Reading Unspoken Signs
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Tap an underlined Tamil word to explore its sound, meaning, and use.
nuṇṇiya meṉpā raḷakkuṅkōl kāṇuṅkāṟ / kaṇṇalla tillai piṟa.
On examination, ministers who call themselves discerning have no measuring rod other than their eyes for gauging a ruler's intention.
▸Other translations · Pope (1886) & Aiyar (1916)
“The men of keen discerning soul no other test apply / (When you their secret ask) than man's revealing eye.”
“The measuring rod of those that call themselves subtle is, when thou search for it, nought else but their eye.”
Parimelazhagar’s commentary
13th century · public domainParimelazhagar’s own words come first, unaltered. The plain reading follows below.
நுண்ணியம் என்பார் அளக்கும் கோல்- யாம் நுண்ணறிவு உடையேம் என்று இருக்கும் அமைச்சர் அரசர் கருத்தினை அளக்கும் கோலாவது; காணுங்கால் கண்ணல்லது இல்லை பிற- ஆராயுமிடத்து அவர்கண்ணல்லது பிற இல்லை.
Source: Tamil Wikisource
Parimelazhagar explains that, when examined, ministers who regard themselves as possessing subtle intelligence have no instrument other than their eyes with which to measure the ruler's intention.