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Translations and Commentaries

117

in this translation.¹¹⁸ The references and quotations show the wide and penetrative study he made. English authors and other foreign scholars have also been widely cited.¹¹⁹

Pope has also studied the other Tamil didactic poems. He has included beside the popularly acknowledged didactic poems, others also for study. For instance mūturai, naṉṉeṟi, nitineṟi viḷakkam, etc., etc. About these poems he wrote briefly in the journal “Light of Truth”, and thus introduced them to foreign scholars. During his study on these works, Pope has attempted to fix their dates which however can be accepted only after further research has proved their infallibility.

The dates assigned by him to Naṉṉeṟi and Nitineṟiviḷakkam as modern have been accepted (17th century). About Naṉṉeṟi he writes that thought it is comparatively modern, “It is classical and of great value. Every verse has its apt and often very ingenious simile.”¹²⁰ “Nitineṟiviḷakkam’ has been praised in these words by Pope. “It is a work of purely native origin. It is every way admirable.”¹²¹

This shows Pope was familiar with modern writers and his references and tributes show that these poets were in no way behind their earlier counterparts,

Pope writes: “The Tamil Poets have not imitated the Sanskrit as those of the other dialects of India have.” Writing on the

118. P.N.P.		1. Cintāmaṇi in stanza 1 (Nālaṭiyār)
		2. Nāṉmaṇikkaṭikai stanza 3
		3. Kalittokai Stanza 34
		4. Kambarāmāyaṇam Stanza 77 etc.

119. P.N.P.		i) Hamlet stanza 62 (Nālaṭiyar)
		ii) Tennyson stanza 292
		iii)Dante stanza 324.
		iv)Horace stanza 340

120. P.L.T. Vol. II, No.6, 1898, Pp. 166-168

121. Ibid.