Praising Her Beauty
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naṉṉīrai vāḻi yaṉiccamē niṉṉiṉu / meṉṉīraḷ yāmvīḻ pavaḷ.
He goes looking for the softest thing in the world so he can praise her by it, finds it, and then has to admit it falls short. The comparison failing is itself the praise.
▸Other translations · Pope (1886) & Aiyar (1916)
“O flower of the sensitive plant! than thee / More tender's the maiden beloved by me.”
“Soft art thou, O blest anitcha flower! but tenderer than thyself is she on whom my heart is set.”
Parimelazhagar’s commentary
13th century · public domainParimelazhagar’s own words come first, unaltered. The plain reading follows below.
அனிச்சமே வாழி நன்னீரை= அனிச்சப்பூவே, வாழ்வாயாக! மென்மையால் நீ எல்லாப் பூவினு நல்ல இயற்கையை உடையை; யாம் வீழ்பவள் நின்னினும் மென்னீரள்= அங்ஙனமாயினும், எம்மால் விரும்பப்பட்டவள் நின்னினு மெல்லிய இயற்கையை உடையள்.
Source: Tamil Wikisource
Long life to you, anicham flower! By your softness you have a finer nature than any other flower. Even so, the woman I love has a nature softer still. Parimelazhagar explains that the man speaks these words addressing the anicham flower itself.