Decision of Character
.
Tap an underlined Tamil word to explore its sound, meaning, and use.
collutal yārkku meḷiya variyavāñ / colliya vaṇṇañ ceyal.
It is easy for anyone to say how a thing will be done; doing it in the manner promised is difficult.
▸Other translations · Pope (1886) & Aiyar (1916)
“Easy to every man the speech that shows the way; / Hard thing to shape one's life by words they say!”
“To say a thing is easy for any man: but to do it in the manner undertaken is a rare thing indeed.”
Parimelazhagar’s commentary
13th century · public domainParimelazhagar’s own words come first, unaltered. The plain reading follows below.
சொல்லுதல் யார்க்கும் எளிய= யாம் இவ்வினையை இவ்வாற்றாற் செய்துமென நிரல்படச் சொல்லுதல் யாவர்க்கும் எளிய; சொல்லிய வண்ணம் செயல் அரியவாம்= அதனை அவ்வாற்றானே செய்தல் யாவர்க்கும் அரியவாம்.
Source: Tamil Wikisource
Parimelazhagar says it is easy for anyone to set out, ‘We will do this undertaking in this way.’ What is difficult is carrying it out in the very manner stated.