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Appropriate Advice To Those Who Would Be King From the Thiruk-Kural: Valiarithal, K473 and K474
Appropriate Advice To Those Who Would Be King From the Thiruk-Kural: Valiarithal, K473 and K474
appropriate advice from the THIRUK-KURAL to those* who would be King: VALIARITHAL - Understanding the Wielding of Power, K473 and K474
[*like presidents, prime and chief ministers, dictators or even modern-day "emperors" under the guise of revolutionary leaders of oppressed peoples]
Note: In this the 48th Canto, Valluvar is back - from the purely literary point of view, given his ultimate reasons for maintaining the decadal format for each topic - to composing epigrams some of which merely serve to "fill in", as I have repeatedly reminded the reader, the decade.
Here, the first two distiques are of a general introductory nature; the next two, the key statements contain his pronouncements on the theme of "how to wield power" in politics; the following two re-capture in imagic form the teaching in the previous couple, and the last four - no less literary gems in prosodic exercises - mere repetitious variations of the main premise enunciated in 473 and 474.] T. Wignesan
K473: *udaiththam valiariyaar uukkaththin uukki
*idaikkan murinththaar palar
Ill-deeming of their proper powers, have many monarchs striven,
And mid-most of unequal conflict fallen asunder riven. (Transl. G.U. Pope)
There are many who, ignorant of their (want of) power (to meet it), have haughtily set out to war, and broken down in the midst of it. (Transl. Drew & Lazarus)
Those who ill-assessing their own might push on heedless in strife will topple - as many have - from the pinnacle. (Transl. T. Wignesan)
[*udaiththamvali = 1. "udai" strengthens "tham" (own); 2. having prevailing power; 3. power which will be broken (weak, fragile).
*"idaikkanmuri" = fall from high estate]
K474: amainththaangku olukaan alavuariyaan thannai
viyanththaan virainthu kedum
Who not agrees with those around, no moderation knows,
In self-applause indulging , swift to ruin goes. (Transl. G.U. Pope)
He will quickly perish who, ignorant of his own resources flatters himself of his greatness, and does not live in peace with his neighbours. (Transl. Drew & Lazarus)
He* whose conduct is in discord with that of his fellows checks not himself, but indulges in self-praise, invites swift doom. (Transl. T. Wignesan)
[*The only misplaced "self-praise" one can level against President OBAMA is when he maintained after the last presidential count that, had he had a third term to run for, he would have won the Oval Office again, and this to single out Hilary Clinton's dismal defeat in spite of all that he had done to back her, y compris et malgré the debacle of the Russian electoral interference. Otherwise nothing justifies the short-sighted "wielding of power" to undo all the good that he had introduced and put in place with modesty, consideration, generosity and dignity.]
(to be continued)
© T. Wignesan - Paris, 2017
Copyright © T Wignesan | Year Posted 2017
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