Begging
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irattalu mītalē pōluṅ karattal / kaṉavilun tēṟṟātār māṭṭu.
Asking, too, is like giving itself, when it is asked of those who do not know concealment even in a dream.
▸Other translations · Pope (1886) & Aiyar (1916)
“Like giving alms, may even asking pleasant seem, / From men who of denial never even dream.”
“Behold the man who sayeth not nay to a request even in a dream: begging at the hands of such a man is as honourable as bestowing itself.”
Parimelazhagar’s commentary
13th century · public domainParimelazhagar’s own words come first, unaltered. The plain reading follows below.
கரத்தல் கனவிலும் தேற்றாதார் மாட்டு இரத்தலும்= தமக்கு உள்ளது கரத்தலைக் கனவின்கண்ணும் அறியாதார் மாட்டுச் சென்று ஒன்றனை இரத்தலும்; ஈதலே போலும்= வறியார்க்கு ஈதலே போலும்.
Source: Tamil Wikisource
Going and asking of those who would not know how to conceal what they have even in a dream is like the giving itself.