Desire for Reunion
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Tap an underlined Tamil word to explore its sound, meaning, and use.
uytta laṟintu puṉalpāy pavarēpōṟ / poytta laṟinteṉ pulantu.
Like those who leap into running water knowing perfectly well it will carry them off: knowing the sulk would not hold, what did I gain by sulking?
▸Other translations · Pope (1886) & Aiyar (1916)
“As those of rescue sure, who plunge into the stream, / So did I anger feign, though it must falsehood seem?”
“Who will jump into a stream knowing that it hath a treacherous undercurrent that will carry him away? and how should I take to sulking who know that I cannot hold on to it when he is near?”
Parimelazhagar’s commentary
13th century · public domainParimelazhagar’s own words come first, unaltered. The plain reading follows below.
உய்த்தல் அறிந்து புனல்பாய்பவரே போல்= தம்மை ஈர்த்துக்கொண்டு போதல் அறிந்துவைத்து, ஒழுகுகின்ற புனலுட் பாய்வார் செயல் போல; பொய்த்தல் அறிந்து புலந்து என்= புலவி முடிவுபோகாமை அறிந்து வைத்துக் கொண்கனோடு புலந்து பெறுவதென், எ-று.
Source: Tamil Wikisource
Those who leap into flowing water know that it will drag them along and carry them off, and they leap all the same. Just like them: knowing that the sulk would not go through to its end, I sulked with him. What was gained by it?