Folly
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peritiṉitu pētaiyār kēṇmai piriviṉkaṭ / pīḻai taruvatoṉ ṟil.
The friendship of people who act without good judgment is ‘very pleasant’ in this ironic sense: when it ends, the separation causes no pain.
▸Other translations · Pope (1886) & Aiyar (1916)
“Friendship of fools is very pleasant thing, / Parting with them will leave behind no sting.”
“Greatly delectable is the friendship of fools: one feeleth no pangs when one parteth from them.”
Parimelazhagar’s commentary
13th century · public domainParimelazhagar’s own words come first, unaltered. The plain reading follows below.
பிரிவின்கண் தருவது பீழை ஒன்று இல்= பின் பிரிவுவந்துழி, அஃது இருவர்க்கும் தருவதொரு துன்பமில்லை; பேதையார் கேண்மை பெரிது இனிது = ஆதலாற் பேதையாயினார் தம்முட் கொண்ட நட்பு மிகவினிது.
Source: Tamil Wikisource
Parimelazhagar explains the irony: such friendship is called ‘very pleasant’ because, when separation comes, it causes neither person pain. A real bond can hurt to lose because care, trust, and shared responsibility existed. Here the painless ending reveals that no such depth had formed. The verse does not ridicule loneliness, disability, language, social difficulty, or the size of anyone's circle.