Lamenting at Evening
.
Tap an underlined Tamil word to explore its sound, meaning, and use.
patimaruṇṭu paita luḻakku matimaruṇṭu / mālai paṭartarum pōḻtu.
At the hour when evening spreads and even those who look on lose their bearings, this whole town will be bewildered and will ache as I do.
▸Other translations · Pope (1886) & Aiyar (1916)
“If evening's shades, that darken all my soul, extend; / From this afflicted town will would of grief ascend.”
“If evening that hath already driven me mad should advance any further, the whole town will be shrouded in sorrow before long, for I shall simply die.”
Parimelazhagar’s commentary
13th century · public domainParimelazhagar’s own words come first, unaltered. The plain reading follows below.
மதி மருண்டு மாலைபடர்தரும் போழ்து= (இதற்கு முன்னெல்லாம் யானே மயங்கி நோயுழந்தேன்) இனிக் கண்டாரும் மதி மருளும்வகை மாலை வரும்பொழுது; பதி மருண்டு பைதல் உழக்கும்= இப்பதி எல்லாம் மயங்கி நோயுழக்கும், எ-று.
Source: Tamil Wikisource
Until now, Parimelazhagar explains, she alone lost her bearings and suffered when evening came. That is over. At the hour when evening spreads so widely that even onlookers lose their judgement, she says, this whole town will be bewildered and will suffer. What one person has been carrying will not stay inside one person any longer.