வரமுனி - சித்தரை-யஞ்ச-லஞ்ச-லென்று-வாழ் வித் - துநின்றன, Vasaitavir - kakana - sarasiva - karana - makavirta silasala, Varamuni- sittarai tuninrana. ANTATI.--'This means, from the end to the beginning. The last word or syllable of a stanza is the first of the succeeding. It is employed in several varieties of metre to assist the memory. The following example is from the Venpapattiyal : மதிகொண்ட - முக்குடைக்கீழ் - வாமன்-மலர்த்தா டுதிகொண்டு -நாளுந்-தொழுது-நுதிகொண்ட பல்கதிர்வே - லுண்கண்ணாய்-பாட்டியலைக் - கட்டுரைப்பன் றொல்லுலகின் -மீது- தொகுத்து. தொகுத்துரைத்த - மங்கலஞ் - சொல்லெழுத்துத் - தானம் வகுத்தபா - லுண்டி - வருணம் - பகுத்தநாட் டப்பாக் - கதிகணமென் - றீரைந்தின் - றன்மையினை செப்புவதா - முன்மொழியின்-சீர். Matikonda - mukkudaikkil - vaman malartta Dutikondu - nalum tolutu nutikonda Palkatirve - lunkannay - paddiyalaik - kadduraippan Rollulakin - mitu - tokuttu. Tokutturaitta - mangkalagn - solleluttut - tanam Dappak - katikanamen - riraintin - ranmaiyinai "Ever worshipping and praising the flowery feet of Vamen, seated under his moon-like triple canopy, I will declare to the world, fully but concisely, oh damsel whose eyes are like sharp radiant spears, the poetic art. "It is a rule that in the first word the ten following characteristics should be found united-good omen-precision of meaning-an unequal number of syllables -an initial of the proper order of the proper gender of the right nutritious quality-of the proper caste-of the right star of the proper animal class-of the right order of feet.” SINTU OR KIRTANAI.-This consists of four stanzas, the first of which is preceded by a short intercalary line, which is repeated before each of the others. It is reckoned a low order of poetry. It is much used in dramatic composition. The following example is from the Dramatic Ramayana. சொல்லும்- சொல்லும் - சுமந்திரரே - நில்லும் - நில்லும். அநுபல்லவி நல்ல - ராத்திரி - இதுபோல் - இல்லை- காணும் நகர் உள் - ளோர்களும் நீரும் - போக- வேணும். அல்ல - நீர்வேறே - சொன்னால்- விரும்புவோ அணைகடந்த - வெள்ளம் - அழைத்தால் - திரும்புமோ. Sollum - sollum - Sumantirare - nillum - nillum. Nalla - rattiri- itupol - illai - kanum - nakarul - lorkalum - nirum - poka - venum. Alla nirvere sonnal virumpumo. Anaikadanta vellam alaittal - tirumpumo. The charioteer returns without Rama. People."Tell us, tell us! O Sumantiran, stop! stop! Never was there such a beautiful night. The citizens and you must go. If you refuse, will they be satisfied? Charioteer. Will the water after it passes the dam return ?" A few other varieties of Tamil poetry may be briefly noticed. TALADDU.-Cradle songs. PILLAI TAMIL. About the childhood of the person. whose history is recounted. There are ten stages: 1.-Putting on the arm-rings, with magical rites. 2. First voluntary movement of the child, compared to the motion of herbs by the breeze. 3. Lulling the child in the cradle with songs. 4. The first clapping of its hands. 5. Kissing. 6. Extending its hands and calling to be taken. 7. Showing the moon to the infant. 8. Amusement of a small drum. 9. Making in play little houses. 10. Drawing little carriages.* KOVAI.-A kind of poem, commonly erotic. KUMMI. A poem intended to be sung with the clapping of hands and dancing. TAMIL PROSE. As previously mentioned, Tamil prose literature has received its principal impulse from Europeans. At first the elaborate rules devised for Tamil poetry were applied to prose compositions. A whole sentence. was written as if composed of one word. About twenty years ago, the Madras Bible Society resolved to print each word separately and in its natural form, without change or addition of letters, excepting in the case of compound forms of expression, and in such words as are united according to the usage of good writers. The tendency now is to disuse Sandhi, as well as grammatical forms obsolete in spoken language. There are two extremes in Tamil prose compositions. The native taste loves exaggeration and grandiloquence. Arthur remarks, "To be called Maha Rajah, great king,' is a common matter; while Prince of the earth,' Lord of the four worlds,' and 'Lord of the fourteen world,' are titles at which my unaccustomed ears have often laughed, when the countenance dare not for shame keep them company."