Sangam Lit

In this episode, we listen to a lady’s lament, as portrayed in Sangam Literary work, Aganaanooru 364, penned by Madurai Maruthankizhaar Maganaar Perunkannanaar. The verse is situated amidst the blooming trees of the ‘Mullai’ or ‘Forest Landscape’ and sketches the picturesque changes in the season of rains.

மாதிரம் புதையப் பாஅய், கால் வீழ்த்து,
ஏறுடைப் பெரு மழை பொழிந்தென, அவல்தோறு
ஆடு களப் பறையின் வரி நுணல் கறங்க,
ஆய் பொன் அவிர் இழை தூக்கியன்ன
நீடு இணர்க் கொன்றை கவின் பெற காடு உடன்
சுடர் புரை தோன்றிப் புதல் தலைக் கொளாஅ,
முல்லை இல்லமொடு மலர, கல்ல
பகு வாய்ப் பைஞ் சுனை மா உண மலிர,
கார் தொடங்கின்றே காலை; காதலர்
வெஞ் சின வேந்தன் வியன் பெரும் பாசறை,
வென்றி வேட்கையொடு நம்மும் உள்ளார்;
யாது செய்வாம்கொல்? தோழி! நோதகக்
கொலை குறித்தன்ன மாலை
துனைதரு போழ்தின், நீந்தலோ அரிதே!

In this trip to this moist landscape, we get to see pleasant sights, as we listen to the lady say these words to her confidante, when the man continues to remain parted away, having left her on a mission of war:

“Spreading in a such a way as to bury all sense of direction, descending down, along with thunder, huge rain clouds have poured down. Striped toads in many pits resound akin to drums in a festivity. As if exquisite, radiant ornaments are hung down, the golden shower tree with long clusters makes the forest glow with beauty. Akin to lamps, the flame-lily blooms atop bushes, and along with wild jasmines, the clearing nut tree too blooms. All the wide-mouthed, fresh springs in the mountains fill up for animals to savour.  Such is the hour when the rainy season has begun. At this time, that lover of mine, who’s at the wide battle camp of the furious king, with his intention focused on victory, has no thought about me. What should I do, my friend? When the evening hour arrives beside me with much haste, as if intent on murder, it would be impossible to prevail over!”

Let’s soak in the rain of emotion! The lady starts by talking vividly about how the rains have showered, and as a consequence, toads are croaking, akin to festival drums, the golden shower tree is all ablaze, as if adorned with hanging ornaments, flame-lilies seem to light up with lamps, and as if all these splendours were not enough, the wild jasmines and clearing nut tree flowers have bloomed in synchrony. Further, to render relief to all thirsting animals, the watering holes in the mountain paths were brimming over. After stating that everything was blooming in the season of rains, the lady explains that her state was in contrast, for her lover was locked in a king’s battle, and so intent on victory was he that he had no thought about her. She concludes by wondering what she would do, when the murderous evening hour arrived and stood beside her! Reading these lines, it occurred to me how these poets have visualised a woman as a vine that would collapse if not for the sturdy support of her beloved. 

Moving beyond the lady’s sorrow which no doubt the man would soon allay, it was a sensory delight to hear the toads croaking, see the dangling golden shower clusters, inhale the fragrance of the wild jasmines, taste the cool mountain springs and sense the magic that the rains seem to cast upon the earth!

In this episode, we listen to words of hope rendered to a languishing heart, as portrayed in Sangam Literary work, Aganaanooru 363, penned by Madurai Pon Sey Kollan Vennaakanaar. Set in the ‘Paalai’ or ‘Drylands landscape’, the verse details the activities of the denizens in this domain.

நிரை செலல் இவுளி விரைவுடன் கடைஇ,
அகல் இரு விசும்பில் பகல் செலச் சென்று,
மழுகு சுடர் மண்டிலம் மா மலை மறைய,
பொழுது கழி மலரின், புனையிழை! சாஅய்
அணை அணைந்து இனையை ஆகல், கணை அரைப்
புல் இலை நெல்லிப் புகர் இல் பசுங் காய்
கல் அதர் மருங்கில் கடு வளி உதிர்ப்ப,
பொலம் செய் காசின் பொற்பத் தாஅம்
அத்தம் நண்ணி, அதர் பார்த்து இருந்த
கொலை வெங் கொள்கைக் கொடுந் தொழில் மறவர்
ஆறு செல் மாக்கள் அரு நிறத்து எறிந்த
எஃகு உறு விழுப்புண் கூர்ந்தோர் எய்திய,
வளை வாய்ப் பருந்தின், வள் உகிர்ச் சேவல்
கிளை தரு தெள் விளி கெழு முடைப் பயிரும்
இன்னா வெஞ் சுரம் இறந்தோர், முன்னிய
செய் வினை வலத்தர் ஆகி, இவண் நயந்து,
எய்த வந்தனரே தோழி! மை எழில்
துணை ஏர் எதிர் மலர் உண்கண்
பிணை ஏர் நோக்கம் பெருங் கவின் கொளவே.

