Speaking with the Heart
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tuṉṉāt tuṟantārai neñcat tuṭaiyēmā / viṉṉu miḻattuṅ kaviṉ.
Keep in the heart the man who went away rather than come near, and the grace we still have left will go the way of the grace already gone.
▸Other translations · Pope (1886) & Aiyar (1916)
“If I should keep in mind the man who utterly renounces me, / My soul must suffer further loss of dignity.”
“If we entertain any longer within our hearts the beloved that hath abandoned us, we shall only waste ourselves away yet further.”
Parimelazhagar’s commentary
13th century · public domainParimelazhagar’s own words come first, unaltered. The plain reading follows below.
துன்னாத் துறந்தாரை நெஞ்சத்து உடையேமா= நம்மைக் கூடாவண்ணம் துறந்துபோயினாரை நாம் நம் அகத்து உடையேமாக; இன்னும்கவின் இழத்தும்= முன் இழந்த புறக்கவினேயன்றி நின்ற அகக்கவினும் இழப்பேம், எ-று.
Source: Tamil Wikisource
Parimelazhagar keeps this to an account of cost. If we go on holding within us the man who went away rather than join us, then over and above the outward grace already gone we shall lose the inward grace that is still standing. He does not tell her to forget him, and he does not say anything about the man being cruel. He states what the holding will take, and he counts the speaker in: it is we who will lose it.