Poverty
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iṉmaiyi ṉiṉṉāta tiyāteṉi ṉiṉmaiyi / ṉiṉmaiyē yiṉṉā tatu.
“You ask what sharper pain than poverty is known; / Nothing pains more than poverty, save poverty alone.”
“Wantest thou to know what is more galling than indigence? then know that indigence alone is more galling than indigence.”
If you ask what brings greater grief than poverty, nothing is as painful as poverty itself.
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Parimelazhagar’s commentary
13th century · public domainParimelazhagar’s own words come first, unaltered. The plain reading follows below.
இன்மையின் இன்னாதது யாது எனின்= ஒருவனுக்கு வறுமைபோல இன்னாதது யாது என்று வினவின்; இன்மையின் இன்னாதது இன்மையே= வறுமைபோல இன்னாதது வறுமையே பிறிதில்லை.
Source: Tamil Wikisource
If it is asked what brings as much bitter sorrow to a person as poverty, the answer is that nothing is as agonizing as poverty except poverty itself.