In this trip to this formidable domain, we witness harsh scenes, as we listen to the confidante say these words to the lady, when the man continues to remain parted away, having left in search of wealth:

“Wielding horses in a neat row with much speed, as that diminishing flame traverses the huge and wide sky in the course of the day and vanishes into the dark mountains, akin to a flower at dusk, do not fade and fall upon your bed with suffering, O maiden wearing well-etched jewels! Flawless, fresh fruits of the thick-trunked, small-leaved gooseberry tree, are scattered by strong winds upon rocky paths, and appear akin to shining golden coins, in those drylands paths. Keeping a lookout here, those men, who are in the harsh line of work with a heartless policy of killing, aim their spears at the hearts of wayfarers. Those who fall to the wounds of these spears, are spotted by a male vulture with curving bills and sharp claws, which sends out a clear call to summon its flock so as to feed on the flesh, in that hot and hostile drylands. He who traversed thither, has attained success in his mission of gaining wealth, and with much passion for you, he arrives soon, my friend, to claim the great beauty of your kohl-streaked, dark and beautiful eyes, akin to twin flowers tied together, with the gaze of a naive, female deer!”

Time to brave the dangers of the scrub jungle! The confidante starts by asking the lady not to fade like a flower bud at the end of the day, when the sun, after riding its chariot across the sky, leaves to rest in the mountains. Then she presents a description of the drylands, first starting with yellow gooseberry fruits, scattered by the wind, appearing like gold coins. Incidentally, the name of the poet who penned this verse has the descriptor ‘Pon Sey Kollan’ which translates to ‘Goldsmith’. Sounds like a goldsmith, who penned poetry in his spare time! Someone who perhaps doesn’t have to worry about the age-old maxim, ‘No money to be made in art!’. 

Returning, we find the confidante continuing that description from the shining image of fallen gooseberries to the harsh scenes of killing of wayfarers by highway robbers, and then vultures feeding on the flesh of the fallen. After establishing the horrors of the domain the man had left to, the confidante concludes by declaring he’s done with his mission of gaining wealth, and he returns with much passion to claim the beauty of the lady’s flower-like eyes with a deer-like gaze.

Yet again, these are a friend’s words of cheer to a crestfallen heart! These Sangam poets make it sound as if the women then had no other job other than waiting for their men. It’s hard to believe that this and only this was the preoccupation of every woman who lived then. For we do have female poets like ‘Avvaiyaar’ and ‘Vella Veethiyaar’, penning exquisite poetry. So, at least they are proof that women did other things other than to just wait for their beloved. Perhaps this was a standard format of penning poetry, like a template, and it was upto each poet to add their unique touch. Thankful for every glimpse of a tree, a flower, a bird, an animal, a human way of life and aspect of culture that manages to emerge from this beaten-to-death theme of a woman pining! 

In this episode, we listen to a hidden message of persuasion, as portrayed in Sangam Literary work, Aganaanooru 362, penned by Velli Veethiyaar. The verse is situated amidst the spraying cascades of the ‘Kurinji’ or ‘Mountain Landscape’ and describes the dangers of a tryst by night.

பாம்புடை விடர பனி நீர் இட்டுத் துறைத்
தேம் கலந்து ஒழுக, யாறு நிறைந்தனவே;
வெண் கோட்டு யானை பொருத புண் கூர்ந்து,
பைங் கண் வல்லியம் கல் அளைச் செறிய,
முருக்கு அரும்பு அன்ன வள் உகிர் வயப் பிணவு
கடி கொள, வழங்கார் ஆறே; ஆயிடை
எல்லிற்று என்னான், வென் வேல் ஏந்தி,
நசை தர வந்த நன்னராளன்
நெஞ்சு பழுதாக, வறுவியன் பெயரின்,
இன்று இப்பொழுதும் யான் வாழலெனே;
எவன்கொல்? வாழி, தோழி! நம் இடை முலைச்
சுணங்கு அணி முற்றத்து ஆரம் போலவும்,
சிலம்பு நீடு சோலைச் சிதர் தூங்கு நளிப்பின்
இலங்கு வெள் அருவி போலவும்,
நிலம் கொண்டனவால், திங்கள் அம் கதிரே!

