Desire for Reunion
.
Tap an underlined Tamil word to explore its sound, meaning, and use.
iḷittakka viṉṉā ceyiṉuṅ kaḷittārkkuk / kaḷḷaṟṟē kaḷvaniṉ mārpu.
Though it works degradation and harm on the very people it has elated, palm wine is only wanted the more. Deceiver, your chest is that to me.
▸Other translations · Pope (1886) & Aiyar (1916)
“Though shameful ill it works, dear is the palm-tree wine / To drunkards; traitor, so to me that breast of thine!”
“Wine is never unwelcome to the drunkard though it maketh him hang down his head in shame: even so is thy bosom to me, O false one!”
Parimelazhagar’s commentary
13th century · public domainParimelazhagar’s own words come first, unaltered. The plain reading follows below.
கள்வ= வஞ்சகா; களித்தார்க்கு இளித்தக்க இன்னாசெயினும் கள்ளற்றே= தன்னை உண்டு களித்தார்க்கு இளிவரத்தக்க இன்னாதவற்றைச் செய்யினும், அவரால் மேன்மேல் விரும்பப்படுவதாய கள்ளுப்போலும்; நின் மார்பு= எங்கட்கு நின்மார்பு, எ-று.
Source: Tamil Wikisource
கள்வ is an address: O deceiver. The toddy lowers in others' eyes the very people who drank it and were elated by it, and it does them harm besides; even so, they want it more and more. Your chest, she says, is of that same kind to us.