Reading Unspoken Signs
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Tap an underlined Tamil word to explore its sound, meaning, and use.
aṭuttatu kāṭṭum paḷiṅkupō ṉeñcaṅ / kaṭuttatu kāṭṭu mukam.
As crystal takes on and shows the colour beside it, the face reveals the feeling that has grown strong in the heart.
▸Other translations · Pope (1886) & Aiyar (1916)
“As forms around in crystal mirrored clear we find, / The face will show what's throbbing in the mind.”
“Even as the crystal changeth and assumeth the colour of that which is near, even so doth the face alter and show that which overfloweth the heart.”
Parimelazhagar’s commentary
13th century · public domainParimelazhagar’s own words come first, unaltered. The plain reading follows below.
அடுத்தது காட்டும் பளிங்குபோல்= தன்னை அடுத்த பொருளது நிறத்தைத் தானே கொண்டு காட்டும் பளிங்குபோல; நெஞ்சம் கடுத்தது முகம் காட்டும்= ஒருவன் நெஞ்சத்து மிக்கதனை அவன் முகம்தானே கொண்டுகாட்டும்.
Source: Tamil Wikisource
Parimelazhagar compares the face with crystal, which takes on and displays the colour of what is beside it: the face likewise shows the feeling that has become strong in the heart.