Noble Excellence
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cāṉṟavar cāṉṟāṇmai kuṉṟi ṉirunilantāṉ / tāṅkātu maṉṉō poṟai.
Should the worthy fall short in their worth, the wide earth itself will not bear its burden — the commentary defining the worthy as those filled with many qualities.
▸Other translations · Pope (1886) & Aiyar (1916)
“The mighty earth its burthen to sustain must cease, / If perfect virtue of the perfect men decrease.”
“Verily even the earth itself will not be able to support the burden of human life if the worthy were to fall from their worth.”
Parimelazhagar’s commentary
13th century · public domainParimelazhagar’s own words come first, unaltered. The plain reading follows below.
சான்றவர் சான்றாண்மை குன்றின்= பல குணங்களானும் நிறைந்தவர் தம் தன்மை குன்றுவராயின்; இரு நிலம் தான் பொறை தாங்காது மன்னோ= மற்றை இருநிலந்தானும் தன் பொறையைத் தாங்காதாய் முடியும்.
Source: Tamil Wikisource
If those filled with many good qualities fall short in that nature of theirs, even the wide earth will fail to bear its own burden.