
Translated from the Tamil by Thomas Hitoshi Pruiksma
THE KURAL: Tiruvalluvar’s Tirukkural
Beacon Press, Boston
A verse on how the pen is indeed mightier than the sword—or a bow and arrow.
872
Oppose those who plow with bows—not those
Who plow with words
வில்லேர் உழவர் பகைகொளினும் கொள்ளற்க
சொல்லேர் உழவர் பகை
From chapter 88, “Knowing an Enemy.”
Translated from the Tamil by Thomas Hitoshi Pruiksma
THE KURAL: Tiruvalluvar’s Tirukkural
Beacon Press, Boston
With artist, translator, and writer Ian Boyden, I was delighted to speak about children, the birthplace of empathy, and the joys of sulking and reunion as reflected in THE KURAL: Tiruvalluvar’s Tirukkural.
Here are a few highlights and where in the video you can find them:
Ian Boyden is a visual artist, translator, and writer. Consistent across his productions are an intense interest in material relevance, place-based thought, and ecology, with a deep awareness of East Asian aesthetics. His work is interdisciplinary, and collaborations have involved a variety of scientists, poets, composers, and other visual artists. He has worked with two Chinese dissident writers and artists, Tsering Woeser and Ai Weiwei. In 2016, Boyden curated the exhibition Ai Weiwei: Fault Line, which led to his most recent book “A Forest of Names.” Boyden was awarded a 2019 NEA Literature Translation Fellowship to translate a manuscript of Woeser’s poetry.
Here are the key verses we talked about, in both English and Tamil:
64
Sweeter than ambrosia by far—the food the tiny hands
Of one’s children have scattered
அமிழ்தினும் ஆற்ற இனிதேதம் மக்கள்
சிறுகை அளாவிய கூழ்
66
Those who don’t hear the babble of their children
Call the flute and the lyre sweet
குழலினி தியாழினி தென்பதம் மக்கள்
மழலைச்சொற் கேளா தவர்
490
Wait like the crane that waits—and strike like the crane
When right
கொக்கொக்க கூம்பும் பருவத்து மற்றதன்
குத்தொக்க சீர்த்த இடத்து
1330
Sulking in love is joy—and joining
Again—joy of joys
ஊடுதல் காமத்திற் கின்பம் அதற்கின்பம்
கூடி முயங்கப் பெறின்
Translated from the Tamil by Thomas Hitoshi Pruiksma
THE KURAL: Tiruvalluvar’s Tirukkural
Beacon Press, Boston