+ If writing in English, most Tamils will pick out of the dictionary the longest and most sonorous words they can find. When composing in their own language, words of Sanskrit origin are used to a large extent. Johnson's style may be characterised as their favorite model. On the other hand, Missionaries have gone upon the maxim, "I had rather speak five words with the understanding than ten thousand words in an unknown tongue." Sanskritised native prose being unintelligible *Winslow's Dictionary, p. 184, Mysore, p. 346. to the great bulk of their people, they have generally favored a style which may be compared to that of Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress. With the advance of of education, Native Christians, as a body, will be able to understand works written in more difficult language. The version of the Scriptures now in progress is an excellent model of style. Simplicity, combined with elegance, is the aim. It will be increasingly imitated and admired, as more correct ideas of style are diffused. ON THE STUDY OF TAMIL. Europeans have now great facilities for studying the language. The Rev. P. Percival mentioned to the compiler, that when he first came to the country, more than 30 years ago, a manuscript copy of Beschi's Tamil Dictionary cost him about £10. It can now be purchased for Rs. 14 (2s. 6d). Several Grammars and Dictionaries are mentioned below. An admirable series of books has been prepared by Dr. G. U. Pope. A few introductory remarks may by offered. soon It is of the utmost importance that a European should commence the study of the vernacular as he lands in the country. Long experience has shewn, that unless he gets over the main difficulties of the language the first year, there is little prospect of his getting over them at all. The best way of gaining a knowledge of Tamil, is to imitate a child. With industry, this is perhaps the great secret of success. A child first acquires two or three familiar words and uses them. His vocabulary gradually extends with his wants. Let the European first learn to pronounce with accuracy three or four words, as water, salt, take, bring, which he can turn daily to account, and let him always use them when he can. Every new word and idiom should be entered in a List, and revised continually. Each should come as freely as an English term, and be instantly recognized when heard. Accurate pronunciation should be aimed at from the very first. The different classes of letters, dentals, linguals, &c., should be distinguished. The position of the tongue, &c., in pronouncing them, should be ascertained exactly. This often makes all the difference. Much should be learned by the ear as well as by the eye. Persons who spend most of their time in reading, recognise words more by their looks than their sounds. They are unable often to make out what is said to them, and complain that the people speak too fast. By learning by the ear, not only is this difficulty overcome, but often the words are impressed upon the memory by association with some circumstance. An experienced Civilian in North India wrote as follows; "Missionaries lose a fearful amount of time and energy in what they call studying the language, instead of almost from the beginning mixing freely with the people, and the Vernacular classes of their schools, and picking up the language viva voce, as spoken by those around them. How many Missionaries are there who after two or three years of this book labour know in reality hardly any thing of the idiomatic colloquial, which, after all, is nearly all that most of them will want, and without which they can hardly expect to do any good."* When some progress has been made, the study of books will become of increasing importance. GRAMMARS. Grammatica Damutica. Small 4to. 128 pp. By B. Ziegenbalg. In Latin. Halle, 1716. (Allen 10s. 6d.) Grammatica Latino-Tamulion. For the common dia lect. By Beschi. This work was written in 1728. The first edition seems to have been printed at Tranquebar in 1739. 12mo. 175 pp. It was reprinted at the College Press of the Madras Government in 1813; and at Pondicherry in 1843. (8vo. 245 pp. 1 Re. 10 as.) An English translation by Mr. C. H., Horst, was prin Calcutta Christian Observer for 1858, p. 88. |