The Solitary Anguish
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orutalaiyā ṉiṉṉātu kāmaṅkāp pōla / virutalai yāṉu miṉitu.
Desire is a hard thing when it hangs at one end alone. Like a load on a carrying pole, it is sweet when the two ends match.
▸Other translations · Pope (1886) & Aiyar (1916)
“Love on one side is bad; like balanced load / By porter borne, love on both sides is good.”
“Even as the burden on the carrying pole, love is pleasant only when it is on both sides: but it is a galling load when it is only on one side.”
Parimelazhagar’s commentary
13th century · public domainParimelazhagar’s own words come first, unaltered. The plain reading follows below.
காமம் ஒருதலையான் இன்னாது= மகளிர் ஆடவர் என்னும் இருதலையினும் வேட்கை ஒருதலைக்கண்ணேயாயின் அஃது இன்னாது; காப்போல இருதலையானும் இனிது= காவினது பாரம்போல இருதலைக்கண்ணும் ஒப்பின், அஃது இனிது, எ-று.
Source: Tamil Wikisource
Parimelazhagar reads the couplet as being about which of the two people the desire rests on. Between the woman and the man there are two ends, he says, and if the wanting lies at one of them only, that is a harsh thing. He then makes the verse's comparison exact: as with the load of a carrying pole, when the two ends match, it is sweet. The figure is not ornament. A pole goes across one shoulder, and a load tied at one end alone cannot be carried at all; it is the matching of the two ends that makes walking possible.