Longing for the Beloved
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uraṉacaii yuḷḷan tuṇaiyākac ceṉṟār / varaṉacaii yiṉṉu muḷēṉ.
He wanted the strength that wins, and he went with his own resolve for company. I want his coming back, and that is the whole reason I am still here.
▸Other translations · Pope (1886) & Aiyar (1916)
“On victory intent, His mind sole company he went; / And I yet life sustain! And long to see his face again!”
“He parted from me longing for conquests: and if I live yet, it is for the longing of his return.”
Parimelazhagar’s commentary
13th century · public domainParimelazhagar’s own words come first, unaltered. The plain reading follows below.
உரன் நசைஇ உள்ளம் துணையாச் சென்றார்= இன்பம் நுகர்தலை நச்சாது, வேறலை நச்சி நாம் துணையாதலை இகழ்ந்து நம் ஊக்கம் துணையாகப் போயினார்; வரல் நசைஇ இன்னும் உளேன்= அவற்றை இகழ்ந்து ஈண்டு வருதலை நச்சுதலான், யான் இவ் எல்லையினும் உளேன் ஆயினேன், எ-று.
Source: Tamil Wikisource
Parimelazhagar begins by saying what the departure was not. It was not pleasure he wanted. He wanted to win, and wanting that, he set aside her being his companion as a small thing and went with his own drive as the only companion he took. Then the second half, and the commentator keeps the same verb working: because she wants his coming, she is still present even at this far edge. Two people, one word for what moves them, and it moves them in opposite directions. He is not called cruel and she is not called patient. The line simply reports what each of them wanted and where the wanting put them.