The Dread of Begging
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iṭamellāṅ koḷḷāt takaittē yiṭamillāk / kālu miravollāc cālpu.
The composure that will not consent to ask, even at a time when there is nothing left, is of a greatness that all the room there is could not hold.
▸Other translations · Pope (1886) & Aiyar (1916)
“Who ne'er consent to beg in utmost need, their worth / Has excellence of greatness that transcends the earth.”
“Behold the dignity that consenteth not to beg even when reduced to utter destitution: even the whole universe is too small to hold it.”
Parimelazhagar’s commentary
13th century · public domainParimelazhagar’s own words come first, unaltered. The plain reading follows below.
இடம் இல்லாக் காலும் இரவு ஒல்லாச் சால்பு= நுகரவேண்டுவன இன்றி நல்கூர்ந்த வழியும், பிறர்பால் சென்று இரத்தலை உடம்படாத அமைதி; இடம் எல்லாம் கொள்ளாத் தகைத்தே= எல்லா உலகும் ஒருங்கு இயைந்தாலும், கொள்ளாத பெருமை உடைத்து.
Source: Tamil Wikisource
The composure that will not consent to go to others and ask, even in destitution, has a greatness all the worlds joined together could not hold. (Parimelazhagar's word for it is அமைதி, settledness.)