711 kal̤i nilā ĕzhil matipurai mukamum * kaṇṇaṉe tiṇkai mārvum tiṇtol̤um *
tal̤ir malark karuṅkuzhal piṟaiyatuvum * taṭaṅkŏl̤ tāmaraik kaṇkal̤um pŏlinta **
il̤amai-iṉpattai iṉṟu ĕṉtaṉ kaṇṇāl * parukuveṟku ival̤ tāyĕṉa niṉainta *
al̤avil pil̤l̤aimai-iṉpattai izhanta * pāviyeṉ ĕṉatu āvi nillāte (4)
Simple Translation
711. “O Kanna, your face is like the shining full moon,
your hands, chest and arms are strong,
your dark hair is adorned with fresh flowers,
your forehead is like the crescent moon
and your eyes are like lotuses blooming in a pond.
I do not have the fortune of seeing
you with my eyes when you are a baby
even though I think of myself as your mother.
I am unlucky and I don’t have the pleasure
of raising my child, yet still I am alive. ”