In this trip to the highlands, we get to see the usual sights, as we listen to the confidante say these words to the lady, speaking in the voice of the lady, pretending not to notice the man listening nearby, but making sure he’s in earshot:

“From the mountain peaks, filled with snakes, cool water flows through the narrow shores, fused with honey, making the river brim over; After fighting with a white-tusked elephant, nursing its wounds, the green-eyed, strong male tiger rests in the mountain cleft, protecting its tired mate with sharp claws, akin to Coral tree buds, in that path, which wayfarers avoid; Without considering the dangers of such a place and that it’s the dark hour of night, carrying a white spear, with desire, the good and noble man would arrive here. If he were to return empty-ended, with a broken heart, I have to give up my life, this very instant. What to do? Long may you live, my friend! Akin to the necklace that lies between our pallor-spotted bosoms, is the radiant, white cascade, and akin to the way it spreads moist drops all through the groves in the mountains, the rays of the moon shower upon the land!”

Time to take that night trek through the mountains. The confidante speaks in the voice of the lady, and starts by talking about how water gushes down from the mountains, filled with flowers and the nectar of honeycombs, making the river overflow. The confidante adds that in a path nearby, a tiger rests after a fight with an elephant, even as it protects its mate, picturesquely placing its sharp claws in parallel to the coral tree buds. She continues by saying so dangerous is that path that wayfarers stay away from it, and yet the man, without caring about the predators, which wait to attack, or the dark hour of the midnight, comes walking with just his spear for company, hoping to tryst with the lady. This is where we find out the confidante us speaking in the voice of the lady for she says, if at all he were to return disappointed, then she wouldn’t live another moment. The confidante means the lady wouldn’t live another moment, and by extension, herself. The confidante concludes by pointing out how the moon’s rays spread all around the land, just like the white cascade amidst the mountains, which is like a necklace amidst their bosoms, spreads moist drops all over the mountain groves. 

These words are to impress upon the listening man the pain and suffering the lady goes through every time the man doesn’t get to tryst with her. To avoid such frequent angst, the confidante subtly nudges the man to choose the path of permanent happiness by marrying the lady. Moving beyond the usual ‘Marry her, Marry her’ theme, we find the striking aspect of this verse in the way the similes are stacked by comparing the necklace on the bosom to the cascade amidst the mountains, and then the spray of that cascade upon all the groves in the mountain to the moonlight that brightens the land! To add to this stack of similes, like that moonlight that brightens the spread of the land, these words from the past seem to shower their glow upon the acres of time!

In this episode, we perceive the pain of parting, as depicted in Sangam Literary work, Aganaanooru 361, penned by Eyinanthai Makanaar Ilankeeranaar. Set in the ‘Paalai’ or ‘Drylands landscape’, the verse etches the yearning of the heart to turn back the hands of time.

”தூ மலர்த் தாமரைப் பூவின் அம் கண்,
மா இதழ்க் குவளை மலர் பிணைத்தன்ன,
திரு முகத்து அலமரும் பெரு மதர் மழைக் கண்,
அணி வளை முன்கை, ஆய் இதழ் மடந்தை
வார் முலை முற்றத்து நூல் இடை விலங்கினும்,
கவவுப் புலந்து உறையும் கழி பெருங் காமத்து
இன்புறு நுகர்ச்சியின் சிறந்தது ஒன்று இல்” என
அன்பால் மொழிந்த என் மொழி கொள்ளாய்,
பொருள் புரிவுண்ட மருளி நெஞ்சே!
கரியாப் பூவின் பெரியோர் ஆர,
அழல் எழு தித்தியம் அடுத்த யாமை
நிழலுடை நெடுங் கயம் புகல் வேட்டாஅங்கு,
உள்ளுதல் ஓம்புமதி, இனி நீ, முள் எயிற்று,
சில் மொழி, அரிவை தோளே பல் மலை
வெவ் அறை மருங்கின் வியன் சுரம்,
எவ்வம் கூர இறந்தனம் யாமே.

In this trip to this familiar domain, we take an inward journey, as we listen to the man say these words to his heart, having parted from the lady and in the middle of his journey through the drylands, in pursuit of wealth:

“Having an exquisite face, akin to a pristine lotus, upon which dark-petalled blue-lilies are fused as eyes, which are huge, exquisite and rain-like, and wearing beautiful bangles on her forearms, is that maiden with alluring lips. I had said with much love to you, O heart, that there is no greater pleasure than dwelling with that huge passion that resides, fusing as one, parting not even a thread’s distance from the spread of her bosoms. And yet, you were filled with the confusion of seeking wealth! Akin to a turtle, which has been placed in the burning sacrificial pit, as an offering to those elders, who wear unfading flowers, the one which yearns to be back at its shaded, wide pond, don’t you keep thinking about that maiden with thorn-like teeth, few words, for leaving behind her arms, crossing many mountains, we have come to this scorching, wide space filled with suffering now!”

Time to listen to the man’s chat with his heart! The man starts by describing his beloved calling her face, a lotus, and her eyes, a pair of blue-lilies. He then tells his heart how earlier he had said there was no greater joy in the world than being fused as one with her, not even parting a thread’s distance from her bosoms. At that time, his heart had refused to heed his warning and had pushed him to seek wealth, he says. He turns to his heart and talks about how they have come a long way, crossing many mountains, and concludes with an admonishment to his heart saying, ‘Having pushed me in this direction, now you have no right to think and yearn for the lady, like a turtle, which yearns to be back in its pond, when it finds itself in a burning, sacrificial pit, as an offering to the gods’. 

