In this episode, we listen to a hidden message of persuasion, as depicted in Sangam Literary work, Aganaanooru 182, penned by Kabilar. The verse is situated amidst a scene of leaping monkeys and showering trees, in the ‘Kurinji’ or ‘Mountain Landscape’ and relays the consequences of a person’s present actions.

பூங் கண் வேங்கைப் பொன் இணர் மிலைந்து,
வாங்கு அமை நோன் சிலை எருத்தத்து இரீஇ,
தீம் பழப் பலவின் சுளை விளை தேறல்
வீளை அம்பின் இளையரொடு மாந்தி,
ஓட்டு இயல் பிழையா வய நாய் பிற்பட,
வேட்டம் போகிய குறவன் காட்ட
குளவித் தண் புதல் குருதியொடு துயல் வர,
முளவுமாத் தொலைச்சும் குன்ற நாட!

அரவு எறி உருமோடு ஒன்றிக் கால் வீழ்த்து
உரவு மழை பொழிந்த பானாட் கங்குல்,
தனியை வந்த ஆறு நினைந்து, அல்கலும்,
பனியொடு கலுழும் இவள் கண்ணே; அதனால்,
கடும் பகல் வருதல் வேண்டும் தெய்ய
அதிர் குரல் முது கலை கறி முறி முனைஇ,
உயர்சிமை நெடுங் கோட்டு உகள, உக்க
கமழ் இதழ் அலரி தாஅய் வேலன்
வெறி அயர் வியன் களம் கடுக்கும்
பெரு வரை நண்ணிய சாரலானே.

In this illustrative trip to this vibrant domain, we get to hear the confidante say these words to the man, who arrives for a nightly tryst with the lady:

“Wearing golden clusters of the Kino tree, blooming in the picturesque place, placing a curving, sturdy bow on the shoulder, relishing nectar from sweet jackfruit slices in the company of helpers, who wield whistling arrows, followed by fierce dogs that never miss an animal’s track, a mountain man who goes hunting, makes the moist bush of a wild jasmine splatter with blood, when he fells a porcupine, in the peaks of your domain, O lord!

In the dark hour of midnight, when clouds, shaken by winds, pour down rain, accompanied by lightning, and thunder that ruins snakes, you walk on alone. Thinking about the path you tread so, all day, her eyes brim with tears. And so, you must come in the brightness of day here, where an old harsh-voiced monkey, disliking the bite of pepper vine leaves, leaps from the tall and long branches, and shedding and scattering fragrant petals of flowers many, making this slope of the huge mountain, appear like the arena of Velan’s ‘Veri’ ritual!”

Time to track the scent of a porcupine in the hills! The confidante starts with a vivid portrait of the man’s country, and to do that, she zooms on to the quintessential denizen of this place – a mountain hunter, and paints a verbal sketch of the golden Kino flower garland he wears, the strong bow he carries, and his manner of enjoying the nectar of jackfruit, with his helpers. Then, she transports the listener to a particular moment, when with the help of his talented dogs, this mountain hunter has tracked a porcupine and because he has felled it, the blood from the beast splatters on the white flowers, blooming in the wild jasmine bush.

After that graphic account of the man’s country, the confidante switches to talk about how the man comes walking all alone in the middle of the night, when the clouds pour and she talks of how this brings great distress to the lady, making her cry all day. So, she concludes by asking the man to come to their mountain slope, by day, a place where a leaping monkey scatters flowers of the forest on the mountain floor, making it appear like the ‘Veri’ ritual arena, where Velan does his divining dances.

While this may seem like a simple request to change the meeting time, there’s much more going on here! The confidante, by talking about the blood-splattered wild jasmine bushes, brings forth a metaphor for how the man had been trysting with the lady at night and leaving her at other times, which has led to visible signs of distress in her, which in turn has invited the attention of the lady’s kin and the gossiping townsfolk. In that subtle simile about the mountain slope looking like Velan’s arena, the confidante hints that steps are being taken by the lady’s parents to arrange such a ritual, which could end up dishonouring the lady because the true reason for her affliction was not God Murugu, who was being prayed to, but that mortal man she was in love with. Next, by asking the man to come by day, the confidante actually means to tell him to come claim the lady’s hand for all to see. It’s indeed ‘Marry her, Marry her’ but encased in the ancient equivalent of today’s cryptographic encryption!