Transactional Relationships
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Tap an underlined Tamil word to explore its sound, meaning, and use.
tannala pārippār tōyār takaicerukkip / puṉṉalam pārippār tōḷ.
Those fit to spread their own good name, earned through knowledge and conduct, do not seek the embrace of women whom the source describes as publicly marketing their disparaged bodily allure to every payer.
▸Other translations · Pope (1886) & Aiyar (1916)
“From touch of those who worthless charms, with wanton arts, display, / The men who would their own true good maintain will turn away.”
“Behold the men that have a regard for their own good: they touch not the hand of wantons who put up their lewd charms for sale.”
Parimelazhagar’s commentary
13th century · public domainParimelazhagar’s own words come first, unaltered. The plain reading follows below.
தகைசெருக்கிப் புன்னலம் பாரிப்பார் தோள்= ஆடல், பாடல், அழகு என்பனவற்றாற் களித்துத் தம்புல்லியநலத்தை, விலைகொடுப்பார் யாவர்மாட்டும் பரப்பும் மகளிர் தோளினை; தம் நலம் பாரிப்பார் தோயார்= அறிவு ஒழுக்கங்களானாய தம்புகழை உலகத்துப் பரப்புதற்குரிய உயர்ந்தோர் தீண்டார்.
Source: Tamil Wikisource
Parimelazhagar reads the first பாரிப்பார் as eminent people fit to spread their own good name throughout the world, a reputation formed by knowledge and conduct. He contrasts them with women who, exulting in dance, song, and beauty, are said by the old commentary to spread their disparaged pleasure to every payer; the eminent do not touch their shoulders. The repeated verb sets two kinds of circulation against each other: earned reputation and bodily allure the source describes as marketed among patrons. This is stigmatizing historical sexual rhetoric, not modern permission to demean women, performers, dance, song, clothing, beauty, sexual history, sex work, or transparent paid services; the paying male patron is not made innocent by the source's framing. A bounded modern analogy applies across genders only when a good name earned by knowledge and honest conduct is kept separate from a concealed relationship claim sold as personal care to whoever supplies money, access, status, or control.