Speaking with the Heart
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parintavar nalkāreṉ ṟēṅkip pirintavar / piṉcelvāy pētaiyeṉ ṉeñcu.
You ache that he has not come back out of pity, and then you set off after the very man who chose to part: you know nothing, my heart.
▸Other translations · Pope (1886) & Aiyar (1916)
“Thou art befooled, my heart, thou followest him who flees from thee; / And still thou yearning criest: 'He will nor pity show nor love to me.'”
“Thou sighest that he would not return for pity sake, and wouldst go to seek him though he separated deliberately from thee: verily, thou art a simpleton, my Heart!”
Parimelazhagar’s commentary
13th century · public domainParimelazhagar’s own words come first, unaltered. The plain reading follows below.
என் நெஞ்சு= என் நெஞ்சே; அவர் பரிந்து நல்கார் என்று= அவர் இவ்வாற்றையை அறியாமையின் நொந்துவந்து தலையளி செய்யார் ஆயினார் என்று கருதி; பிரிந்தவர்பின் ஏங்கிச் செல்வாய் பேதை= அஃது அறிவித்தற் பொருட்டு, நம்மைப் பிரிந்துபோயவர்பின் ஏங்கிச் செல்லலுற்ற நீ யாதும் அறியாய், எ-று.
Source: Tamil Wikisource
Parimelazhagar fills in the reasoning the heart is following. It has concluded that he has not come and shown her kindness because he does not know what state she is in; and in order to let him know it, it sets off after the very man who parted from them. The commentator's answer is one flat sentence: you who have set off like that know nothing at all. He does not soften it, and he does not say the errand might work.