False Friendship
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colvaṇakka moṉṉārkaṭ koḷḷaṟka vilvaṇakkan / tīṅku kuṟittamai yāṉ.
“To pliant speech from hostile lips give thou no ear; / 'Tis pliant bow that show the deadly peril near!”
“Trust not an enemy though he bendeth low in his speech: for the bending of the bow forebodeth nothing but harm.”
Do not take an enemy’s deferential words as goodwill: the bow’s bend, too, is directed toward harm.
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Parimelazhagar’s commentary
13th century · public domainParimelazhagar’s own words come first, unaltered. The plain reading follows below.
வில் வணக்கம் தீங்கு குறித்தமையான்= வில்லினது வணக்கம், ஏற்றவர்க்குத் தீமைசெய்தலைக் குறித்தமையால்; ஒன்னார்கண் சொல்வணக்கம் கொள்ளற்க= பகைவர் மாட்டுப் பிறக்கும் சொல்லினது வணக்கத்தையும், தமக்கு நன்மைசெய்தலைக் குறித்தது என்று கருதற்க.
Source: Tamil Wikisource
Never be deceived by the polite humility of adversaries; just as a bow bends only to loose a lethal arrow, their deference conceals an impending strike.