Thirukkural 709 in English
Tamil original, transliteration, English translation, meaning, commentary, pronunciation, and chapter context.
Tamil original
பகைமையும் கேண்மையும் கண்ணுரைக்கும் கண்ணின்
வகைமை உணர்வார்ப் பெறின்.
Transliteration
Pakaimaiyum Kenmaiyum Kannuraikkum Kannin
Vakaimai Unarvaarp Perin
Modern English
“To someone skilled at reading eyes, a person's look can reveal friendship or hostility even when their words stay polite.”
Modern Interpretation
To someone skilled at reading eyes, a person's look can reveal friendship or hostility even when their words stay polite. During a new partnership, steady warmth or guarded suspicion may say more than the greeting.
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Tamil pronunciation
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Modern Plain English
To someone skilled at reading eyes, a person's look can reveal friendship or hostility even when their words stay polite.
Poetic Couplet (Bharati)
Friend or foe the eyes will show To those who changing outlooks know
G.U. Pope Translation
The eye speaks out the hate or friendly soul of man;To those who know the eye's swift varying moods to scan
Classical Meaning (Drew & Lazarus)
If a king gets ministers who can read the movements of the eye, the eyes (of foreign kings) will (themselves) reveal (to him) their hatred or friendship
Tamil commentary
அடுத்தவர்களின் பார்வை வேறுபடுவதைக் கொண்டே அவர்தம் மனக்கருத்தை அறியும் ஆற்றல் உடையவர்க்கு, பகைமையையும் நட்பையும் அவர்கள் சொல்லவில்லை என்றாலும் அவர்தம் கண்களே சொல்லிவிடும்.
Chapter 71
More from The Knowledge of Indications
குறிப்பறிதல்
Who reads the mind by look, untold Adorns the changeless sea-girt world
Kural 702Take him as God who reads the thought Of another man with without a doubt
Kural 703By sign who scans the sign admit At any cost in cabinet
Kural 704Untold, he who divines the thought Though same in form is quite apart
Kural 705Among senses what for is eye If thought by thought one can't descry?
Kural 706What throbs in mind the face reflects Just as mirror nearby objects
Kural 707Than face what is subtler to tell First if the mind feels well or ill
Kural 708Just standing in front would suffice For those who read the mind on face
Kural 709Friend or foe the eyes will show To those who changing outlooks know
Kural 710The scale of keen discerning minds Is eye and eye that secrets finds