Abstaining from Intoxicants
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nāṇeṉṉu nallāḷ puṟaṅkoṭukkuṅ kaḷḷeṉṉum / pēṇāp peruṅkuṟṟat tārkku.
“Shame, goodly maid, will turn her back for aye on them / Who sin the drunkard's grievous sin, that all condemn.”
“Behold the man who is addicted to the low vice of drunkenness: the fair one called Shame turneth her back upon him.”
The noble virtue of modesty turns its back and flees from those guilty of the shameful vice of drink.
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Parimelazhagar’s commentary
13th century · public domainParimelazhagar’s own words come first, unaltered. The plain reading follows below.
கள் என்னும் பேணாப் பெருங்குற்றத்தார்க்கு= கள்ளென்று சொல்லப்படுகின்ற யாவரும் இகழும் மிக்க குற்றத்தினையுடையாரை; நாண் என்னும் நல் ஆள் புறம் கொடுக்கும்= நாண் என்று சொல்லப்படுகின்ற உயர்ந்தவள் நோக்குதற்கு அஞ்சி அவர்க்கு எதிர்முகமாகாள்.
Source: Tamil Wikisource
The noble maiden called modesty turns her back and flees from those who indulge in the despised, ruinous vice of drinking intoxicants.