The Distress of Her Beauty
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paṇṭaṟiyēṉ kūṟṟeṉ pataṉai yiṉiyaṟintēṉ / peṇṭakaiyāṟ pēramark kaṭṭu.
He had only ever heard the word for death; now he has seen it, and it is wearing a woman's face with two wide, battle-ready eyes. Hearsay knowledge collapses the moment experience arrives.
▸Other translations · Pope (1886) & Aiyar (1916)
“Death's form I formerly Knew not; but now 'tis plain to me; / He comes in lovely maiden's guise, With soul-subduing eyes.”
“I never knew Death before: I know it now: it weareth the form of a woman and hath large and battling eyes.”
Parimelazhagar’s commentary
13th century · public domainParimelazhagar’s own words come first, unaltered. The plain reading follows below.
கூற்று என்பதனைப் பண்டு அறியேன்= கூற்று என்று நூலோர் சொல்வதனைப் பண்டு கேட்டுஅறிவதல்லது கண்டு அறியேன்; இனி அறிந்தேன்= இப்பொழுது கண்டறிந்தேன்; பெண்தகையால் பேர் அமர்க் கட்டு= அது பெண்டகையுடன் பெரியவாய் அமர்த்த கண்களை உடைத்து.
Source: Tamil Wikisource
What learned men call Death, I had previously known only by hearing of it, never by seeing it; now I have seen it and know it. That Death has a woman's form, and it has large eyes set for battle. So Parimelazhagar explains.