Thirukkural in English: Getting close to the original

	Tirukkural: Getting close to the original
	In Spirit, Content and Style
	The 'choicest' of all translations in English

Edited by: N.V.K. Ashraf

This Tirukkural translation in English is drawn from a comparative study of 25 different translations. Sixteen of these were either complete or partial translations and the remaining nine were translations that appeared in articles, monographs and books authored by different people on Tirukkural and Tiruvalluvar. The choicest translation that is close to the original - in spirit, content and style - has been chosen for presentation. Preference has been given for brevity, simplicity and clarity. Emphasize was also laid on translations that manage to reflect, as much as possible, every word found in the original. Sometimes translations of two authors were combined to produce the best reflection of the original. The translator or translators of every couplet have been acknowledged with their initials eg. PS, SS, SB, VS etc. in a separate column. The initials have been expanded with the full names of these translators at the end of this page. When no translation was found particularly satisfactory, I chose to render them myself. These have been marked by initial NV. An astrix * at the end of a translation indicate that the rendering has been improved upon, either by adding/replacing words or deleting words found to be unnecessary. To know more on the process of this comparison and criteria of selection, click here: Comparing Tirukkural translations to unfold the best.

Division II. Wealth

101	Useless wealth	Translators	Notes
1001	A miser makes of his pile of vast wealth, No more use than a corpse. *	PS
1002	Believing wealth is everything, yet giving nothing, The miser is ensnared in the misery of birth. *	SS
1003	Their very sight is a burden to earth Who hoard wealth and not renown. *	SS
1004	What legacy can one, who is loved by none, Think of leaving behind?	SB, NV
1005	Wealth, though millions manifold, amounts to nothing If one neither gives nor enjoys it.	NV
1006	Riches are a curse when neither enjoyed, Nor given to the worthy.	PS
1007	Wealth not given to the needy goes waste Like a lovely spinster growing old. *	PS
1008	The wealth of the unloved is like a poisonous tree That ripens in the heart of a village.*	PS, SS	Yes
1009	Strangers shall possess that wealth Amassed without love, comfort or scruples.	PS
1010	The brief want of the benign rich Is like the monsoon clouds just shed its moisture.	SB, NV	Yes

Notes:
1008. Compare with 216. “When wealth comes to the large-hearted, it is like the village tree coming to fruit” * - CR
1010. Compare with 219. “The poverty of a generous man is nothing but his inability to exercise his generosity” * - DL

102	Being ashamed	Translators	Notes
1011	Real shyness is to shy away from shameful acts. The rest are like shyness of pretty women.	NV	Yes
1012	Food, clothing and the rest are common to all. Distinction comes from sensitivity to shame. *	PS
1013	All souls abide in the body And the goodness called modesty in perfection.	NV
1014	Is not modesty the jewel of the great, And without it a curse for their pride and demeanor? *	SS, NV
1015	To the world, the sense of shame resides in them Who blush for their and others’ blame. *	SB
1016	The great would rather defend with modesty's barricade Than breach it to acquire the vast world. *	SS
1017	Men of honour give up life for honour’s sake, But never abandon honour to save life. *	CR	Yes
1018	Virtue will shy away from one who does not shy away From what others shy from.	NV
1019	Lapse in manners injures the family, But every good is lost by lack of shame. *	SB, PS
1020	The moves of those devoid of conscience Are like those of puppets moved by a string. *	KK	Yes

Notes:
1011. An alternate translation given by JN will explain this better: “Sense of shame to harmful acts and the blushing of pretty faces in modesty, are not the same”.
1017. Compare with 962. “Those who desire fame with honour will not sacrifice honour for fame” – PS

1020. Compare with 1058. “Without beggars this vast scenic world would be a stage of puppets that come and go” - NV

103	Social service	Translators	Notes
1021	There is nothing more glorious than to persist In the advance of the community.	PS
1022	Manly exertion and sound knowledge: A community progresses with these two. *	VS, NV
1023	The Lord himself will wrap his robes And lead the one bent on social service. *	SS, PS	Yes
1024	Success will come by itself to the one Who tirelessly strives for his society.	NV
1025	The world will flock round the one Leading a blameless life doing social service. *	PS
1026	True valour lies in raising the community One is born into. *	CR, VS
1027	As in the battlefield, the burden of social work Also falls on the capable. *	PS
1028	There is no set time for social service. To put off is to ruin repute. *	PS
1029	Is the body that protects one’s family against hurdles A receptacle for hardships alone? *	VS
1030	Society will crash axed by misfortune Without good men to support it.	PS

Notes:
1023. The phrase “மடி தற்று” means “tightening one’s loin clothes”. Does this in any way refer to the Jaina deities that are always depicted naked?

