144. Expecting an end

தீருமென் றால்நெருப்பும் தீண்டற் கினிதாகும்தீரா தெனின்பனியும் தீ

theerumen raalneruppum theendar kinidhaakumtheeraa theninpaniyum thee

If it is going to end, even fire is pleasant to the touch; if it is not, even frost is fire.

145. Seeking through darkness

நாற்றின் முனையிருளிற் றேடும் விடியலைத்தேடா விதைக்குள் இருள்

naatrin munaiyirulir redum vidiyalaidhthedaa vidhaikkul irul

In the dark, the tip of a sprout seeks the dawn; the seed that does not seek has the darkness inside it.

Both lie in the same dark soil: one seed has already put out a shoot, the other is still closed.

146. Hope has limits

கண்மூடி வீழ்ந்தார்க்குக் கைதாங்கும் நம்பிக்கைமண்மூடி வீழ்ந்தார்க்கு மண்

kanmoodi veezhndaarkkuk kaidhaangum nambikkaimanmoodi veezhndaarkku man

For those who fall with their eyes closed, hope is a hand that holds them up; for those who fall with earth closed over them, what meets them is earth.

Earth closed over someone is the picture of a grave. In Tamil, ‘eyes closed’ (kan moodi) and ‘earth closed’ (man moodi) differ by one sound.