The Possession of Decorum
.
Tap an underlined Tamil word to explore its sound, meaning, and use.
ulakattōṭu oṭṭa oḻukal palakaṟṟum / kallār aṟivilā tār
Whoever has not learned to live in tune with the world's good people, however much else they have studied, has not really learned at all.
▸Other translations · Pope (1886) & Aiyar (1916)
“Who know not with the world in harmony to dwell, / May many things have learned, but nothing well.”
“Fools may be as instructed as thou pleasest: but they never learn to conform to the ways of the righteous.”
Parimelazhagar’s commentary
13th century · public domainParimelazhagar’s own words come first, unaltered. The plain reading follows below.
உலகத்தோடு ஒட்ட ஒழுகல் கல்லார் = உலகத்தோடு பொருந்த ஒழுகுதலைக் கல்லாதார்; பல கற்றும் அறிவிலாதார் = பல நூல்களையும் கற்றார் ஆயினும் அறிவிலாதார். (உலகத்தோடு பொருந்த ஒழுகுதலாவது, உயர்ந்தோர் பலரும் ஒழுகிய ஆற்றான் ஒழுகுதல்.)
Source: Tamil Wikisource
Whoever has not learned to live in harmony with the good people of the world — to walk the way the worthy walk — is, however many books they have studied, still without real wisdom. The point of learning is conduct; without it the learning is empty.