The highlight of this verse is the simile of the turtle in the middle of a sacrificial pit. Imagine the helplessness of that being, which was happily swimming about in its cool pond, finding itself amidst the burning flames. One may argue that the turtle had no say for it was brought there by human hands, whereas the man had the option of staying back. However the point here is that the man feels the force of his heart that pushed him into seeking wealth was beyond his power to tame, just like that little turtle. A verse which makes us reflect on the power that our dreams and desires seem to exert upon us and sometimes leave us in seemingly helpless paths in life! Where we go from there all depends on our ‘why’! 

In this episode, we listen to a person’s attempt to change another’s course of action, as portrayed in Sangam Literary work, Aganaanooru 360, penned by Madurai Kannathanaar. The verse is situated amidst the bee-buzzing blue lotuses of the ‘Neythal’ or ‘Coastal landscape’ and seemingly proposes a change in the trysting spot.

பல் பூந் தண் பொழில், பகல் உடன் கழிப்பி,
ஒரு கால் ஊர்திப் பருதி அம் செல்வன்
குடவயின் மா மலை மறைய, கொடுங் கழித்
தண் சேற்று அடைஇய கணைக் கால் நெய்தல்
நுண் தாது உண்டு வண்டினம் துறப்ப,
வெருவரு கடுந் திறல் இரு பெருந் தெய்வத்து
உரு உடன் இயைந்த தோற்றம் போல,
அந்தி வானமொடு கடல் அணி கொளாஅ,
வந்த மாலை பெயரின், மற்று இவள்
பெரும் புலம்பினளே தெய்ய; அதனால்,
பாணி பிழையா மாண் வினைக் கலி மா
துஞ்சு ஊர் யாமத்துத் தெவிட்டல் ஓம்பி,
நெடுந் தேர் அகல நீக்கி, பையெனக்
குன்று இழி களிற்றின் குவவு மணல் நீந்தி,
இரவின் வம்மோ உரவு நீர்ச் சேர்ப்ப!
இன மீன் அருந்து நாரையொடு பனைமிசை
அன்றில் சேக்கும் முன்றில், பொன் என
நல் மலர் நறு வீ தாஅம்
புன்னை நறும் பொழில் செய்த நம் குறியே.

In this trip to this shore, we get to witness changing moments of time, as we listen to the confidante say these words to the man, when he prepares to leave after his tryst by day, with the lady:

“In the moist grove, filled with many flowers, after spending the day with her, as that noble lord riding the one-wheeled chariot vanishes into the huge mountains in the west, as bees feeding on the fine pollen of the thick-stalked blue lotus, amidst the thick and cool slush of the curving backwaters, part away, taking an appearance, as if the forms of the two great gods with fearsome strength are united as one, as the twilight sky lights up the seas, if you part away as the evening hour arrives, she ends up being filled with great sorrow. And so, taking care that your well-adorned, proud horses, which never miss a step, wake not the sleeping town in the midnight hour, leaving your tall chariot far behind, quickly crossing the peaks of heaped sands, akin to elephants, why don’t you come at night, O lord of the seas, to our front yard, where upon a palm tree, a stork which has fed on schools of fish and the red-naped ibis nest at night, to the trysting spot I propose, near the fragrant grove, filled with fine, fallen, fragrant flowers of the laurel wood tree!”

Let’s walk on those ancient shores and listen to a plan! The confidante starts by describing what the man usually does, which is to spend the day with the lady, and then leave as the sun sets, the blue-lotus closes its buds, and the sky is coated in the twin colours of red and blue, which is associated here with the fusion of two unnamed Gods. She talks about how this fills the lady with much sorrow. So, instead of that usual course, the confidante concludes by proposing that the man takes care that his horses do not wake the sleeping town and come walking down the sand mounds to their front yard, where assorted birds such as the stork and ibis would be retiring for the night upon a palm tree, and meet the lady near the grove with fragrant laurel wood flowers.

At the core, it seems to be a ‘Don’t come at this time. Come later’ message and an invitation to tryst closer home, but in essence, it’s a ‘Marry her, Marry her’ message because that path of meeting the lady at night near her house is filled with the danger of discovery. The similes such as the sun riding a one-wheeled chariot and the one which describes sand mounds as elephants etch the time and place vividly in our minds.

In this episode, we perceive a challenging situation, as depicted in Sangam Literary work, Aganaanooru 359, penned by Maamoolanaar. Set in the ‘Paalai’ or ‘Drylands landscape’, the verse etches the many faces of this domain.

