Setting Reserve Aside
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maṭalūrtal yāmattu muḷḷuvēṉ maṉṟa / paṭalollā pētaikkeṉ kaṇ.
Because of her, my eyes will not close. So at the hour when the whole town is asleep, the only thing in my head is going public with it.
▸Other translations · Pope (1886) & Aiyar (1916)
“Of climbing 'horse of palm' in midnight hour, I think; / My eyes know no repose for that same simple maid.”
“My eyes cannot sleep for thinking of that artless one: I shall ride the stalk therefore even in this late hour of the night.”
Parimelazhagar’s commentary
13th century · public domainParimelazhagar’s own words come first, unaltered. The plain reading follows below.
பேதைக்கு என் கண் படல் ஒல்லா= நின்பேதை காரணமாக என்கண்கள் ஒருகாலும் துயிறலைப் பொருந்தா; யாமத்தும் மன்ற மடல் ஊர்தல் உ்ளளுவேன்= அதனால் எல்லாரும் துயிலும் இடையாமத்தும் யான் இருந்து மடலூர்தலையே கருதாநிற்பன்.
Source: Tamil Wikisource
The lover, speaking to the person beside him, says: because of the girl you speak of, my eyes never once settle into sleep, and so even in the middle watch of the night, when everyone else is sleeping, I sit awake thinking of nothing but riding the palmyra horse — this is how Parimelazhagar explains it.