Begging
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irappārai yillāyi ṉīrṅkaṇmā ñāla / marappāvai ceṉṟuvan taṟṟu.
If there were nobody left who asks, this great world of cool wide places would be like a wooden figure going out and coming back.
▸Other translations · Pope (1886) & Aiyar (1916)
“If askers cease, the mighty earth, where cooling fountains flow, / Will be a stage where wooden puppets come and go.”
“If there were none to beg for alms, the whole world would have no more interest than a dance of marionettes.”
Parimelazhagar’s commentary
13th century · public domainParimelazhagar’s own words come first, unaltered. The plain reading follows below.
இரப்பாரை இல்லாயின்= வறுமையுற்று இரப்பார் இல்லையாயின்; ஈர்ங்கண் மா ஞாலம்= குளிர்ந்த இடத்தையுடைய பெரிய ஞாலத்துள்ளார் செலவு வரவுகள்; மரப்பாவை சென்று வந்தற்று= உயிர் இல்லாத மரப்பாவை இயந்திரக் கயிற்றாற் சென்றுவந்தாற் போலும்.
Source: Tamil Wikisource
If there were nobody left who asks, the going and coming of those in this great cool-placed world would be like a wooden figure moved out and back on its strings.