Cherishing Kindred
.
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aḷavaḷā villātāṉ vāḻkkai kuḷavaḷāk / kōṭiṉṟi nīrniṟain taṟṟu.
A life without inward fellowship with kin is like water filling a pond that has no enclosing bank.
▸Other translations · Pope (1886) & Aiyar (1916)
“His joy of life who mingles not with kinsmen gathered round, / Is lake where streams pour in, with no encircling bound.”
“The man who rejoiceth not in the intimacy of his kindred is like a tank without bunds: the waters of prosperity will flow away from him.”
Parimelazhagar’s commentary
13th century · public domainParimelazhagar’s own words come first, unaltered. The plain reading follows below.
அளவளாவு இல்லாதான் வாழ்க்கை= அச்சுற்றத்தோடு நெஞ்சு கலத்தல் இல்லாதவன் வாழ்க்கை; குளவளாக் கொடு இன்றி நீர் நிறைந்தற்று= குளப்பரப்புக் கரையின்றி நீர் நிறைந்தாற் போலும்.
Source: Tamil Wikisource
Parimelazhagar explains that the life of a person who does not mingle inwardly with kin resembles water filling the expanse of a pond without a bank: water arrives, but there is no enclosing boundary to hold it.