Tirukkural-On Virtue-On The Blessing Of Children-Kural 66

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The sweet strains issuing from the pipe and the yal cannot stand comparison to the sweetness of the rare music in children's prattle. 'Yal' was an ancient stringed instrument of Tamil Nadu. In Silapathikarm, kovalan uses the same comparison to praise the sweetness of Kannagi's speech as below:

Ariyadhaamae Siru Pasungkiliyae
Kulalum, Yaalum, Amildhum, kulaindhanin
Malalai kilavikku varundhina

Purananuru has a more direct parallel:

Yaalodum Kollaa poluthodum punaraa
Porularivaaraayinum thandhaiyarkku
Arulvandhanavaal pudhalvar tham malalai

It is also appropriate to notice here the soft and mellifluous flow of the words in this Kural, in keeping with the heme, and in contrast to, say the hard and compelling sounds of the following Kural:
Karka kasadara karpavai katrapin
Nirka adharku thaha

So much is said about the mastery of this art by Tennyson that I thought I would draw attention to Thiruvalluvar's natural adoption of the method centuries earlier.