Pavalar Chariththira Theepakam Or The Galaxy Of Tamil Poets

In almost all languages and, in almost all times, poetry has had a prominent place. Although some critics may condemn it as purely imaginative, and hence inappropriate to the scientific mind, yet this can hardly be the case with Tamil Poetry. Tamil is admitted, even by accomplished Orientalists, to be one of ??the most copious, refined and polished languages? in the world. Hence, its poetry holds a most conspicuous position. Our works on History, Mathematics, Metaphysics, Medicine, Theology, Chemistry, and, in fact, all that our ancestral sages possessed, or borrowed, in the shape of scientific, moral, and educational ideas, yet even our dictionaries, are to be found written in poetry. We commenced this work at the instance of a friend, who urged them to translate Cassie Chetty?s Plutarch into Tamil. But instead of following their friend?s advice, we set to work ourselves and collected the narratives of 214 poets and poetesses in addition to the 196 found in C?s list, thus making the total number 410. We do not, and cannot, claim that we have done full credit to the subject, in this attempt. For, it is undoubtedly a difficult task to connect authentic narratives among their people, since few biographical records have been preserved. Even those which exist are more or less blended with fiction and poetical exaggerations. We have cut off the fictions, exaggerations, and fanciful descriptions, blended in many of them. We may have missed the names and narratives of not a few. This may demand a compliment, at some future time.