Thirukkural – 1124
She’s like the life-force that keeps me alive;
her departure is like death to me.
வாழ்தல் உயிர்க்கு அன்னள், ஆயிழை; சாதல்
அதற்கு அன்னள், நீங்கும் இடத்து.
This is him feeling sad when his lover leaves him. “When we are hugging each other, she is like the life giving force that keeps me alive. When she leaves me , it is like my life leaving me and I feel dead “.
He describes her as ஆயிழை – jeweled beauty. I have settled for a prosaic ‘she’.
Old Tamil Poetry 