Not Backbiting
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aṟaṉnōkki āṟṟumkol vaiyam puṟaṉnōkkip / puṉsol uraippāṉ poṟai
“'Tis charity, I ween, that makes the earth sustain their load, / Who, neighbours' absence watching, tales or slander tell abroad.”
“How doth the Earth suffer patiently the tread of the calumniator on her bosom? Is it that she looketh unto Righteousness to rid her of him?”
How can the earth bear on her own body the one who waits for another's back to turn and speaks low words? It seems she bears him only because forbearance is her own virtue.
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Parimelazhagar’s commentary
13th century · public domainParimelazhagar’s own words come first, unaltered. The plain reading follows below.
புறன் நோக்கிப் புன் சொல் உரைப்பான் பொறை = பிறர் நீங்கின அளவு பார்த்து அவர் பழித்துரையை உரைப்பானது உடல்பாரத்தை; வையம் அறன் நோக்கி ஆற்றும் கொல் = நிலம் இக்கொடியது பொறுத்தலே எனக்கு அறம் ஆவது எனக் கருதிப் பொறுக்கின்றது போலும்.
Source: Tamil Wikisource
How can the earth bear on her own body the one who waits for another's back to turn and speaks low words? It seems she bears him only because forbearance is her own virtue.