The Possession of Decorum
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ulakattōṭu oṭṭa oḻukal palakaṟṟum / kallār aṟivilā tār
“Who know not with the world in harmony to dwell, / May many things have learned, but nothing well.”
“Fools may be as instructed as thou pleasest: but they never learn to conform to the ways of the righteous.”
Whoever has not learned to live in tune with the world's good people, however much else they have studied, has not really learned at all.
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Parimelazhagar’s commentary
13th century · public domainParimelazhagar’s own words come first, unaltered. The plain reading follows below.
உலகத்தோடு ஒட்ட ஒழுகல் கல்லார் = உலகத்தோடு பொருந்த ஒழுகுதலைக் கல்லாதார்; பல கற்றும் அறிவிலாதார் = பல நூல்களையும் கற்றார் ஆயினும் அறிவிலாதார். (உலகத்தோடு பொருந்த ஒழுகுதலாவது, உயர்ந்தோர் பலரும் ஒழுகிய ஆற்றான் ஒழுகுதல்.)
Source: Tamil Wikisource
Whoever has not learned to live in harmony with the good people of the world — to walk the way the worthy walk — is, however many books they have studied, still without real wisdom. The point of learning is conduct; without it the learning is empty.