”பனி வார் உண்கணும், பசந்த தோளும்,
நனி பிறர் அறியச் சாஅய், நாளும்,
கரந்தனம் உறையும் நம் பண்பு அறியார்,
நீடினர்மன்னோ, காதலர்” என நீ
எவன் கையற்றனை? இகுளை! அவரே
வானவரம்பன் வெளியத்து அன்ன நம்
மாண் நலம் தம்மொடு கொண்டனர் முனாஅது,
அருஞ் சுரக் கவலை அசைஇய கோடியர்,
பெருங் கல் மீமிசை, இயம் எழுந்தாங்கு,
வீழ் பிடி கெடுத்த நெடுந் தாள் யானை
சூர் புகல் அடுக்கத்து மழை மாறு முழங்கும்
பொய்யா நல் இசை மா வண் புல்லி,
கவைக் கதிர் வரகின் யாணர்ப் பைந் தாள்
முதைத் சுவல் மூழ்கிய, கான் சுடு குரூஉப் புகை
அருவித் துவலையொடு மயங்கும்
பெரு வரை அத்தம் இயங்கியோரே!

In this trip to the familiar domain, we get to see many sights, as we listen to the confidante say these words to the lady, when the man continues to remain parted away, having left in search of wealth:

“Saying, ‘Does my lover prolong his stay, because he doesn’t know of my state, wherein my kohl-streaked eyes shed tears, my arms are coated with pallor, and how I have lost my health for all to see, and how every day, I hide that to keep others from knowing?’, why do you feel helpless, my friend! Indeed, he has taken away your fine beauty, akin to the town of ‘Veliyam’, ruled by Vanavaramban, along with him, to the drylands amidst the tall mountains, where a long-trunked male elephant mourns its lost mate in those cloud-covered spaces, where heavenly spirits reside, and trumpets aloud, akin to the music that rises atop huge hills, when musicians play on their instruments, and where the spray of cascades is fused with the smoke of forests being burnt, in those ancient highlands, where green stalks of thick, luxuriant crops of millet are grown, in the land of the courageous Pulli, who has unceasing, fine fame!”

Time to traverse those varied paths to this known space! The confidante starts by repeating the lady’s words as she laments about her state, because the man had left her, leaving her condition open for all to see but yet how she tries to hide that from everyone. This tells us the separation could have happened before the lady’s marriage with the man. Consoling the lady, the confidante talks about how the man had taken the lady’s beauty akin to the town of Veliyam, ruled by Vanavaramban, and had gone to the drylands space amidst the hills in the land of Pulli. She concludes by describing this place as one where an elephant trumpets aloud, when its mate is killed, sounding like the horns of musicians, and also a place where the spray of cascades fuses with the smoke that rises from burning forests, so as to cultivate millets on those ancient highlands.

Doesn’t this sound very much a mountain space? Why is this classified as the ‘desert’ or ‘drylands region’? Only to tell us that there were no designated place as ‘Paalai’ or ‘Drylands’ in Sangam times but only the transformation of ‘Kurinji’ and ‘Mullai’ lands or ‘Mountains’ or ‘Forests’, when the rains do not favour them. Likewise, the lady’s mind without receiving the rain of love, blooming in the mountains, or the shower of being with a beloved, in the forests, can only see a desert of separation before her. A way to say how we see the world is all in our mind!

In this episode, we perceive a subtle technique of persuasion, as depicted in Sangam Literary work, Aganaanooru 358, penned by Madurai Maruthan Ilanaakanaar. The verse is situated amidst the lush springs of the ‘Kurinji’ or ‘Mountain landscape’ and presents the hidden danger in the present situation.

நீலத்து அன்ன நிறம் கிளர் எருத்தின்,
காமர் பீலி, ஆய் மயில் தோகை
இன் தீம் குரல துவன்றி, மென் சீர்
ஆடு தகை எழில் நலம் கடுப்பக் கூடி,
கண் நேர் இதழ, தண் நறுங் குவளைக்
குறுந் தொடர் அடைச்சிய நறும் பல் கூழை
நீடு நீர் நெடுஞ் சுனை ஆயமொடு ஆடாய்,
உயங்கிய மனத்தையாகி, புலம்பு கொண்டு,
இன்னை ஆகிய நின் நிறம் நோக்கி,
அன்னை வினவினள்ஆயின், அன்னோ!
என் என உரைக்கோ யானே துன்னிய
பெரு வரை இழிதரும் நெடு வெள் அருவி,
ஓடை யானை உயர் மிசை எடுத்த
ஆடு கொடி கடுப்ப தோன்றும்
கோடு உயர் வெற்பன் உறீஇய நோயே?

