Unendurable Separation
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iṉṉā tiṉaṉillūr vāḻta lataṉiṉu / miṉṉā tiṉiyārp pirivu.
It is a hard thing to live in a town where there is nobody of your own kind. Harder still than that is being parted from the one who is sweet to you.
▸Other translations · Pope (1886) & Aiyar (1916)
“'Tis sad to sojourn in the town where no kind kinsmen dwell; / 'Tis sadder still to bid a friend beloved farewell.”
“Bitter is life in a place where there are no bosom friends: but bitterer far is separation from the beloved one.”
Parimelazhagar’s commentary
13th century · public domainParimelazhagar’s own words come first, unaltered. The plain reading follows below.
இனன் இல் ஊர் வாழ்தல் இன்னாது= மகளிர்க்குத் தம் குறிப்பறியும் தோழியர் இல்லாத வேற்றூரின்கண் வாழ்தல் இன்னாது; இனியார்ப்பிரிவு அதனினும் இன்னாது= அதன்மேலும் தம் காதலரைப் பிரிதல் அதனினும் இன்னாது.
Source: Tamil Wikisource
The couplet sets two hardships side by side and says which is greater. Parimelazhagar takes the first as living in a strange town where there are no companions who can read one's unspoken mind; that, he says, is painful. Greater than that is being parted from the one you love. The loneliness of a place where nobody knows you is one thing; the absence of a particular person is another and larger thing.