Reading Unspoken Signs
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mukattiṉ mutukkuṟainta tuṇṭō vuvappiṉuṅ / kāyiṉun tāṉmun tuṟum.
“Than speaking countenance hath aught more prescient skill? / Rejoice or burn with rage, 'tis the first herald still!”
“What is there that is subtler than the face? for whether the heart is angry or glad it is the face that expresseth it first.”
Is anything more perceptive than the face? Whether the heart feels delight or aversion, the face shows it first.
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Parimelazhagar’s commentary
13th century · public domainParimelazhagar’s own words come first, unaltered. The plain reading follows below.
உவப்பினும் காயினும் தான் முந்துறும்- உயிர் ஒருவனை உவத்தலானும், காய்தலானும்உறின், தானறிந்து அவற்றின்கண் அதனின் முற்பட்டு நிற்கும்ஆகலான்; முகத்தின் முதுக்குறைந்தது உண்டோ- முகம்போல அறிவு மிக்கது பிறிதுண்டோ? இல்லை.
Source: Tamil Wikisource
Is there anything endowed with greater intuitive discernment than the face? For whether one feels joy or anger, the face reveals it before all else.