Military Spirit
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kaivēl kaḷiṟṟoṭu pōkki varupavaṉ / meyvēl paṟiyā nakum.
“At elephant he hurls the dart in hand; for weapon pressed, / He laughs and plucks the javelin from his wounded breast.”
“The warrior hurled his spear at the elephant and was hurrying back to look for another: but he noticed the spear buried in his own body and smiled with joy as he plucked it out.”
Having sent his hand-spear away with one elephant, the warrior searching for a weapon against the next smiles as he plucks out the spear lodged in his own body.
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Parimelazhagar’s commentary
13th century · public domainParimelazhagar’s own words come first, unaltered. The plain reading follows below.
கைவேல் களிற்றொடு போக்கி வருபவன்= தன் கைப்படையாய வேலைத் தன்மேல் வந்த களிற்றோடு போக்கி, வருகின்ற களிற்றுக்கு வேல் நாடித் திரிவான்; மெய் வேல் பறியா நகும்= தன் மார்பின்கண் நின்ற வேலைக் கண்டு பறித்து மகிழும்.
Source: Tamil Wikisource
Having hurled his hand-spear to slay an attacking elephant, a warrior unarmed before the next beast plucks the enemy's spear lodged in his own chest and laughs with joy at finding a weapon.