Thirukkural · அறத்துப்பால் · ஈகை

Thirukkural 223

Kural 223

இலனென்னும் எவ்வம் உரையாமை ஈதல்
குலனுடையான் கண்ணே யுள.

Ilanennum Evvam Uraiyaamai Eedhal
Kulanutaiyaan Kanne Yula

'I've nought' is ne'er the high-born man's reply; He gives to those who raise themselves that cry

Meaning

(Even in a low state) not to adopt the mean expedient of saying "I have nothing," but to give, is the characteristic of the mad of noble birth.

Plain English meaning from the 19th-century prose translation by W. H. Drew and John Lazarus. The verse above is G. U. Pope's translation (1886).

Other kurals in ஈகை

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