tree under which has sat a man that hath borne false testimony.²⁶ They are also said to be devoid of fruits and leaves like a young man whose youth has passed a lonely existence. Like the petty-minded man whose wealth does not benefit those who approach him for help, and like the end of him that lives a life of wrong-doing which ends in self-destruction, the tree too dries up even to its very roots.²⁷ The luxuriant trees, on the other hand, that border rivers and tanks are suitable comparisons for those who flourish because they share their wealth with the poor and the needy:

The petals of the gloriosa superba (kaantaḷ) are compared to women’s fingers and the entire flower, especially before it has unfolded itself is compared to the two hands joined in an attitude of supplication. Trees and plants that are bent or dropping are compared to the bent head and humble posture of wise and learned men who have heard their praise spoken in their own presence.²⁸

   From animals too the Tamil poets learned wisdom. The hero as well as the heroine recall their own course of love when they observe what part love plays in the behaviour of animals. The elephant that strokes with its trunk the back of its mate or helps it to feed on bamboo shoots, the deer calling unto deer, the dove cooing unto dove, the buffalo, the crab, all these teach them or remind them of the intimacy and affection which should exist between those who are pledged to each other.

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