The Country
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kēṭaṟiyāk keṭṭa viṭattum vaḷaṅkuṉṟā / nāṭeṉpa nāṭṭiṟ ṟalai.
Foremost among countries is the land rarely ruined by enemies and whose productive abundance does not diminish even when damage occurs.
▸Other translations · Pope (1886) & Aiyar (1916)
“Chief of all lands is that, where nought disturbs its peace; / Or, if invaders come, still yields its rich increase.”
“Behold the land that hath known no devastation by its foes, and which, even should it suffer any, would not bate one whit in its yield: it will be called a jewel among the countries of the world.”
Parimelazhagar’s commentary
13th century · public domainParimelazhagar’s own words come first, unaltered. The plain reading follows below.
கேடு அறியா= பகைவரால் கெடுதல் அறியாததாய்; கெட்ட இடத்தும் வளம் குன்றா நாடு= அரிதிற் கெட்டதாயினும் அப்பொழுதும் தன் வளம் குன்றாத நாட்டினை; நாட்டின் தலை என்ப= எல்லா நாட்டினும் தலை என்று சொல்லுவர் நூலோர்.
Source: Tamil Wikisource
Parimelazhagar explains that learned authorities call foremost the country ordinarily untouched by enemy ruin and whose abundance does not diminish even if rare damage occurs.