The Ambassador
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iṟuti payappiṉum eñcātu iṟaivaṟku / uṟuti payappatām tūtu.
Even if the embassy may bring death, the classical envoy does not shrink from securing assured advantage for his sovereign. This extreme royal-loyalty claim must never justify unsafe work or coerced self-sacrifice today.
▸Other translations · Pope (1886) & Aiyar (1916)
“Death to the faithful one his embassy may bring; / To envoy gains assured advantage for his king.”
“Even when threatened with death the perfect ambassador will not fail in his duty but will endeavour to secure his master’s profit.”
Parimelazhagar’s commentary
13th century · public domainParimelazhagar’s own words come first, unaltered. The plain reading follows below.
இறுதி பயப்பினும் எஞ்சாது= அவ்வார்த்தை தன் உயிர்க்கு இறுதி தருமாயினும், அதற்கு அஞ்சி ஒழியாது; இறைவற்கு உறுதி பயப்பது தூதாம்= தன்னரசன் சொல்லியவாறே, அவனுக்கு மிகுதியை வேற்றரசரிடைச் சொல்லுவானே தூதன்ஆவான்.
Source: Tamil Wikisource
Parimelazhagar says that even if the king's entrusted message may end the envoy's life, he does not withdraw in fear but speaks so as to secure his ruler's advantage. This is an extreme ideal of classical royal loyalty. It must not be used today to demand unsafe work, self-sacrifice, concealment of risk, or a child's exposure to danger.