Rejoicing in the Embrace
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uṟutō ṟuyirtaḷirppat tīṇṭalāṟ pētaik / kamuti ṉiyaṉṟaṉa tōḷ.
Some people's nearness works on you like medicine: one touch and the part of you that had gone dry starts growing again. That is what he says of her arms — they are not flesh but nectar, because every time he reaches them he comes back to life.
▸Other translations · Pope (1886) & Aiyar (1916)
“Ambrosia are the simple maiden's arms; when I attain / Their touch, my withered life puts forth its buds again!”
“Of ambrosia are the arms of my artless damsel formed: for their every touch reviveth my dying limbs.”
Parimelazhagar’s commentary
13th century · public domainParimelazhagar’s own words come first, unaltered. The plain reading follows below.
உயிர் உறுதோறு தளிர்ப்பத் தீண்டலால்= தன்னைப் பெறாது வாடிய என்னுயிர் பெற்று உறும்தோறும் தளிர்க்கும் வகை தீண்டுதலான்; பேதைக்குத் தோள் அமிழ்தின் இயன்றன= இப்பேதைக்குத் தோள்கள் தீண்டப்படுவதோர் அமிழ்தினான் செய்யப்பட்டன.
Source: Tamil Wikisource
Parimelazhagar takes this couplet as the man's words. His life, which had withered because he could not reach the woman he loves, puts out fresh shoots every single time her shoulders touch him. Therefore, Parimelazhagar explains, this innocent woman's shoulders must have been made out of a nectar meant to be touched.