Vt method insinuated into it by the poet with great delicacy and subtlety that characterise a master mind. The rhythm and harmony of = Lyle Yar•y every now and then and adhere themsely es closely to the dignified march of the sense, while the diction, though "agged at times, is. On the whole, chaste and elegant replete with genuine elements of Tamil. The Sa11sCrit words have intermingled themselves into it at thie rate of two ]per cent, or three And hence the date of its composition falls about the second cell tury before Christian era. In comm"1) t111g On this excellenit oftle I have followed the nail1 lines of literary 'riticism inculcated 1ly the able and profound critic Professor William Minto ; for his critical m-thods are exceedingly interesting 411 lielp much towards 24 slet' understanding of the work to be ACrutinised. From this critical point of view, I have given A histor'i('»l account of thie age which gave birth to Such a Splendid poe111 MS Mullai]> Nattu And (of the initia+nce which th: 1, 2,ge had exerted oni this poem. It must be remembered that the true 114lur"e of a work cannot be comprehended unless we have a distinct ides of the titles in whiills it had Apru11 u}), I 1/4ve also availed my sclf of the grandd views expressed by Stuch great Inmasters 3.5 Milton a11d Ju8kin and 1&ve evel1 bl'4!1slated freely into 'Tamil one or tw) /pasStages from their writings. In my analysis of the poem I have alherved closely to the (Jrigi11க! iden1 UUniceived a11ci eN/JPENS :(l by the Poet, ru ther tarn to the 1141gling and disturbing commentary of Nachinaikkiliar'. The old Culturmentator' discarding the simple and 14ttural beauty with which the Sinhjject-matter of the ode runs thrOgli. lh48 torn the excellently woven fabric of the Poet 10 pieces 32nd glues them again; together with his Own Vappid thought in1 Sachi & fa11tastic mannier' as to make the poem seem most artificial and its structure very ridiculous, Ald in elucillating t.be text. 1 htuve. they'efore,
