Examining Friendship
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āyntāyntu koḷḷātāṉ kēṇmai kaṭaimuṟai / tāṉcān tuyaran tarum.
“Alliance with the man you have not proved and proved again, / In length of days will give you mortal pain.”
“Behold the man that maketh men his friends without previously testing them: he courteth disasters which will only end in his death.”
Friendship formed without examining a person again and again will, in the end, bring its maker grief capable of destroying him.
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Parimelazhagar’s commentary
13th century · public domainParimelazhagar’s own words come first, unaltered. The plain reading follows below.
ஆய்ந்து ஆய்ந்து கேண்மை கொள்ளாதான்= குணமும் செய்கையும் நல்லன் என்பது, பலகாலும் பலவாற்றானும் ஆராய்ந்து ஒருவனோடு நட்புக்கொள்ளாதவன்; கடைமுறை தான் சாம் துயரம் தரும்= முடிவில் தான் சாதற்கு ஏதுவாய துன்பத்தினைத் தன் மாற்றார் விளைக்கவேண்டாமல் தானே விளைக்கும்.
Source: Tamil Wikisource
A friendship formed without repeated and thorough scrutiny of character will ultimately bring agony so profound that it feels like death itself.