Lamenting at Evening
மாலை நேரம் காதலரின் பிரிவை ஒரு போர்க்களமாய் மாற்றித் தாக்குவதாக இரங்குதல். — Twilight (மாலை) arriving like an executioner, intensifying the agony of separation.
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aḻalpōlu mālaikkut tūtāki yāyaṉ / kuḻalpōluṅ kollum paṭai.
“The shepherd's pipe is like a murderous weapon, to my ear, / For it proclaims the hour of ev'ning's fiery anguish near.”
“They call it the pipe of the shepherd, but verily it is a murderous weapon to me: for it ushereth in the evening that burneth me so.”
The herdsman's flute has become the messenger of an evening that burns like fire, and the weapon that kills me when it arrives.
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Parimelazhagar’s commentary
13th century · public domainParimelazhagar’s own words come first, unaltered. The plain reading follows below.
ஆயன் குழல்= முன்னெல்லாம் இனியதாய்ப் போந்த ஆயன்குழல்; அழல்போலும் மாலைக்குத் தூதாகி= இதுபொழுது அழல்போலச் சுடுவதாய மாலைக்குத் தூதுமாய்; கொல்லும்படை= அது வந்து என்னைக் கொல்வுழிக் கொல்லும் படையும் ஆயிற்று, எ-று.
Source: Tamil Wikisource
The shepherd's flute, once a melody of delight, now announces the arrival of burning twilight — and becomes the very weapon that slays my heart.