In this trip to the highlands, we get to see the characteristic beauty of this domain, as we listen to the confidante say these words to the lady, pretending not to notice the man listening nearby but making sure he’s in earshot:

“Akin to peacocks, having a radiant plume, shining sapphire-like neck, exquisite feathers, and sweet, pleasant voices, which have gathered together, and dance, with a gentle grace and rhythmic beauty, along with your playmates, you, having eyes, akin to the petals of the cool and fragrant blue lily, and fragrant, thick tresses tied with short garlands, do not seem to play in the deep waters of the spring. Looking at this state of yours, caused by a languishing heart, filled with loneliness, if mother were to question me, Alas! What am I to say to her, about this affliction rendered unto you, by the lord of the soaring peaks, with tall, white cascades that descend down from the mountain, appearing akin to a swaying flag, atop an elephant with an ornamented forehead?”

Time to take the mountain trek! The confidante starts by talking about how the lady seemed to have no interest in playing and swimming with her mates in the rich springs around, in the manner of dancing peacocks. She observes how the lady has turned pale with loneliness and worry assailing her heart. The confidante concludes by wondering aloud what she was to do if Mother were to observe these changes in the lady and query her about it, when the cause of that affliction was the lord of the mountain, whose domain she describes by comparing the falling cascade from a mountain to a fluttering flag atop an elephant.

This is to warn the listening man of the danger of discovery and the painful state the lady is in, when he leaves her after his trysting. It’s that familiar nudge from this friend to the man to give up his temporary trysting and seek the permanent path of happiness. The thought that stayed with me is how a normal and happy state of the lady has been sketched as her joyful play with her friends, and the absence of which has visible effects on her health. Like the man who receives that subtle message, we too are sent that little word about the importance of play from the pages of the past!

In this episode, we listen to words of reassurance, as depicted in Sangam Literary work, Aganaanooru 357, penned by Erukkaattoor Thaayankannanaar. Set in the ‘Paalai’ or ‘Drylands landscape’, the verse turns the spotlight on the denizens of this domain.

கொடு முள் ஈங்கை சூரலொடு மிடைந்த
வான் முகை இறும்பின் வயவொடு வதிந்த
உண்ணாப் பிணவின் உயக்கம் தீரிய,
தட மருப்பு யானை வலம் படத் தொலைச்சி,
வியல் அறை சிவப்ப வாங்கி, முணங்கு நிமிர்ந்து,
புலவுப் புலி புரண்ட புல் சாய் சிறு நெறி
பயில் இருங் கானத்து வழங்கல்செல்லாது,
பெருங் களிற்று இன நிரை கை தொடூஉப் பெயரும்,
தீம் சுளைப் பலவின் தொழுதி, உம்பற்
பெருங் காடு இறந்தனர்ஆயினும், யாழ நின்
திருந்து இழைப் பணைத் தோள் வருந்த நீடி,
உள்ளாது அமைதலோ இலரே நல்குவர்
மிகு பெயல் நிலைஇய தீம் நீர்ப் பொய்கை
அடை இறந்து அவிழ்ந்த தண் கமழ் நீலம்
காலொடு துயல்வந்தன்ன, நின்
ஆய் இதழ் மழைக் கண் அமர்த்த நோக்கே.

In this trip to this familiar domain, we get to see the usual sights, as we listen to the confidante say these words to the lady, when the man remains parted away, having left in search of wealth:

“In the little scrub jungle with white buds, the touch-me-not with curving thorns and the wild jujube stand intertwined. To end the suffering of its hungry mate, languishing here, a flesh-reeking tiger attacks an elephant with curving tusks, on its right, kills it, and reddening those wide spaces, drags the carcass. Then stretching and straightening itself, it rolls on the grass in that narrow path. Avoiding this path with flattened grass in the wide and dark forest, a huge herd of elephants walk on, caressing their trunks, amidst the group of jackfruit trees with sweet fruit slices, in the huge Umbal forest. Even though he has parted away thither, he shall not prolong his stay, letting your well-etched, bamboo-like arms to thin away. He shall render his grace soon, for he cannot remain there, forgetting the look in your exquisite, petalled, rain-like eyes, which are akin to moist and fragrant blue lotuses, swaying in the wind, shooting up from the leaves, in a sweet-watered pond, in the middle of a heavy downpour!”

Let’s walk on through this formidable domain and learn more! The confidante starts with a description of the drylands and she talks about touch-me-not vines and jujube vines, appearing intertwined in a thick bush, near which lies a female tiger, exhausted and craving for food. To satisfy the hunger of this mate, the male hunts down and drags an elephant, and rolls on the grass, flattening it, the confidante continues. Elephants, known for their sharp memory, avoid this path, and they move away and walk through dense jackfruit trees, she mentions, and connects that this is the Umbal forest, beyond which the man had set out to seek wealth. The confidante promises the lady that the man would not delay his return for he is not someone to forget the look of the lady’s eyes, which are akin to blue lotuses, swaying in the wind, after a heavy downpour!

