Excerpt from Tales and Poems South India: From the Tamil In this volume is presented, with much diffidence, an improved and enlarged edition of Tamil Wisdom, which was published in 1873. A returned missionary thinks it not impossible thus to serve indirectly the great cause which he may seem to have deserted, and at the same time assist young English gentlemen entering the employment of the Government in India. The youthful evangelist, magistrate, or politician will welcome any revelation of the mental condition and habits of the people whom he is called to benefit. The following tales and poems are not merely entertaining; they are of serious importance, because always in the thoughts and on the lips of the natives of South India and North Ceylon. Readers who may be surprised to meet with not a little sacred truth in the heathen writings here unfolded, will remember that wisdom, like the sun, has travelled from the East. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.