The Pallor of Longing
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viḷakkaṟṟam pārkku miruḷēpōṟ koṇkaṉ / muyakkaṟṟam pārkkum pacappu.
Darkness keeps its eye on the lamp, waiting for the flame to fail; just so, this pallor keeps its eye on my lord's embrace, waiting for it to slacken.
▸Other translations · Pope (1886) & Aiyar (1916)
“As darkness waits till lamp expires, to fill the place, / This pallor waits till I enjoy no more my lord's embrace.”
“Even as darkness lieth in wait for the light to be put out, even so doth Pallor lie in wait for my separation from my lord.”
Parimelazhagar’s commentary
13th century · public domainParimelazhagar’s own words come first, unaltered. The plain reading follows below.
விளக்கு அற்றம் பார்க்கும் இருளேபோல்= விளக்கினது மெலிவுபார்த்து நெருங்கிவரும் இருளேபோல; கொண்கன் முயக்கு அற்றம் பார்க்கும் பசப்பு= கொண்கன் முயக்கினது மெலிவுபார்த்து நெருங்கிவரும் இப்பசப்பு, எ-று.
Source: Tamil Wikisource
Parimelazhagar lays the couplet out as a comparison with two matching halves. In the first, darkness watches the lamp for its weakening and closes in the moment it weakens. In the second, exactly the same action is performed: this change of colouring watches the man's embrace for its slackening and closes in the moment it slackens. His verb is worth noting — நெருங்கிவரும், to press near — because it holds two things at once, the standing off and observing, and the moving in when the room is given. What the couplet contributes is that the change does not fall on her suddenly; it has been watching.