104	Agriculture	Translators	Notes
1031	Wherever it whirls, the world must follow the farmer. Thus despite hardships, farming is the best. *	SS
1032	Farmers are the linchpin of the world For they support all others who cannot till. *	SM
1033	They only live who live by the plough. The rest must stoop and trail behind. *	PS, NV
1034	The reign of many kingdoms comes under The reign of those with abundant grain. *	PS, KK
1035	Those who eat what their hands produce Neither beg nor refuse a beggar.	PS
1036	Even the desire-free hermits will lose their state If ploughmen fold their hands. *	PS, KV
1037	If ploughed and dried to quarter its size, The soil yields plenty sans even handful manure. *	JN, MS
1038	Manuring is crucial than ploughing. After weeding, Protection is crucial than watering. *	DL
1039	If the landlord neglects his field visits, The angry land will sulk like a neglected wife. *	SS
1040	Mother Earth laughs at the sight of those Who remain idle pleading poverty. *	DL

105	Poverty	Translators	Notes
1041	What is more painful than poverty? The pain of poverty itself!	NV
1042	The demon of poverty takes away The joys of this life and the next.	KV, DZ
1043	That cancer called poverty destroys at once The honor of ancient descent and clout.	SI, SS
1044	Even in those of high birth, poverty will produce The fault of uttering mean words.	DL
1045	That misery called poverty brings with it A diversity of sufferings.	NV
1046	A poor man's words carry no weight, However meaningful and profound. *	PS
1047	Poverty, destitute of all virtues, alienates a man Even from the mother who bore him.	SS
1048	Will that hunger which almost killed me yesterday, Pester me even today? *	PS, SB
1049	One may sleep even in the midst of fire, But by no means in the midst of poverty. *	DL
1050	The poverty stricken has a chance to renounce, Lest he hang around for salt and gruel. *	KK	Yes

Notes:
1050. Explanation: The poor might as well renounce and follow the path of asceticism, instead of depending on others for survival. Valluvar says in couplet 378 that “fate” is the reason why the poverty stricken have failed to renounce.

106	Begging	Translators	Notes
1051	Beg if you meet men of means. If they refuse, the fault is theirs, not yours. *	SS
1052	Begging is a pleasure if what is asked Comes without pain.	PS
1053	There is beauty even in begging If it is before dutiful men with generous heart. *	PS, SS
1054	Begging from men who do not refuse even in their dreams Is as honorable as bestowing.	NV, VS
1055	Men stand expectant only because The world has a few who won't refuse.	PS
1056	All ills of begging will flee at the sight of those Who are free from the ills of refusal. *	SS
1057	The glad heart rejoices within When it sees one who gives without scorn.	PS
1058	Without beggars this vast scenic world Would be a stage of puppets that come and go.	NV
1059	What fame can givers achieve If there is none to beg and receive?	PS, NV
1060	The denied suppliant should not chafe. His own want is proof enough. *	PS	Yes

Notes:
1060. i.e. proof enough to gauge the miserable condition of the one who refused. JN’s translation will help understand the import of the verse explicitly: “Seekers should disdain anger; the givers with good intent may also be in dire straits”.

107	Dread of begging	Translators	Notes
1061	It is worth millions not to beg Even from the precious ones who delight in giving.	JN, NV
1062	If some must beg and live, let the Creator of the world Himself roam and perish!	PS, SI
1063	No greater folly than the hope that Begging will rid the misery of poverty. *	PS
1064	No place can hold the greatness of those Who don’t beg even during troubled times.	NV
1065	There is nothing sweeter than even the watery gruel Earned by one's own labour. *	PS
1066	No greater disgrace for the tongue than to beg Even if only water for a cow.	PS
1067	This I beg of all beggars, "If beg you must, beg not from misers."	SS
1068	The hapless ship of begging will split The moment it strikes the rock of refusal. *	VS
1069	The heart melts at the thought of begging And dies at the thought of denial.	PS
1070	Where will the niggard’s life seek refuge When the beggar’s life is taken by refusal?	MS, SB

108	Wickedness	Translators	Notes
1071	The wicked look utterly like men! Such close mimics we have never seen! *	SM
1072	More blessed than the good are the base, For they have no scruples.	PS
1073	The base are like the gods. They also do whatever they like.	PS
1074	The base are proud when they find men Meaner than themselves.	PS
1075	Fear is the base man's only code; Sometimes, greed a little. *	PS, GU
1076	The base are like drum, for they sound off to others Every secret they hear. *	SS
1077	The base won’t even shake their wet hands Unless their jaws are shaken with clenched fists. *	SB, SS	Yes
1078	A word will move the noble; While the base, like sugarcane, must be crushed.	PS
1079	The base excel in finding faults of others When they see them well clothed and fed.	NV, SS
1080	What use are the base in a crisis, Save to rush and sell themselves?	PS

Notes:
1077. This couplet is well explained in this translation by SS: “The wretched are too inhospitable to even shake the moisture from their just-washed hands, unless the visitor can shatter their jaw with clenched fist”.

CR - C. Rajagopalachari	KS - Kasthuri Sreenivasan	SI - K.R. Srinivasa Iyengar
DL -W.H. Drew and J. Lazarus	KV - K. Krishnaswamy & Vijaya Ramkumar	SM -S. Maharajan
DZ - S.M. Diaz	MS - M.S. Poornalingam Pillai	SS - Satguru Subramuniyaswami
EL - F.W. Ellis	NC - Norman Cutler	TD - S. Thandapani Desikar
GU - G.U. Pope	NV - N.V.K. Ashraf	TK - T.K. Chidambaranatha Mudaliar
GV - G. Vanmikanathan	PS - P.S. Sundaram	VC - V.C. Kulandai Swamy
JN - J. Narayanaswamy	SB - Shuddhananda Bharatiar	VR - V. Ramasamy
KK - K. Kannan	SD - S.D. Rajendran	VS - V.V.S. Aiyar
KN - K.N. Subramanyam	SG - G. Siromoney, S. Govindaraju & M. Chandrasekaran,