Not Coveting Another's Wife
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eḷiteṉa illiṟappāṉ eytum eññāṉṟum / viḷiyātu niṟkum paḻi
He who thinks it easy and trespasses on another's wife earns a disgrace that never, ever fades.
▸Other translations · Pope (1886) & Aiyar (1916)
“'Mere trifle!' saying thus, invades the home, so he ensures / A gain of guilt that deathless aye endures.”
“Behold the man who hangeth on to his neighbour's wife because she is accessible: his name is sullied for ever.”
Parimelazhagar’s commentary
13th century · public domainParimelazhagar’s own words come first, unaltered. The plain reading follows below.
எளிது என இல் இறப்பான் = எய்துதல் எளிது என்று கருதிப் பின்விளைவு கருதாது பிறன் இல்லின்கண் இறப்பான்; விளியாது எஞ்ஞான்றும் நிற்கும் பழி எய்தும் = மாய்தல் இன்றி எஞ்ஞான்றும் நிலைநிற்கும் குடிப்பழியினை எய்தும்.
Source: Tamil Wikisource
The person who, thinking it easy and ignoring the after-cost, trespasses on another's wife earns a disgrace to his family that never dies — it stays, undimmed, for all time.