In essence, it’s a ‘Don’t you worry’ message to the lady, from a thoughtful friend. The image that stayed with me in this verse, is the one of elephants, walking in a huge herd, conveying their bond by rubbing their trunks, and this brought to my mind something I read about how these elephants survive because they are lead by a matriarch, an old female elephant, long past her prime, in the state of menopause, a stage of life that elephant females share only with humans and whales of all the species on earth. It’s the matriarch’s memory, which makes that herd avoid the paths of predators and seek the spots of waterholes. And so it is, with whales too. It should be the same for humans too. And, so I wish I could tell this sorrowful lady that the power to survive not just this mere separation from a man but even the great uncertainties of life itself was deeply encoded in who she was!

In this episode, we listen to words of persuasion, as portrayed in Sangam Literary work, Aganaanooru 356, penned by Paranar. The verse is situated amidst the flowing rivers in the ‘Marutham’ or ‘Farmlands landscape’ and narrates scenes from history to change a person’s course of action.

மேல் துறைக் கொளீஇய கழாலின் கீழ்த் துறை
உகு வார் அருந்த, பகு வாய் யாமை
கம்புள் இயவன் ஆக, விசி பிணித்
தெண் கண் கிணையின் பிறழும் ஊரன்
இடை நெடுந் தெருவில் கதுமெனக் கண்டு, என்
பொற் தொடி முன்கை பற்றினனாக,
‘அன்னாய்!’ என்றனென்; அவன் கை விட்டனனே,
தொல் நசை சாலாமை, நன்னன் பறம்பில்
சிறுகாரோடன் பயினொடு சேர்த்திய
கற் போல் நாவினேனாகி, மற்று அது
செப்பலென் மன்னால், யாய்க்கே; நல் தேர்க்
கடும் பகட்டு யானைச் சோழர் மருகன்
நெடுங் கதிர் நெல்லின் வல்லம் கிழவோன்
நல்லடி உள்ளானாகவும், ஒல்லார்
கதவம் முயறலும் முயல்ப; அதாஅன்று,
ஒலி பல் கூந்தல் நம்வயின் அருளாது,
கொன்றனன்ஆயினும் கொலை பழுது அன்றே
அருவி ஆம்பல் கலித்த முன்துறை
நன்னன் ஆஅய் பறம்பு அன்ன
மின் ஈர் ஓதி! என்னை, நின் குறிப்பே?

In this trip to this complex domain, we are let into a puzzling maze, as we listen to the confidante say these words to the lady, at a time when the man had left the lady in pursuit of a courtesan but was now back seeking entry to the lady’s house, by winning the confidante’s confidence:

“As vessels containing toddy had been washed upstream, to drink up the flowing nectar, a turtle waits with its mouth open downstream. As the marsh hen stands in, as the playing musician, akin to a tightly wound ‘Kinai’ drum in front of him, the turtle rolls around in the town of the lord.

Once before, in the middle of the street, seeing you, he caught hold of your forearm, adorned with golden bangles suddenly, making you shout, ‘Mother!’. He let go of your hand, in spite of his desire for long. At that time, akin to a stone, glued tight with wax by a whetstone-maker in the ‘Parambu’ country of Nannan, you stood transfixed, with your tongue, speechless, and you never shared what happened to Mother.

Even though that heir of the Chozhas, with proud and strong elephants and fine chariots, the leader of ‘Vallam’, filled with soaring crops of paddy, is such a good person, his enemies would try to capture and subdue him; While that is so, if the lord does not render his graces towards your luxuriant tresses, and inflicts suffering upon you, that act will not be considered wrong. O maiden, having thick, shining tresses, akin to the  exquisite ‘Parambu’ country of Nannan, where river shores brim over with white-lilies, blooming in the cascades, what do you say to my words?”

Time to make sense of this puzzle in the land of plenty! The confidante first talks about the man’s town, and to do that, she talks of how people would wash the vessels that had toddy in them upstream, and as if it knows this nectar will flow in the water, a turtle apparently waits with its mouth agape downstream, and after enjoying that drink, it rolls around, as a marsh hen stands nearby, and this appears like a musician and his ‘Kinai’ drum, the confidante sketches. From the sound of it, the turtle is most probably the ‘Indian Flapshell Turtle’, one which lives near South Indian rivers. True that so far, there are no complications. Just the usual Sangam description of place!

At this point however, the confidante launches into an incident in the past and she talks as if the man pulled her hand and she shouted Mother’s name, startled, but when Mother came, she refused to tell her what happened, and to depict the transformation of her tongue, she calls in a whetstone-maker in Nannan’s Parambu country and the well-made, unshakeable stone in his hands. This was the part that confused me the most. What is the man doing pulling the confidante’s hand, I was wondering! And then it occurred to me, the confidante has launched into her usual style of narrating something, as if she’s the lady herself. In fact, that incident was something that had happened in the lady’s past, when the man was courting her with much love and desire. The confidante brings up this story to remind the lady how much the man had sought the lady and how much the lady had reciprocated his love then. 

