David Buck
David C. Buck – American Tamil scholar
Books written by David Buck
1. The Study of Stolen Love – Translation of Kalviyal enra Iraiyanār Akapporul with commentary by Nakkiranār (K. Paramasivam is his co-author)
2. Dance, Snake! Dance! – Pāmpātti Cittar
3. Kuravanji in Kutrālam: Melagaram Tirikutarasappa Kavirāyar
The Study of Stolen Love – Translation of Kalviyal enra Iraiyanār Akapporul with commentary by Nakkiranār
(this book has the 60 versus of Iraiyanaar’s Akapporul and Nakkirar’s commentary – all translated)
Iraiyanaar’s 60 verses
Part I – The Study of Stolen Love
Verse 1
What is called Stolen love, in five modes of affection,
is, among the pleasant ones’ rare secret’s eight nuptials,
the Kantaruva convention, poets say.
Verse 2
That,
when he and she see alone, is the accord
on both sides of the union of love.
Verse 3
The hero who has thus united,
in two fashions shall he meet her again,
according to tradition:
a rendezvous arranged by his friends, and
coming upon her alone, without his friend.
Verse 4
Other than that of nature, union that is caused
at no point exists in Stolen Love
Verse 5
After uniting, not behaving in that manner,
through deferential speech to her friend,
even accomplishing through entreaty exists for the hero.
Verse 6
Entreating without accomplishment, looking for
the opportune moment when the heroine and her friend are together,
asking place, name, and other things,
approaching and speaking as a stranger,
een for the reconciliation of knowledge, he is fit, they say.
Verse 7
Understanding through pondering, understanding through entreaty,
and understanding through his coming to where they both are:
those three are her friend’s understandings they say.
Verse 8
Other than understanding in that way with the heroine,
her friend herself has no accomplishment.
Verse 9
Even if she has understood through pondering
speaking does not occur except after he beseeches.
Verse 10
Hiding her innner understanding and not letting it become clear
there are also entreatings of the heroine
at the time of knowing the signs.
Verse 11
To her friend, who has expressed her inner intent,
there also exists an expression, due to the union of meeting.
Verse 12
Her friend, who understands the entreating hero,
accedes but sends him away, saying the heroine is shut up;
she says, ‘why are you hiding it from me?”
and narrates the ways in which the union of meeting took place;
she laughs with him about illusory union,
says, ‘Go tell her yourself,’ and leaves;
she acts as one who does not know’ she speaks nonchalantly;
she speaks words of invention; she takes intentions differently;
and other things that express the desire to bring them together;
these belong to the union of meeting, they say.
Verse 13
Union through entreaty by her friend
does not exist for the heroine, in bringing them together.
Verse 14
Those fit for her friend to the foster mother
are speeches also, with no contradiction.
Verse 15
As there is no speech before uniting,
what is known as Marital Love follows Stolen Love.
Verse 16
There is a breach in Stolen Love if guarding increases
when there is a delay in marriage.
Verse 17
False signs also belong there
as signs for knowing of his coming.
Verse 18
That which is called a tryst, at night and in the day,
in a place specifically mentioned, they say.
Verse 19
Night tryst does not transgress the limits of the home.
Verse 20
Even if a day tryst transgresses, they do not object.
Verse 21
Other than the place of the tryst that transgresses the home at night
there is no meeting the hero for the heroine.
Verse 22
Gesturing and gossiping are Stolen Love.
Verse 23
Even after it is exposed, there is speech.
Verse 24
Marriage before Stolen Love is exposed,
marriage after Stolen Love has been exposed:
they say thse are the two types of marriage.
Verse 25
A hero who does not marry after it happens,
leaving for a long interval for wealth,
and, not leaving for wealth, staying in some place
is proper, they say, to Married Love.
Verse 26
Exposure indeed, when explained,
is the effect when such people know
as father, mother, and brothers.
Verse 27
Among them,
the others know because the mother knows.
Verse 28
Father and brothers, to these two classes,
she has no speech other than by suggestion there.
Verse 29
If desire increases when guarding becomes excessive,
it the time comes for a stranger to marry her,
if her relatives refuse to accept then the offer of a marriage,
and if a time comes when they fear harm to him:
in all four of these, shedding her bodily modesty,
the standing with honor belongs to her friend.
Verse 30
The speech out of much brooding over increased desire,
the speech out of helplessness when prison-gurad increases,
the speech out of fear of what happens on the way,
saying, ‘Come at night or in the day’,
telling the hero, ‘Don’t come!”,
the speech of placing her helplessness,
other things as well collected in that line,
all the speeches of her affliction
have the meaning of a desire for marriage, they say.
verse 31
Unpleasantness along the path, fear of obstacles,
and blaming himself do not exist for the hero.
Verse 32
Remaining within Stolen Love and deferring marriage
are within two months, they say.
