Sangam Lit

In this episode, we observe the trajectory of a conflict, as depicted in Sangam Literary work, Kalithogai 90, penned by Maruthan Ilanaakanaar. The verse is situated in the ‘Marutham’ or ‘Farmlands landscape’ and etches a tale of denial and acceptance.

தலைவி
கண்டேன், நின் மாயம் களவு ஆதல்; பொய்ந் நகா,
மண்டாத சொல்லித் தொடாஅல்; தொடீஇய நின்
பெண்டிர் உளர்மன்னோ ஈங்கு?

தலைவன்
ஒண்தொடி! நீ கண்டது எவனோ தவறு?

தலைவி
கண்டது நோயும் வடுவும் கரந்து, மகிழ் செருக்கி,
பாடு பெயல் நின்ற பானாள் இரவில்
தொடி பொலி தோளும், முலையும், கதுப்பும்,
வடிவு ஆர் குழையும், இழையும், பொறையா
ஒடிவது போலும் நுசுப்போடு, அடி தளரா,
ஆராக் கவவின் ஒருத்தி வந்து அல்கல் தன்
சீர் ஆர் ஞெகிழம் சிலம்ப, சிவந்து, நின்
போர் ஆர் கதவம் மிதித்தது அமையுமோ?
ஆயிழை ஆர்க்கும் ஒலி கேளா, அவ் எதிர்
தாழாது எழுந்து நீ சென்றது அமையுமோ?
மாறாள் சினைஇ, அவள் ஆங்கே, நின் மார்பில்
நாறு இணர்ப் பைந் தார் பரிந்தது அமையுமோ?
‘தேறு நீ; தீயேன் அலேன்’ என்று மற்று அவள்
சீறடி தோயா இறுத்தது அமையுமோ?
கூறு இனி; காயேமோ யாம்?

தலைவன்
தேறின், பிறவும் தவறு இலேன் யான்;
அல்கல் கனவுகொல் நீ கண்டது?

தலைவி
‘கனை பெயல் தண் துளி வீசும் பொழுதில் குறி வந்தாள்
கண்ட கனவு’ என, காணாது, மாறு உற்று
பண்டைய அல்ல, நின் பொய்ச் சூள், நினக்கு; எல்லா!
நின்றாய்; நின் புக்கில் பல

தலைவன்
மென் தோளாய்! நல்கு, நின் நல் எழில் உண்கு

தலைவி
ஏடா! குறை உற்று நீ எம் உரையல்! நின் தீமை
பொறை ஆற்றேம் என்றல் பெறுதுமோ, யாழ
நிறை ஆற்றா நெஞ்சு உடையேம்?

Another conversation between the man and the lady with added elements in this one! The words can be translated as follows:

“Lady
I have seen the secret relationship that you have been trying to hide! So, do not speak lies and do not touch me, saying odious words! Don’t you have many other women to embrace?

Man:
O maiden wearing shining bangles! What fault do you see in me?

Lady:
What I saw was this: Hiding the affliction within and the slander that arose, outwardly pretending to be happy, one night, when it was pouring heavily, bangles shining on her hands, as her bosom, tresses, and beautiful heavy earrings and many other jewels weighed her down, and a thin waist that appeared as if might break, with a delicate walk, desiring your endless embraces, a woman came here. With her exquisite anklets resounding and her feet reddening, didn’t she stand there, kicking your sturdy doors? Isn’t that enough? Hearing the sounds made by that maiden wearing well-etched jewels, didn’t you immediately rise and go to her, without any delay? Isn’t that enough? Just then, didn’t that strange woman, with much fury, tear apart the fragrant clusters of the fresh garland on your chest? Isn’t that enough? Didn’t you say to her ‘Don’t be angry. I have done no wrong’, clasping her small feet so tightly? Isn’t that enough? Pray tell whether I should be angry about all this or not!

Man:
If you think well, I have done no wrong. Perhaps, it was a dream that you saw that night!

Lady:
Saying, ‘In that time when there was a heavy down pour as cool drops scattered, the scene of the woman arriving here was a dream you had’, you hide what happened in the past and swear false oaths to me. Do not stand here. There are many houses that you can go to!

