Not Coveting Another's Wife
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aṟaṉkaṭai niṉṟāruḷ ellām piṟaṉkaṭai / niṉṟāriṉ pētaiyār il
Of all who have strayed from virtue, none is a greater fool than the one who waits at another man's door.
▸Other translations · Pope (1886) & Aiyar (1916)
“No fools, of all that stand from virtue's pale shut out, / Like those who longing lurk their neighbour's gate without.”
“Among those that have fallen from virtue there is no greater fool than he that standeth at his neighbour's threshold.”
Parimelazhagar’s commentary
13th century · public domainParimelazhagar’s own words come first, unaltered. The plain reading follows below.
அறன் கடை நின்றாருள் எல்லாம் = காமம் காரணமாகப் பாவத்தின்கண் நின்றார் எல்லாருள்ளும்; பிறன்கடை நின்றாரின் பேதையார் இல் = பிறன் இல்லாளைக் காதலித்து அவன் வாயிற்கண் சென்று நின்றார் போலப் பேதையார் இல்லை.
Source: Tamil Wikisource
Among everyone who has fallen from virtue through desire, there is no greater fool than the one who hangs about at another's door — for he loses virtue and wealth like the rest, and, gripped by fear, even loses the pleasure he chased.