The Rumour
அலர்நாண .
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alarnāṇa volvatō vañcalōm peṉṟār / palarnāṇa nīttak kaṭai.
The one who promised he would never leave has left, and left publicly enough that onlookers are embarrassed for her. After that, the town's gossip has nothing left to shame her with.
▸Other translations · Pope (1886) & Aiyar (1916)
“When he who said 'Fear not!' hath left me blamed, / While many shrink, can I from rumour hide ashamed?”
“Is it for me to blush at this outcry now, when he who said, Fear not, hath abandoned me to the scandal of every bystander?”
Parimelazhagar’s commentary
13th century · public domainParimelazhagar’s own words come first, unaltered. The plain reading follows below.
அஞ்சல் ஒம்பு என்றார் பலர்நாண நீத்தக்கடை= தம்மை எதிர்ப்பட்டஞான்று நின்னிற்பிரியேன் அஞ்சல் ஓ்ம்பு என்றவர்தாமே இன்று கண்டார் பலரும் நாணும் வகை நம்மைத் துறந்தபின்; அலர் நாண ஒல்வதோ= நாம் ஏதிலார் கூறும் அலருக்கு நாணக்கூடுமோ, கூடாது.
Source: Tamil Wikisource
On the day he first met her, the man told the woman, "I will not part from you, do not be afraid." That same man has now left her in a way that makes the many who saw it wince with shame. After that, Parimelazhagar explains, can the woman still feel shame at the gossip of unconnected townspeople? She cannot.