The Wealth of Children
Tap an underlined Tamil word to explore its sound, meaning, and use.
kuzhal iṉidu yāzh iṉidu enba tam makkaḷ / mazhalaic col kēḷādavar
Those who have not heard their own children's early speech call the flute and yāzh sweet; loving parents, the verse implies, hear a sweeter music in that voice.
▸Other translations · Pope (1886) & Aiyar (1916)
“'The pipe is sweet,' 'the lute is sweet,' by them't will be averred, Who music of their infants' lisping lips have never heard.”
“The flute is sweet and the guitar dulcet: so say they who have not heard the babbling speech of their little ones.”
Parimelazhagar’s commentary
13th century · public domainParimelazhagar’s own words come first, unaltered. The plain reading follows below.
குழல் இனிது யாழ் இனிது என்ப = குழலிசை யினிது யாழிசை யினிது என்று சொல்லுவர்; தம் மக்கள் மழலைச் சொல் கேளாதவர் = தம் புதல்வருடைய குதலைச் சொற்களைக் கேளாதவர். (கேட்டவர் அவற்றினும் மழலைச்சொல் இனிது என்பர் என்பது குறிப்பெச்சம். இவை மூன்று பாட்டானும் இம்மைப்பயன் கூறப்பட்டது.)
Source: Tamil Wikisource
Only those who have never heard the lisping, babbling speech of their own little children say the flute is sweet, the lute is sweet. To those who have heard it, no music is sweeter than a child's first words.