அல்லல் வாழ்க்கை வல்லிதிற் செலுத்தற்குக்கைத்தேர் உழந்து கார்வரும் என்றுவித்து விதைத்தும் விண்பார்த் திருந்தும்கிளையுடன் தவிரப் பொருளுடன் கொண்டுமுளைமுதிர் பருவத்துப் பதியென வழங்கியும்அருளா வயவர் அம்பிடை நடந்தும்இருளுறு பவ்வத் தெந்திரங் கடாஅய்த்துன்றுதிரைப் பரப்பிற் குன்றுபார்த் தியங்கியும்ஆற்றல் வேந்தர்க்குச் சோற்றுக்கடன் பூண்டும்தாள்உழந் தோடியும் வாளுழந் துண்டும்அறியா ஒருவனைச் செறிவந்து தெருட்டியும்சொற்பல புனைந்தும் கற்றன கழறியும்குடும்பப் பாசம் நெடுந்தொடர்ப் பூட்டிஐவர் ஐந்திடத் தீர்ப்ப நொய்தில்பிறந்தாங் கிறந்தும் இறந்தாங்கு பிறந்தும்கணத்திடைத் தோன்றிக் கணத்திடைக் கரக்கும்கொப்புட் செய்கை ஒப்பில் மின்போல்உலப்பில் யோனிக் கலக்கத்து மயங்கியும்நெய்யெரி வளர்த்துப் பெய்முகிற் பெயல்தரும்தெய்வ வேதியர் தில்லை மூதூர்ஆடகப் பொதுவில் நாடகம் நவிற்றும்கடவுட் கண்ணுதல் நடமுயன் றெடுத்தபாதப் போதும் பாய்புலிப் பட்டும்மீதியாத் தசைத்த வெள்ளெயிற் றரவும்சேயுயர் அகலத் தாயிரங் குடுமிமணிகிடந் திமைக்கும் ஒருபே ராரமும்அருள்பொதிந் தலர்ந்த திருவாய் மலரும்நெற்றியில் திகழ்ந்த ஒற்றை நாட்டமும்கங்கை வழங்கும் திங்கள் வேணியும்கண்ணிடைப் பொறித்து மனத்திடை அழுத்தி ஆங்குள்மகிழ்ந் துரைக்க உறுதவஞ் செய்தனன்நான்முகன் பதத்தின் மேல்நிகழ் பதந்தான்உறுதற் கரியதும் உண்டோபெறுதற் கரியதோர் பேறுபெற் றேற்கே.
In plain words
To drive on by force a life of distress, I toiled at the hand-plough, sowed the seed thinking, “The rain-cloud will come,” and sat watching the sky. I left my kin at home and took my goods along, and in the season when the shoots grow full I went about the towns, weighing which was a good one. I walked amid the arrows of merciless warriors. I drove the vessel over the dark ocean and moved across the expanse of crowding waves, watching for the rocks. I took on a debt of food to mighty kings. I toiled with my feet and ran; I toiled with the sword and ate. I came close to one who did not know and instructed him. I fashioned many words and declaimed what I had learned. The bond of family was fastened on me like a long chain, and the five dragged me to five places. Easily I died as I was born and was born as I died, like the work of a bubble, like peerless lightning, appearing in an instant and vanishing in an instant, bewildered in the turmoil of endless wombs. Yet in Tillai, the old town of the divine Vedic brahmins who tend the ghee-fed fire and bring rain from the pouring clouds, the god with the eye on his brow performs his drama in the golden Hall. His foot like a flower, lifted with effort in the dance; the leaping tiger's skin as his cloth; the white-fanged serpent tied above it and swaying; one great necklace on his chest, high and wide, where gems lie twinkling in a thousand crests; his sacred flower of a mouth, blossomed full of aruḷ; the single eye shining on his forehead; his tresses bearing the moon, where Gaṅgā flows: these I have engraved in my eyes and pressed into my mind, and so, to tell of them with inward joy, I have done great tavam. This is the station that stands beyond the station of the Four-faced One. For me, who have gained a gain so hard to gain, is anything at all hard to reach?
Line by line
To drive on forcefully a life of distress, toiling at the hand-plough, saying the rain-cloud will come, sowing seed, and sitting watching the sky, kin staying behind, taking goods along, in the season when the shoots grow full, going about weighing which is a good town, walking amid the arrows of merciless warriors, on the dark ocean driving the vessel, in the expanse of crowding waves moving, watching for the rocks, to mighty kings taking on a debt of food, toiling with the feet running, toiling with the sword eating, to one who does not know, coming close, instructing, fashioning many words, declaiming what was learned, the bond of family fastened as a long chain, the five dragging to five places, easily dying as born, and born as died, appearing in an instant, vanishing in an instant, like a bubble's doing, like peerless lightning, in the turmoil of endless wombs, bewildered, tending the ghee-fed fire, giving rain from pouring clouds, the divine Vedic brahmins' Tillai, the old town, in the golden Hall performing the drama, the god, the brow-eyed, in the dance with effort lifted the foot-flower, and the leaping tiger's skin-cloth, and tied above and swaying, the white-fanged serpent, on the chest high and wide, thousand-crested gems lying and twinkling, one great necklace, and the sacred mouth-flower blossomed full of aruḷ, and the single eye shining on the forehead, and the moon-bearing tresses where Gaṅgā flows, engraving them in the eye, pressing them into the mind, there, inwardly rejoicing, to tell them, great tavam I have done. This itself is the station that stands beyond the Four-faced One's station; anything hard to reach, is there? for me who have gained a gain hard to gain, indeed.