Quarrelling with the Heart
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eḷḷi ṉiḷivāmeṉ ṟeṇṇi yavartiṟa / muḷḷu muyirkkāta ṉeñcu.
My heart, which is in love with its own life, worked it out like this: if I scorn him for scorning me and going, the disgrace will end up mine. Having reasoned that far, it goes on dwelling on his good side instead.
▸Other translations · Pope (1886) & Aiyar (1916)
“If I contemn him, then disgrace awaits me evermore; / My soul that seeks to live his virtues numbers o'er.”
“My life of a Heart thinketh it a disgrace to our own selves if we humiliate the beloved: and so it is always partial to him.”
Parimelazhagar’s commentary
13th century · public domainParimelazhagar’s own words come first, unaltered. The plain reading follows below.
உயிர்க்காதல்நெஞ்சு= உயிர்மேல் காதலை உடைய என் நெஞ்சு; எள்ளின் இளிவு ஆம் என்று எ்ண்ணி= நம்மை எள்ளிச்சென்றார் என்று நாமும் எள்ளுவேமாயின், பின் நமக்கு இளிவாம் என்று கருதி; அவர்திறம் உள்ளும்= அவர் திறத்தினையே நினையாநின்றது, எ-று.
Source: Tamil Wikisource
Parimelazhagar names the heart before he explains it: my heart, he says, the one that holds a love for life. He then gives its reasoning in full. He scorned us and went; if we scorn him in return, the lowering that follows will be ours. Having settled that for itself, the commentary says, the heart goes on turning over matters concerning him and nothing else.