Considerate Regard
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maṇṇō ṭiyainta marattaṉaiyar kaṇṇō / ṭiyaintukaṇ ṇōṭā tavar.
Those furnished with eyes yet offering no considerate regard are like trees rooted to the earth.
▸Other translations · Pope (1886) & Aiyar (1916)
“Whose eyes 'neath brow infixed diffuse no ray / Of grace; like tree in earth infixed are they.”
“Behold the men whose eyes show not consideration towards others: verily they are no better than the trees of the earth.”
Parimelazhagar’s commentary
13th century · public domainParimelazhagar’s own words come first, unaltered. The plain reading follows below.
கண்ணோடு இயைந்து கண்ணோடாதவர்= ஓடுதற்கு உரிய கண்ணோடு பொருந்திவைத்து அஃது ஓடாதவர்; மண்ணோடு இயைந்த மரத்தனையர்= இயங்காநின்றார் ஆயினும், மண்ணோடு பொருந்திநிற்கின்ற மரத்தினை ஒப்பர்.
Source: Tamil Wikisource
The commentary compares people who possess eyes yet show no regard to a tree fixed in the earth. The tree supplies an image of ethical immobility, not contempt for trees, bodily stillness, mobility limitations, or visual disability.