Eloquence
.
Tap an underlined Tamil word to explore its sound, meaning, and use.
tiṟaṉaṟintu colluka collai yaṟaṉum / poruḷu mataṉiṉūuṅ kil.
Know the capacities of speaker and hearer, then speak fittingly; no virtue or gain surpasses such speech.
▸Other translations · Pope (1886) & Aiyar (1916)
“Speak words adapted well to various hearers' state; / No higher virtue lives, no gain more surely great.”
“Weigh each circumstance aright and then speak the speech that is fit: for the increase of righteousness and profit there is no other thing of more worth to thee than it.”
Parimelazhagar’s commentary
13th century · public domainParimelazhagar’s own words come first, unaltered. The plain reading follows below.
சொல்லைத் திறன் அறிந்து சொல்லுக= அப்பெற்றித்தாய சொல்லை அமைச்சர் தம்முடையுவம் கேட்பாருடையவுமாய திறங்களை அறிந்து சொல்லுக; அதனின் ஊங்கு அறனும் பொருளும் இல்= அங்ஙனம் சொல்லுதற்கு மேற்பட்ட அறனும், பொருளும் இல்லையாகலான்.
Source: Tamil Wikisource
Parimelazhagar says a minister should speak after knowing both the minister's own capacity and the hearer's; no virtue or gain exceeds such fitting speech.