Fortification
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eṉaimāṭcit tākiyak kaṇṇum viṉaimāṭci / yillārka ṇilla taraṇ.
Even when a fort possesses every excellence, it is effectively no fort for defenders who lack excellence in action.
▸Other translations · Pope (1886) & Aiyar (1916)
“Howe'er majestic castled walls may rise, / To craven souls no fortress strength supplies.”
“But however strong a fortress may be, it will avail nothing if the defenders show not vigour in action.”
Parimelazhagar’s commentary
13th century · public domainParimelazhagar’s own words come first, unaltered. The plain reading follows below.
அரண்= அரண்; எனை மாட்சித்து ஆகியக்கண்ணும்= மேற்சொல்லப்பட்ட மாட்சி எல்லாம் உடைத்தாய இடத்தும்; வினை மாட்சி இல்லார்கண் இல்லது= வினைசெய்தற்கண் மாட்சி இல்லாதார்மாட்டு அவை இலதாம்.
Source: Tamil Wikisource
Parimelazhagar explains that even where a fort possesses all the excellences named earlier, those qualities become as though absent for defenders who lack excellence in carrying out the required actions.