Poverty
.
Tap an underlined Tamil word to explore its sound, meaning, and use.
tolvaravun tōluṅ keṭukkun tokaiyāka / nalkura veṉṉu nacai.
The craving that goes by the name of want destroys, as one sum, the long-standing name of a household and the speech that befitted it.
▸Other translations · Pope (1886) & Aiyar (1916)
“Importunate desire, which poverty men name, / Destroys both old descent and goodly fame.”
“The itching that goeth by the name of Indigence killeth dignity of demeanour and refinement of speech, even though they run in the very blood.”
Parimelazhagar’s commentary
13th century · public domainParimelazhagar’s own words come first, unaltered. The plain reading follows below.
நல்குரவு என்னும் நசை= நல்குரவு என்று சொல்லப்படும் ஆசை; தொல்வரவும் தோலும் தொகையாகக் கெடுக்கும்= தன்னாற் பற்றப்பட்டாருடைய பழைய குடிவரவினையும், அதற்கேற்ற சொல்லினையும் ஒருங்கே கெடுக்கும்.
Source: Tamil Wikisource
The craving that is want destroys, together, the old standing of the person it has taken hold of and the speech that went with that standing.