பக்கம்:முல்லைப்பாட்டு ஆராய்ச்சியுரை.pdf/12

14 Further, the soothing power of poetry is gre: and its influence on our mind is mild and sweet. hearts eaten away by sorrow and worldly cares t reading of poetry comes as a healing balm; to hea chilled by the icy hand of cruelty it appears like t warming rays of the morning sun; and to hearts stai ed with the blackest crime and the basest vice comes as the washing water of a crystal rill. A How lovely are the changes wrought by poetry in tl mind of man; and how profound and permanent a the moral effects it brings into his inward nature! my To me the study of Poetry has been a wellin fountain of delight and ever will it continue to be s to the life on this earthly plane. Fo end of very years together I have been devoting my time to close, careful and diligent study of the ancient classic- al poems of the Tamil language and have been drin- king deep the ineffable sweetness that was there stored in. The pure simplicity of thought, the close and minute observation of nature, the vivid and sub- lime portraits presented of the social, moral, religi- 'ous and intellectual conditions of the hoary Tamilian ife, the energy and artistic beauty beaming through with a sterling freshness, and last, but not least, the great historic value which it possesses-all combine to invest Tamil Poetry with a peculiar charm and splendour that can hardly be surpassed by the poetry of any great language in the world. These charac-