பொழுதே! நீ வாழ்க! முன்பெல்லாம் வருவாயே அந்த மாலையா நீ என்றால் இல்லை; திருமணம் செய்து கொண்ட பெண்களின் உயிரை வாங்கும் பொழுது நீ.

நீ மாலைப் பொழுதாக இல்லாமல் காதலரைப் பிரிந்திருக்கும் மகளிர் உயிரைக் குடிக்கும் வேலாக இருப்பதற்காக உனக்கோர் வாழ்த்து!

பொழுதே! நீ மாலைக்காலம் அல்ல; (காதலரோடு கூடியிருந்து பிறகு பிரிந்து வாழும்) மகளிரின் உயிரை உண்ணும் முடிவுக் காலமாக இருக்கினறாய்!

Live, O you evening are you (the former) evening? No, you are the season that slays (married) women

The Kural 1221 is a poignant verse that captures the melancholic sentiments of separated lovers during the evening. In this verse, Valluvar personifies the evening and addresses it directly. "Live, O you evening are you (the former) evening? No, you are the season that slays (married) women," he says. Here, the "evening" is not the peaceful, tranquil time of day as it once was for the lovers. Rather, it is depicted as a ruthless slayer, a harbinger of sorrow and longing for those women who are separated from their beloved ones. The verse uses the metaphor of evening as a time that 'eats' or 'consumes' the life of those who are in love but are separated. This is a common theme in classical Tamil literature, where the pain of separation is often compared to a slow, torturous death. In ancient Tamil society, married women often stayed with their husband's family and were separated from their loved ones. The evening, a time when work ceases and people retreat to their homes, would be particularly painful for these women, as it would remind them of their separation from their beloved. In essence, the verse is a lament on the pain of separation, and the cruel role that time (as symbolized by the evening) plays in exacerbating that pain. The verse is a reminder that love and longing are universal human experiences, and that time - whether it is the cycle of day and night or the passing of seasons - can profoundly influence our emotions and state of mind.