Verse 33
The hero has no interruption in Stolen Love
Part II – Married Love
Verse 34
In Married Love, departure is neither rebuked or eschewed
Verse 35
Learning, defense, peace-mission,
service to the emperor, amassing wealth, and courtesans:
these six are the separations in that case.
Verse 36
Of those,
learning and defense belong to the highest people.
Verse 37
The nature of imperial action also belongs to the Brahmins.
Verse 38
Other than kings, for others also
it becomes proper in one play, they say.
Verse 39
Departure for service to the emperor and amassing wealth,
these two also belong to the lower people.
Verse 40
Mistresses is appropriate for everyone
Verse 41
It is not appropriate to delimit in years
the length of departure for those who stay in a different land.
Verse 42
The departure for courtesans has no change in lands.
Verse 43
The hero who has departed for courtesans
leaving and remaining away from her
for two times six days after the appearance of his wife’s menstruation
is not the way of virtue.
Verse 44
Yet if a hero who has departed during Married Love
comes back from the courtesans
and follows that theme, it will not eschewed.
Verse 45
Honor and baseness are in the hero.
Verse 46
There is no baseness in the heroine.
Verse 47
The heroine’s self-praise before the hero,
even in times of quarrel, is not great.
Verse 48
If she cites the country, the town, or the house
while speaking of herself, it denotes sulking.
Verse 49
If she speaks of him, it denotes union.
Verse 50
If a quarrel not settled through coniliation occurs,
they they do not eschew sulking in the hero either.
Verse 51
When it is fixed in mind,
if a speech occurs that is appropriate to Stolen Love
they will not eschew using names from the modes for the hero also.
Verse 52
All departures of remaining in changed places,
with those left out knowingly and not knowingly,
have the nature of his leaving and staying far away, they say.
Verse 53
All of the go-betweens, when the hero has departed,
seek to comfort in many ways.
Verse 54
All go-betweens who seek to reassure,
if a speech occurs when her love has departed
cite the prison, say the poets.
Verse 55
There is also the occurence of not citing the prison
when there are signs of his reuniting.
Verse 56
The mode and conduct, the speaker and the audience,
the person, time, elision, mood,
result, and analysis: these ten
are the ways of commenting on all five interior modes.
Verse 57
Of those,
the lack of elision and analysis also occurs.
Verse 58
Word and implication are the two elisions
Verse 59
To all understandings of meaning mentioned earlier,
examine where there comes a residue:
even if something other than what was said appears,
understand it and take it by means of what was said.
Verse 60
What are thought of as Stolen Love and Married Love are the heightening of love
that occurs in the hearts of people who live here.
Books written by David Buck
1. The Study of Stolen Love – Translation of Kalviyal enra Iraiyanār Akapporul with commentary by Nakkiranār (K. Paramasivam is his co-author)
2. Dance, Snake! Dance! – Pāmpātti Cittar
3. Kuravanji in Kutrālam: Melagaram Tirikutarasappa Kavirāyar
The Study of Stolen Love – Translation of Kalviyal enra Iraiyanār Akapporul with commentary by Nakkiranār
(this book has the 60 versus of Iraiyanaar’s Akapporul and Nakkirar’s commentary – all translated)
Iraiyanaar’s 60 verses
Part I – The Study of Stolen Love
Verse 1
What is called Stolen love, in five modes of affection,
is, among the pleasant ones’ rare secret’s eight nuptials,
the Kantaruva convention, poets say.
Verse 2
That,
when he and she see alone, is the accord
on both sides of the union of love.
Verse 3
The hero who has thus united,
in two fashions shall he meet her again,
according to tradition:
a rendezvous arranged by his friends, and
coming upon her alone, without his friend.
Verse 4
Other than that of nature, union that is caused
at no point exists in Stolen Love
Verse 5
After uniting, not behaving in that manner,
through deferential speech to her friend,
even accomplishing through entreaty exists for the hero.
Verse 6
Entreating without accomplishment, looking for
the opportune moment when the heroine and her friend are together,
asking place, name, and other things,
approaching and speaking as a stranger,
een for the reconciliation of knowledge, he is fit, they say.
Verse 7
Understanding through pondering, understanding through entreaty,
and understanding through his coming to where they both are:
those three are her friend’s understandings they say.
Verse 8
Other than understanding in that way with the heroine,
her friend herself has no accomplishment.
Verse 9
Even if she has understood through pondering
speaking does not occur except after he beseeches.
Verse 10
Hiding her innner understanding and not letting it become clear
there are also entreatings of the heroine
at the time of knowing the signs.
Verse 11
To her friend, who has expressed her inner intent,
there also exists an expression, due to the union of meeting.
Verse 12
Her friend, who understands the entreating hero,
accedes but sends him away, saying the heroine is shut up;
she says, ‘why are you hiding it from me?”
and narrates the ways in which the union of meeting took place;
she laughs with him about illusory union,
says, ‘Go tell her yourself,’ and leaves;
she acts as one who does not know’ she speaks nonchalantly;
she speaks words of invention; she takes intentions differently;
and other things that express the desire to bring them together;
these belong to the union of meeting, they say.
