Pope quotes Ellis as saying that the Kantarva marriage was identical with kaḷavu and translates it as such. He quotes a cūttiram from Tolkāppiam (Poruḷatikāram) to prove his view. But this cūttiram is not found in Tolkāppiam. “Kantarva” and “Kaḷavu” are not identical. This is shown by Nacciṉārkkiṉiyar” in his Tolkāppiam, Poruḷatikāram kaḷaviyal commentary.⁹²

Pope has to be credited for his beautiful but authentic translation in poetic form of the whole Kuṟaḷ in English which has carried this work to foreign readers. The Universal appeal of the Kuṟaḷ has been aptly rendered by Pope.

“Nālatiar or The four hundred quatrains” was undertaken after Dr. Pope completed his translation of the Kuṟaḷ. As confessed by him in the Introduction, it was intended “to assist Europeans to acquire some acquaintance with classical Tamil.” This work along with the Kuṟaḷ, Pope believes, will throw “a flood of light upon the whole ethical and social philosophy of the Tamil people.” Pope gives reasons for recommending this work for several “weighty reasons” such as the terse style and the honest ways in which the thoughts of the Tamils are vividly expressed.

The purpose of undertaking the translation of this work was to break the monotony of banking on traditional interpretation by natives to bring at least a few European scholars into a closer contact with their Tamil counterparts and to entice young native scholars to introduce the European methods of study to bear upon their own great classics.

Pope has done a grammatical study of Nālatiyār even as he did the Kuṟaḷ. Discussing the style of these verses, he time and again remarks about their characteristics. He says that like a sonnet, the Veṇpā should have a striking and effective finish.

He divides the 400 verses into two of which 300 are “nēricai veṇpā” and 100 are “iṉṉicai veṇpā.”⁹³ He points out the meters

92. Nacciṉārkkiṉiyar; “Tolkāppiam”; Poruḷatikaram; 1948 edition; Cuttiram 1, P. 340

93. P.N.; Introduction P. (xxvi)