Assessing Enmity
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uyirppa vuḷarallar maṉṟa ceyirppavar / cemmal citaikkalā tār.
“But breathe upon them, and they surely die, / Who fail to tame the pride of angry enemy.”
“Verily they shall not last long, those who humble not the pride of men who defy them.”
Those rulers who fail, when able, to break the pride of active enemies certainly will not remain alive even for the measure of a breath.
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Parimelazhagar’s commentary
13th century · public domainParimelazhagar’s own words come first, unaltered. The plain reading follows below.
செயிர்ப்பவர் செம்மல் சிதைக்கலாதார்= தம்மொடு பகைப்பாரது தருக்கினைக் கெடுக்கலாயிருக்க இகழ்ச்சியான் அது செய்யாத அரசர்; உயிர்ப்ப உளரல்லர் மன்ற= பின் உயிர்க்கு மாத்திரத்திற்கும் உளரல்லர் ஒருதலையாக.
Source: Tamil Wikisource
Those rulers who possess the power to subdue the pride of defiant enemies but fail to do so will swiftly perish, not surviving even for the measure of a single breath.