Transactional Relationships
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varaivilā māṇiḻaiyār meṉṟōḷ puraiyilāp / pūriyarka ḷāḻu maḷaṟu.
“The wanton's tender arm, with gleaming jewels decked, / Is hell, where sink degraded souls of men abject.”
“The soft arms of the well-decked harlot are the filthy ditch wherein contemptible fools drown themselves.”
The soft shoulders of women who yield indiscriminately for hire are a foul swamp into which base fools sink.
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Parimelazhagar’s commentary
13th century · public domainParimelazhagar’s own words come first, unaltered. The plain reading follows below.
வரைவு இலா மாண் இழையார் மென்தோள்= உயர்ந்தோர், இழிந்தோர் என்னாது விலைகொடுப்பார் யாவரையும் முயங்கும் மகளிரது மெல்லியதோள்கள்; புரையிலாப் பூரியர்கள் ஆழும் அளறு= அக்குற்றத்தை அறியும் அறிவில்லாத கீழ்மக்கள் புக்கு அழுந்து நிரயம்.
Source: Tamil Wikisource
The soft shoulders of women who indiscriminately entertain anyone for hire are an abyss of hell into which unprincipled fools sink and drown.