Man:
O maiden with soft arms! Please render me your grace for me to relish!

Lady:
Hey! Do not try to beseech me with such a plea! How can I ever remain firmly saying, ‘I cannot accept your wrongdoing’, when my heart refuses to stand strong with me?”

Let’s explore the details. The verse is situated in the context of a love quarrel between a man and a lady, owing to the man’s seeking of courtesans. These words depict a conversation between the man and the lady. As what has become custom in these past few verses, the lady opens by asking the man not to touch her, speaking lies for she knows all about his secret relationship. The man questions so innocently asking what fault she found in him. Then the lady goes into a long tale of how one night, during a heavy downpour that too, a courtesan, adorned with many jewels and filled with desire, came to the man’s home and kicked his door, and how the man rushed to her side hearing the noise, and how that woman tore his garland in anger, and then, how the man fell down and hugging her feet, declaring he had done no wrong. Quite a drama, the lady narrates, and she asks the man if she shouldn’t be angry about such a thing. To this, the man replies, ‘You should consider it carefully. Maybe what you think you saw was a dream!’. The lady replies in anger that he was trying to hide the past saying it was a dream and asks him to leave to the houses of those courtesans. Then the man humbles himself so and with much pleading asks the lady to forget all this and render her love. Maybe it’s time for the curtain to fall or maybe the lady realises the futility of the situation that she tells him, ‘Don’t look at me with such sadness and beg to me’ and concludes saying that no matter how much she wants to say no to him and keep away, the cursed heart of hers wouldn’t let her be so! The highlight of this verse is in how the man questions the lady’s reality by saying it could be a dream. And this made me ponder on the wonder of human perception, asking ‘What do we see? How do we see what we see? How do others see what we saw? What is the ultimate truth or does something like that even exist?’

In this episode, we perceive sparks fly in a domestic quarrel, as portrayed in Sangam Literary work, Kalithogai 89, penned by Maruthan Ilanaakanaar. The verse is situated in the ‘Marutham’ or ‘Farmlands landscape’ and relates a heated exchange between a couple.

தலைவி
யார் இவன்? எம் கூந்தல் கொள்வான்? இதுவும் ஓர்
ஊராண்மைக்கு ஒத்த படிறு உடைத்து; எம் மனை
வாரல்; நீ வந்தாங்கே மாறு

தலைவன்
என் இவை, ஓர் உயிர்ப் புள்ளின் இரு தலையுள் ஒன்று
போர் எதிர்ந்தற்றாப் புலவல்? நீ கூறின், என்
ஆர் உயிர் நிற்கும் ஆறு யாது?

தலைவி
ஏஎ! தெளிந்தேம் யாம் காயாதி, எல்லாம் வல் எல்லா
பெருங் காட்டுக் கொற்றிக்குப் பேய் நொடித்தாங்கு,
வருந்தல் நின் வஞ்சம் உரைத்து

தலைவன்
மருந்து இன்று மன்னவன் சீறின், தவறு உண்டோ? நீ நயந்த,
இன்னகை! தீதோ இலேன்

தலைவி
மாண மறந்து உள்ளா நாணிலிக்கு இப் போர்
புறம் சாய்ந்து காண்டைப்பாய் நெஞ்சே! உறழ்ந்து இவனைப்
பொய்ப்ப விடேஎம் என நெருங்கின், தப்பினேன்
என்று அடி சேர்தலும் உண்டு!

We continue hearing the same comic-book style ‘Wham-bham’ within a home! The words can be translated as follows:

“Lady:

Who is he? Why does he touch my tresses? It has the deceit of a great performance! Come not to my house! Return the way you came from!

Man:

What is this? Akin to how, in a bird with two heads, when one head fights with the other, you quarrel with me? If you speak so, there can be no way for my precious life to remain!

Lady:

Hey! I know everything! Do not make me angry! Akin to how a ghost maiden puts forth riddles to the all-knowing Goddess Kottri in the huge forest, do not tire yourself, speaking lies to me!

