Unendurable Separation
.
Tap an underlined Tamil word to explore its sound, meaning, and use.
aritarō tēṟṟa maṟivuṭaiyār kaṇṇum / pirivō riṭattuṇmai yāṉ.
Being sure of someone is hard — even of a man who knows what he promised and knows what a parting does to me, because a parting still happens on one occasion or another.
▸Other translations · Pope (1886) & Aiyar (1916)
“To trust henceforth is hard, if ever he depart, / E'en he, who knows his promise and my breaking heart.”
“It is impossible to put trust in any, seeing that the thought of separation lurketh somewhere even in the heart of him who knoweth my heart.”
Parimelazhagar’s commentary
13th century · public domainParimelazhagar’s own words come first, unaltered. The plain reading follows below.
அறிவுடையார் கண்ணும்= பிரியேன் என்ற தம்சொல்லும் நம்பிரிவாற்றாமையும் அறிதல் உடையராய கண்ணும்; ஓரிடத்துப் பிரிவு உண்மையான்= ஒரோவழிப் பிரிவு நிகழ்தலான்; தேற்றம் அரிது= அவர்சொல்லும் தலையளியும்பற்றி நம்மாட்டு அன்புடையர் எனத் தேறும் தேற்றம் அரிதாயிருந்தது.
Source: Tamil Wikisource
Parimelazhagar reads this as the woman examining her own confidence. Even in a man who knows both his own word, that he will not part, and her inability to bear a parting, a parting still takes place on some occasion. Because it does, the settled state of mind in which she could conclude from his words and his tenderness that he loves her has become hard to reach.