Changing tracks, the confidante then goes on to talk about the ruler of ‘Vallam’ and how he was such a noble and good person. Even so, that did not stop his enemies from attacking him, the confidante adds. Then, she goes on to say that even if the man did not grace the lady and rendered only suffering, he was not wrong to do so. I fell off the chair at this point, seeing the way the confidante was normalising the man’s truant behaviour! Let’s come to that in a moment! The confidante concludes by praising the lady’s tresses and calling it in parallel to Nannan’s glowing Parambu country once more, and asking the lady what was her take on this view of things!

A friend, who says these words, would not even be considered a friend today! However, let’s try to understand with the lens of the past. In that era, a man courting courtesans was an accepted norm, and perhaps even considered as the duty of the leader of that town to support the livelihood of those maiden. That’s what the confidante is hinting when she says the suffering the man had inflicted on the lady, by courting those courtesans, was not wrong. In talking about the noble leader of Vallam, who nevertheless gets attacked by his enemies, the confidante equates to the lady’s situation, by saying, ‘Even though you are good and proper, it’s the man’s nature to err’. So, the confidante means to insist to the lady to stop her sulking and accept the man. Now you know why this was one of the most difficult verses to understand and break down, considering the way it’s narrated and its inner meanings, which have not stood the test of time. Still, it turned out to be a mental exercise in understanding people, who are different from who we are, and that’s always an enriching experience in life! 

In this episode, we perceive an opposition to a person’s plan, as portrayed in Sangam Literary work, Aganaanooru 355, penned by Thankaal Porkollanaar. Set in the ‘Paalai’ or ‘Drylands landscape’, the verse brings out the transformations in the season of spring.

மாவும் வண் தளிர் ஈன்றன; குயிலும்
இன் தீம் பல் குரல் கொம்பர் நுவலும்;
மூதிலை ஒழித்த போது அவிழ் பெருஞ் சினை,
வல்லோன் தைவரும் வள் உயிர்ப் பாலை
நரம்பு ஆர்த்தன்ன வண்டினம் முரலும்;
துணி கயம் துன்னிய தூ மணல் எக்கர்,
தாது உகு தண் பொழில் அல்கி, காதலர்
செழு மனை மறக்கும் செவ்வி வேனில்
தானே வந்தன்றுஆயின், ஆனாது
இலங்கு வளை நெகிழ்ந்த எவ்வம் காட்டிப்
புலந்தனம் வருகம்; சென்மோ தோழி!
”யாமே எமியம் ஆக, நீயே
பொன் நயந்து அருள் இலையாகி,
இன்னை ஆகுதல் ஒத்தன்றால்” எனவே.

In this trip to the drylands, we avoid entering the domain entirely and instead focus on seasonal changes, as we listen to the lady say these words to her confidante, when the confidante informs the lady about the man’s intention to part away in search of wealth:

“Mango trees have sprouted lush leaves; Atop their branches, cuckoos sing in a chorus of pleasant, sweet voices; Shedding old leaves, the huge branch blooms with flowers, around which bees buzz around, akin to strings, resounding in the resonating rhythm of the ‘Paalai’ tune, in the hands of an expert musician. Upon pristine sand mounds, near ponds having clear water, staying in those cool groves, filled with pollen, lovers forget their wealthy mansions in the exquisite season of spring, which has arrived here already. And so, let’s go and show the suffering of how these shining bangles slip away incessantly, and quarrel with him, come my friend! We need to make him understand that leaving me here all alone, if he wished to leave, only desiring wealth, and refused to render grace, it’s not fitting for that noble stature of his!”

Time to witness the lady’s emotions in this situation! She starts by detailing the changes in the world around her, talking about mango trees being covered in tender, green sprouts, cuckoos singing from the branches of those trees, and branches shedding old leaves and blooming with new flowers, which send out an invitation to the bees, which come and buzz around, in the music of the ‘Paalai’ tune from a lute’s strings. Then the lady talks about how at this time those in love rest by cool ponds in moist groves and forget going to their homes, why because it was that picturesque season of spring. She connects by saying that season had arrived and if the man wanted to leave at this time, making her bangles slip away, then it was not right on his part at all. The lady concludes by requesting the confidante to accompany her as she goes and tells the man these thoughts, sulks with him and stops him!

Whether the lady will succeed in stopping the man, is a moot point. The thing to rejoice here is in the description of the arrival of spring with its newness, and painting how when nature blooms, love seems to do too! Curiously, this is not a thought that is unique to this time and place, for I have read numerous poems and scenes in novels where the season of spring seems to take centre stage when it comes to the story of love. Once again, we find that common thread running across human cultures and its perspectives on nature, regardless of space and time!