Farming
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ilameṉ ṟacaii yiruppāraik kāṇi / ṉilameṉṉu nallā ṇakum.
The good one called Land, seeing people slacken off and sit there saying they have nothing, smiles.
▸Other translations · Pope (1886) & Aiyar (1916)
“The earth, that kindly dame, will laugh to see, / Men seated idle pleading poverty.”
“The fair one called Earth laugheth to herself when she seeth the sluggard cry, saying, Alas, I have nothing to eat.”
Parimelazhagar’s commentary
13th century · public domainParimelazhagar’s own words come first, unaltered. The plain reading follows below.
இலம் என்று அசைஇ இருப்பாரைக் காணின்= யாம் வறியேம் என்று சொல்லி மடிந்திருப்பாரைக் கண்டால்; நிலம் என்னும் நல்லாள் நகும்= நிலமகள் என்று உயர்த்துச் சொல்லப்படுகின்ற நல்லாள், தன்னுள்ளே நகாநிற்கும்.
Source: Tamil Wikisource
Seeing people who say they have nothing and sit on slackly, the good one spoken of as Lady Earth smiles to herself.