Verse 13
Union through entreaty by her friend
does not exist for the heroine, in bringing them together.
Verse 14
Those fit for her friend to the foster mother
are speeches also, with no contradiction.
Verse 15
As there is no speech before uniting,
what is known as Marital Love follows Stolen Love.
Verse 16
There is a breach in Stolen Love if guarding increases
when there is a delay in marriage.
Verse 17
False signs also belong there
as signs for knowing of his coming.
Verse 18
That which is called a tryst, at night and in the day,
in a place specifically mentioned, they say.
Verse 19
Night tryst does not transgress the limits of the home.
Verse 20
Even if a day tryst transgresses, they do not object.
Verse 21
Other than the place of the tryst that transgresses the home at night
there is no meeting the hero for the heroine.
Verse 22
Gesturing and gossiping are Stolen Love.
Verse 23
Even after it is exposed, there is speech.
Verse 24
Marriage before Stolen Love is exposed,
marriage after Stolen Love has been exposed:
they say thse are the two types of marriage.
Verse 25
A hero who does not marry after it happens,
leaving for a long interval for wealth,
and, not leaving for wealth, staying in some place
is proper, they say, to Married Love.
Verse 26
Exposure indeed, when explained,
is the effect when such people know
as father, mother, and brothers.
Verse 27
Among them,
the others know because the mother knows.
Verse 28
Father and brothers, to these two classes,
she has no speech other than by suggestion there.
Verse 29
If desire increases when guarding becomes excessive,
it the time comes for a stranger to marry her,
if her relatives refuse to accept then the offer of a marriage,
and if a time comes when they fear harm to him:
in all four of these, shedding her bodily modesty,
the standing with honor belongs to her friend.
Verse 30
The speech out of much brooding over increased desire,
the speech out of helplessness when prison-gurad increases,
the speech out of fear of what happens on the way,
saying, ‘Come at night or in the day’,
telling the hero, ‘Don’t come!”,
the speech of placing her helplessness,
other things as well collected in that line,
all the speeches of her affliction
have the meaning of a desire for marriage, they say.
verse 31
Unpleasantness along the path, fear of obstacles,
and blaming himself do not exist for the hero.
Verse 32
Remaining within Stolen Love and deferring marriage
are within two months, they say.
Verse 33
The hero has no interruption in Stolen Love
Part II – Married Love
Verse 34
In Married Love, departure is neither rebuked or eschewed
Verse 35
Learning, defense, peace-mission,
service to the emperor, amassing wealth, and courtesans:
these six are the separations in that case.
Verse 36
Of those,
learning and defense belong to the highest people.
Verse 37
The nature of imperial action also belongs to the Brahmins.
Verse 38
Other than kings, for others also
it becomes proper in one play, they say.
Verse 39
Departure for service to the emperor and amassing wealth,
these two also belong to the lower people.
Verse 40
Mistresses is appropriate for everyone
Verse 41
It is not appropriate to delimit in years
the length of departure for those who stay in a different land.
Verse 42
The departure for courtesans has no change in lands.
Verse 43
The hero who has departed for courtesans
leaving and remaining away from her
for two times six days after the appearance of his wife’s menstruation
is not the way of virtue.
Verse 44
Yet if a hero who has departed during Married Love
comes back from the courtesans
and follows that theme, it will not eschewed.
Verse 45
Honor and baseness are in the hero.
Verse 46
There is no baseness in the heroine.
Verse 47
The heroine’s self-praise before the hero,
even in times of quarrel, is not great.
Verse 48
If she cites the country, the town, or the house
while speaking of herself, it denotes sulking.
Verse 49
If she speaks of him, it denotes union.
Verse 50
If a quarrel not settled through coniliation occurs,
they they do not eschew sulking in the hero either.
Verse 51
When it is fixed in mind,
if a speech occurs that is appropriate to Stolen Love
they will not eschew using names from the modes for the hero also.
Verse 52
All departures of remaining in changed places,
with those left out knowingly and not knowingly,
have the nature of his leaving and staying far away, they say.
Verse 53
All of the go-betweens, when the hero has departed,
seek to comfort in many ways.
Verse 54
All go-betweens who seek to reassure,
if a speech occurs when her love has departed
cite the prison, say the poets.
Verse 55
There is also the occurence of not citing the prison
when there are signs of his reuniting.
Verse 56
The mode and conduct, the speaker and the audience,
the person, time, elision, mood,
result, and analysis: these ten
are the ways of commenting on all five interior modes.
Verse 57
Of those,
the lack of elision and analysis also occurs.
Verse 58
Word and implication are the two elisions
Verse 59
To all understandings of meaning mentioned earlier,
examine where there comes a residue:
even if something other than what was said appears,
understand it and take it by means of what was said.
Verse 60
What are thought of as Stolen Love and Married Love are the heightening of love
that occurs in the hearts of people who live here.