Unendurable Separation
தலைவன் பிரியப்போகும் செய்தியைக் கேட்டு தாங்கமுடியாத வேதனையைத் தோழியிடம் உரைத்தல். — The agony of hearing that the beloved must depart; pleading not to be left alone.
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aritarō tēṟṟa maṟivuṭaiyār kaṇṇum / pirivō riṭattuṇmai yāṉ.
“To trust henceforth is hard, if ever he depart, / E'en he, who knows his promise and my breaking heart.”
“It is impossible to put trust in any, seeing that the thought of separation lurketh somewhere even in the heart of him who knoweth my heart.”
Being sure of someone is hard — even of a man who knows what he promised and knows what a parting does to me, because a parting still happens on one occasion or another.
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Parimelazhagar’s commentary
13th century · public domainParimelazhagar’s own words come first, unaltered. The plain reading follows below.
அறிவுடையார் கண்ணும்= பிரியேன் என்ற தம்சொல்லும் நம்பிரிவாற்றாமையும் அறிதல் உடையராய கண்ணும்; ஓரிடத்துப் பிரிவு உண்மையான்= ஒரோவழிப் பிரிவு நிகழ்தலான்; தேற்றம் அரிது= அவர்சொல்லும் தலையளியும்பற்றி நம்மாட்டு அன்புடையர் எனத் தேறும் தேற்றம் அரிதாயிருந்தது.
Source: Tamil Wikisource
Even in one who knows his own vow never to part and understands how unbearable parting is, separation still occurs; thus finding settled certainty in his promises has become impossible.