POEM FROM TAMIL LITERATURE- A WARRIOR’S VALIANT MOTHER

ABOUT THE POEM:The poem A WARRIOR’S VALIANT MOTHER presents the proud voice of a mother whose son is a warrior. When someone asks her where her son is, she calmly replies that she does not know. She compares the womb that gave birth to him to a rocky cave from which a fierce tiger has already emerged. Just as a tiger naturally goes out to hunt, her son will naturally appear on the battlefield when the time comes. The poem highlights the courage of the warrior and the quiet pride and confidence of the mother who knows that bravery runs in her son’s nature.A WARRIOR’S VALIANT MOTHERHolding the firm pillarin my house,you ask me,“Where is your son now?”Where he is—I do not know.This wombthat bore himis like a rocky cavefrom which a tigerhas already leapt into the wild.He will appearof his own accordupon the battlefield.Unbidden, he will stride onto the battlefield.PURANANURU - 86POET:KAVAR PENDU(also read as KADAR PENDU ) is a woman poet who was born in a warrior clan and was married into a warrior family. The poem found in the Purananuru is the only extant poem attributed to her.