Friendship
.
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mukanaka naṭpatu naṭpaṉṟu neñcat / takanaka naṭpatu naṭpu.
Friendship that smiles only in the face is not friendship; friendship in which the inner heart truly rejoices through affection is friendship.
▸Other translations · Pope (1886) & Aiyar (1916)
“Not the face's smile of welcome shows the friend sincere, / But the heart's rejoicing gladness when the friend is near.”
“Friendship is not the comradeship that smileth to the face: it is rather the love that delighteth the heart.”
Parimelazhagar’s commentary
13th century · public domainParimelazhagar’s own words come first, unaltered. The plain reading follows below.
முகம் நக நட்பது நட்பு அன்று= கண்டவழி அகம் ஒழிய, முகம் மாத்திரமே மலரும் வகை நட்கும் அது, நட்பு ஆகாது; நெஞ்சத்து அகம் நக நட்பது நட்பு= அன்பால் அகமும் மலர நட்கும் அதே நட்பாவது.
Source: Tamil Wikisource
Parimelazhagar says that a bond in which only the face brightens while the interior does not is not friendship. Genuine friendship is the bond in which affection makes the inner self rejoice.