Military Spirit
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viḻittakaṇ vēlkoṇ ṭeṟiya vaḻittimaippi / ṉoṭṭaṉṟō vaṉka ṇavarkku.
For the fierce warrior, if the angry eye breaks its gaze and blinks when the enemy throws a spear, is that not itself retreat?
▸Other translations · Pope (1886) & Aiyar (1916)
“To hero fearless must it not defeat appear, / If he but wink his eye when foemen hurls his spear.”
“Is it not a shame to the hero if his eye doth so much as wink when the lance is hurled at him?”
Parimelazhagar’s commentary
13th century · public domainParimelazhagar’s own words come first, unaltered. The plain reading follows below.
விழித்தகண்= பகைவரை வெகுண்டு நோக்கிய கண்; வேல் கொண்டு எறிய அழித்து இமைப்பின்= அவர் வேலைக்கொண்டு எறிய அஃது ஆற்றாது அந்நோக்கை அழித்து இமைக்குமாயின்; வன்கணவர்க்கு ஓட்டு அன்றோ= அது வீரர்க்குப் புறங்கொடுத்தலாம்.
Source: Tamil Wikisource
Parimelazhagar explains that if the eye which stared angrily at the enemy cannot sustain that gaze and blinks when the enemy throws a spear, then for the fierce warrior this is equivalent to turning his back in flight. It is an extreme ancient honour standard, not a modern judgement on involuntary reflexes.