Setting Reserve Aside
.
Tap an underlined Tamil word to explore its sound, meaning, and use.
nōṉā vuṭampu muyiru maṭalēṟu / nāṇiṉai nīkki niṟuttu.
There is a point where the feeling weighs more than the fear of how it will look. When body and mind can no longer carry it, the shame that kept it hidden is the first thing to go.
▸Other translations · Pope (1886) & Aiyar (1916)
“My body and my soul, that can no more endure, / Will lay reserve aside, and mount the 'horse of palm'.”
“Body and soul cannot support this anguish and have consented to ride the palm: they have trampled down all shame.”
Parimelazhagar’s commentary
13th century · public domainParimelazhagar’s own words come first, unaltered. The plain reading follows below.
நோனா உடம்பும் உயிரும் மடல் ஏறும்= அவ்வருத்தத்தினைப் பொறாத உடம்பும் உயிரும் அதற்கு ஏமமாய மடன்மாவினை ஊரக் கருதாநின்றன; நாணினை நீக்கி நிறுத்து= அதனை விலக்குவதாய நாணினை அகற்றி.
Source: Tamil Wikisource
The man is worn down by the pain of love. His body and his very life, unable to bear that pain any longer, are set on mounting the palm-stem horse that is his one protection; and they have pushed aside the reserve that would have held them back, says Parimelazhagar.