The Kural or the Maxims of Tiruvalluvar/Chapter 120
CHAPTER 120
ANGUISH OF HEART THAT THE HUSBAND FEELETH NOT AS ONESELF
SHE
1191. They alone eat the stoneless all-sweet fruit of love who are beloved of those whom they hold dear.
1192. What the rain is to all the world, that is the tenderness of the beloved to her that loveth.
1193. They alone can pride themselves on their happiness who are loved in return by those whom they love.
1194. What if they are loved by others? If women receive not the affection of their beloved they know no happiness on earth.
1195. How can I hope for any favour from my beloved if he loveth me not even as I love him ?
1196. Even as the burthen on the carrying pole, love is pleasant only when it is on both sides: but it is a galling load when it is only on one side.[1]
1197. The God of Love assaileth only me: is it because he hath no eyes for my sorrows and sufferings ?
1198. None in the world are so hard-hearted as women who continue to live on even when they receive no kind messages from their beloved.
1199. Even if the beloved is unkind to us, any message that cometh from him is sweet to the ear.
1200. Bless thee, my Heart! Thou wouldst tell thy grief to one who loveth thee not : thou mayest as well try to dry up the sea.
- ↑ See footnote to verse 1163