Resolute Effort
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uramoruvaṟ kuḷḷa veṟukkaiyaḵ tillār / maramakka ḷātalē vēṟu.
Abundant resolve is a person's firmness; those without it are trees, the classical claim says severely, differing from literal trees only in human form.
▸Other translations · Pope (1886) & Aiyar (1916)
“Firmness of soul in man is real excellance; / Others are trees, their human form a mere pretence.”
“Exuberance of spirit, that alone is strength: those that have it not are mere stocks: their human bodies alone make the difference.”
Parimelazhagar’s commentary
13th century · public domainParimelazhagar’s own words come first, unaltered. The plain reading follows below.
ஒருவற்கு உரம் உள்ள வெறுக்கை= ஒருவற்குத் திண்ணிய அறிவாவது ஊக்கம்மிகுதி; அஃது இல்லார் மரம்= அவ்வூக்கம் மிகுதிஇல்லாதார் மக்கள் ஆகார், மரங்களாவார்; மக்களாதலே வேறு= சாதிமரங்களோடு, இம்மரங்களிடை வேற்றுமை, வடிவுமக்கள்வடிவே, பிறிதில்லை.
Source: Tamil Wikisource
Parimelazhagar says that a person's firm intelligence consists in abundant resolve. He then expounds the severe judgment that those without it are not truly people but trees, differing from literal trees only by having human form. This is dehumanizing rhetoric and must be labelled as such.