Wealth Without Benefit
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cīruṭaic celvar ciṟutuṉi māri / vaṟaṅkūrn taṉaiya tuṭaittu.
The brief hard season of those whose wealth carries honour has the same nature as a rain cloud that has run dry.
▸Other translations · Pope (1886) & Aiyar (1916)
“'Tis as when rain-cloud in the heaven grows dry, / When generous wealthy man endures brief poverty.”
“The distress of the man of wealth who hath emptied his resources by benefactions is only like the exhaustion of the rain-cloud: it will not continue for long.”
Parimelazhagar’s commentary
13th century · public domainParimelazhagar’s own words come first, unaltered. The plain reading follows below.
சீருடைச் செல்வர் சிறு துனி= புகழுடைத்தாய செல்வத்தினை உடையவரது, நிற்கும் காலம் சிறிதாய வறுமை; மாரி வறம் கூர்ந்து அனையது உடைத்து= உலகத்தை எல்லாம் நிலைநிறுத்தும் மேகம் வறுமை மிக்காற்போல்வதோர் இயல்பினை உடைத்து.
Source: Tamil Wikisource
When want comes to someone whose wealth carries honour, it does not stand long. It has the nature of the cloud that holds the whole world up standing dry for a season.