The Solitary Anguish
அன்பு செய்யாதவரை நினைந்து மனம் உருகுவது யாருக்கு நன்மை தரும் எனத் தனக்குள் அரற்றுதல். — The desolate grief of carrying one-sided longing while the beloved is far away.
Tap an underlined Tamil word to explore its sound, meaning, and use.
orutalaiyā ṉiṉṉātu kāmaṅkāp pōla / virutalai yāṉu miṉitu.
“Love on one side is bad; like balanced load / By porter borne, love on both sides is good.”
“Even as the burden on the carrying pole, love is pleasant only when it is on both sides: but it is a galling load when it is only on one side.”
Desire is a hard thing when it hangs at one end alone. Like a load on a carrying pole, it is sweet when the two ends match.
Ask about this Kural
Answers are drawn only from this Kural's sourced text and named commentary, and always cite what they used.
Choose a section
Parimelazhagar’s commentary
13th century · public domainParimelazhagar’s own words come first, unaltered. The plain reading follows below.
காமம் ஒருதலையான் இன்னாது= மகளிர் ஆடவர் என்னும் இருதலையினும் வேட்கை ஒருதலைக்கண்ணேயாயின் அஃது இன்னாது; காப்போல இருதலையானும் இனிது= காவினது பாரம்போல இருதலைக்கண்ணும் ஒப்பின், அஃது இனிது, எ-று.
Source: Tamil Wikisource
One-sided longing is sheer torment; like a balanced carrying-pole, love brings sweet delight only when shared equally by both.