In this episode, we listen to joyous words of welcome, as depicted in Sangam Literary work, Aganaanooru 184, penned by Madurai Maruthan Ilanaakanaar. The verse is situated amidst the falling flowers of the ‘Mullai’ or ‘Forest landscape’ and relays emotions that arise at the juncture of a homecoming.

கடவுட் கற்பொடு குடிக்கு விளக்கு ஆகிய
புதல்வற் பயந்த புகழ் மிகு சிறப்பின்
நன்னராட்டிக்கு அன்றியும், எனக்கும்
இனிது ஆகின்றால்; சிறக்க, நின் ஆயுள்!
அருந் தொழில் முடித்த செம்மல் உள்ளமொடு
சுரும்பு இமிர் மலர கானம் பிற்பட,
வெண் பிடவு அவிழ்ந்த வீ கமழ் புறவில்
குண்டைக் கோட்ட குறு முள் கள்ளிப்
புன் தலை புதைத்த கொழுங் கொடி முல்லை
ஆர் கழல் புதுப் பூ உயிர்ப்பின் நீக்கி,
தெள் அறல் பருகிய திரிமருப்பு எழிற் கலை
புள்ளி அம் பிணையொடு வதியும் ஆங்கண்,
கோடுடைக் கையர், துளர் எறி வினைஞர்,
அரியல் ஆர்கையர், விளைமகிழ் தூங்க,
செல்கதிர் மழுகிய உருவ ஞாயிற்றுச்
செக்கர் வானம் சென்ற பொழுதில்,
கற் பால் அருவியின் ஒலிக்கும் நல் தேர்த்
தார் மணி பல உடன் இயம்ப
சீர் மிகு குருசில்! நீ வந்து நின்றதுவே.

A glimpse of many, different elements of the lush forest in this trip, as we listen to the confidante say these words to the man, when he returns home after completing his mission:

“Not only to the good woman, with a god-like chastity, a veritable lamp of the household, who has the fame and excellence of bearing your child, but also to me, this is cause for delight! Long may you live! With an esteemed heart that has accomplished a hard task, you have left behind the jungle, buzzing with bees, and crossed the fragrant forest filled with fallen flowers, where white malabar jasmines have bloomed. Here, burying the dull heads of the cactus with sharp thorns and short branches, thick vines of the wild jasmine spread. Removing new flowers that have loosened and fallen from these vines, with its breath, the handsome stag with twisted antlers savours the clear water underneath, and then rests along with its spotted, beautiful mate in those spaces. At this time, when those with sickles in hand, the cleansers of weed seek and drink fine toddy and sway with ecstasy, when the sun with its diminished rays leaves the reddened sky, with the many bells on your chariot, resounding together like a mountain cascade, the way you have arrived here, O noble lord, brings forth immense joy!”

Time to relish the sound of the returning chariot! The confidante sees the man at their doorstep and declares that the man has brought so much happiness not only to the lady, who has borne him a son, but also to her. We should not miss how she celebrates the lady’s chastity and portrays her as a ‘lamp of the household’, a phrase that can be heard in Tamil homes even today, calling a new bride, who enters her husband’s home thus! Returning, we see the confidante narrating the man’s journey back, talking about how he has succeeded in his mission, and has left behind forests, wafting with the scent of many fallen flowers, and where the vines of a wild jasmine cover the dull tops of cactus, and a male deer that comes to drink water nearby, scatters the fallen jasmine flowers with its breath and savours the pure, clear water. After quenching its thirst, the male deer rests peacefully with its beautiful mate, the confidante sketches.

From place, she moves on to time, taking about how it’s the evening hour, when the people hard at work in the fields, those weeding with sickles, are calling it a day, and seeking the refreshment of toddy, as the sun bids bye to them and curls up in the twilight redness. The confidante has referenced this time only to say how the man had returned at this hour with his chariot bells, resounding like a cascade, and she concludes by saying the man has flooded their lives with joy because of his timely return!

A verse in which every sound, word and line reverberates with delight! In the scene where the wild jasmine vines cover the dull cactus, the confidante informs the man how the lady had hidden her feelings of distress and pallor with the garment of her chastity and patience. Likewise, in the scene of the stag blowing away the fallen flowers, relishing the clear water and resting with its mate, the confidante presents an image of events to follow, such as the man slaying the pallor in the lady, relishing her old beauty and resting happily with her. Also interesting how the confidante, who always sees her as one and same as her friend, especially when in sorrow, separates herself from the lady, and conveys her personal satisfaction at the man’s return, no doubt her skilful implementation of the concept of ‘doubling the joy and halving the sorrow’!