Eyes Worn Out with Grief
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Tap an underlined Tamil word to explore its sound, meaning, and use.
uḻantuḻan tuṇṇī raṟuka viḻaintiḻaintu / vēṇṭi yavarkkaṇṭa kaṇ.
Let them labour on and on until the water inside them is cut off — those eyes that gazed at him that day, wanting him, melting as they looked.
▸Other translations · Pope (1886) & Aiyar (1916)
“Aching, aching, let those exhaust their stream, / That melting, melting, that day gazed on him.”
“Beshrew the eyes that hung upon his form on that day with a passionate, greedy, all-absorbing love! May they dry up to their very roots with pining and repining!”
Parimelazhagar’s commentary
13th century · public domainParimelazhagar’s own words come first, unaltered. The plain reading follows below.
விழைந்து விழைந்து வேண்டி அவர்க்கண்ட கண்= விழைந்து உண்ணெகிழ்ந்து, விடாதே அன்று அவரைக் கண்ட கண்கள்; உழந்து உழந்து உள்நீர் அறுக= இன்று இத்துயிலாது அழுங்கலாய துன்பத்தினை, உழந்து உழந்து தம் அகத்துள்ள நீர் அற்றே போக!
Source: Tamil Wikisource
The woman is cursing her own eyes. Parimelazhagar first identifies them as the ones that, that day, desired him, melted inwardly and would not let go of the sight. His gloss then gives her wish: let them labour and labour in this sleepless grieving, and let the water inside them run out altogether. The line does not report what has happened. It states what she wants to happen.