The poems of ancient Tamil are one of India's most important
contributions to world literature. Presented here in English translation
is a selection of roughly three hundred poems from five of the earliest
poetic anthologies of classical Tamil literature. These lyrical poems
are intimately related to the agricultural society that produced them,
and their direct connection with the earth as well as their use of
ornament and suggestion give them a quality unlike that of any other
poetic tradition.
Originally published in 1979.
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