The Ambassador
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Tap an underlined Tamil word to explore its sound, meaning, and use.
kaṭaṉaṟintu kālaṅ karuti yiṭaṉaṟin / teṇṇi yuraippāṉ ṟalai.
Foremost among envoys is the one who knows the duty, considers the time, understands the fitting place, thinks through the wording, and then delivers the message.
▸Other translations · Pope (1886) & Aiyar (1916)
“He is the best who knows what's due, the time considered well, / The place selects, then ponders long ere he his errand tell.”
“He is the fittest ambassador who hath a just eye for time and place, who knoweth his duty, and who weigheth his words before uttering them.”
Parimelazhagar’s commentary
13th century · public domainParimelazhagar’s own words come first, unaltered. The plain reading follows below.
கடன் அறிந்து= வேற்றரசர் இடத்துத் தான்செய்யும் முறைமை அறிந்து; காலம் கருதி= அவர் செவ்வி பார்த்து; இடன் அறிந்து= சென்ற கருமஞ் சொல்லுதற்கேற்ற இடம் அறிந்து; எண்ணி= சொல்லுமாற்றை முன்னே விசாரித்து; உரைப்பான் தலை= அவ்வாறு சொல்லுவான் தூதரின் மிக்கான்.
Source: Tamil Wikisource
Parimelazhagar says the best envoy knows the proper conduct in the other king's court, watches for his receptive time, chooses a place fitted to the mission, considers the manner of speech beforehand, and only then speaks. Modern analogy may include channel, privacy, accessibility, and record while preserving time and place as independent conditions.