Man:

Can you blame anyone, if a king gets furious for no reason? O maiden with a sweet smile, I have done no wrong you accuse me of!

Lady:

O heart, if we corner him with more rebuke, wanting to pierce through all his lies, he might fall at the feet saying, ‘I have done a mistake’! So, please consider forgetting everything and surrendering to this thoughtless and shameless man in this fight!”

Let’s delve into the details. The verse is situated in the context of a love quarrel between a man and a lady, owing to the man’s seeking of courtesans. These words are an exchange between the man and the lady. The lady starts by exclaiming who could be this person, who was touching her tresses, and she declares that this seems like a big performance, full of deceit on the part of the man and asks him to leave to where he came from, meaning the courtesan’s house. The man asks her how is it even possible for her to fight with him, with an interesting example of a two-headed bird, in which one head fights with the other. He adds that if she continues speaking so, he can’t go on. To this, the lady replies angrily that she knows everything and the man needn’t play with words the way a ghost maiden would try to put riddles to the omniscient forest goddess! The man sighs at this point and says who is at fault if the king flares up for no reason and continues to insist that he has done nothing wrong. The lady then talks to her heart and tells it that if they were to keep pressing the man and pushing him to a corner, to reveal his lies, he might fall at the feet and own that he made a mistake, and concludes saying, that it’s better to forgive and accept this man, thoughtless and shameless though he is! The final line indicates some aversion in the lady to see the man in the state, where he falls at her feet. Rather than seeing him so bent and broken, the lady feels it’s better to forgive him! Not the best of reasoning, however these past verses reveal how the man and the lady come to a point of closure at the end of their quarrelling! 

In this episode, we observe the inferences of a lady’s perceptive eyes, as depicted in Sangam Literary work, Kalithogai 88, penned by Maruthan Ilanaakanaar. The verse is situated in the ‘Marutham’ or ‘Farmlands landscape’ and etches the quarrelling and conflict in a household.

தலைவி
ஒரூஉ; கொடி இயல் நல்லார் குரல் நாற்றத்து உற்ற
முடி உதிர் பூந் தாது மொய்ம்பின ஆக,
தொடிய, எமக்கு நீ யாரை? பெரியார்க்கு
அடியரோ ஆற்றாதவர்?

தலைவன்
கடியர் தமக்கு யார் சொல்லத் தக்கார் மாற்று?

தலைவி
வினைக்கெட்டு, வாய் அல்லா வெண்மை உரையாது. கூறு நின்
மாயம் மருள்வாரகத்து

தலைவன்
ஆயிழாய்! நின் கண் பெறின் அல்லால், இன் உயிர் வாழ்கல்லா
என்கண் எவனோ, தவறு?

தலைவி
இஃது ஒத்தன்! புள்ளிக் களவன் புனல் சேர் பொதுக்கம் போல்,
வள் உகிர் போழ்ந்தனவும், வாள் எயிறு உற்றனவும்,
ஒள் இதழ் சோர்ந்த நின் கண்ணியும், நல்லார்
சிரறுபு சீறச் சிவந்த நின் மார்பும்,
தவறாதல் சாலாவோ? கூறு

தலைவன்
‘அது தக்கது; வேற்றுமை என்கண்ணோ ஓராதி; தீது இன்மை
தேற்றக் கண்டீயாய் தெளிக்கு

தலைவி
இனித் தேற்றேம் யாம்
தேர் மயங்கி வந்த தெரி கோதை அம் நல்லார்
தார் மயங்கி வந்த தவறு அஞ்சி, போர் மயங்கி,
நீ உறும் பொய்ச் சூள் அணங்கு ஆகின், மற்று இனி
யார் மேல் விளியுமோ கூறு.

In the same style as the previous verse, continues this one too, in a conversational style. The words can be translated as follows:

“Lady:
Step aside! With pollen from flowers that have dropped from the luxuriant tresses of maiden, who are akin to vines, covering your shoulders, you have come here. Why do you touch me? Who are you to me? Is it the fate of those who are weak to be slaves to the strong?

Man:
Who can even answer the words of those who are so harsh?

Lady:
Leaving aside your work, you don’t have to come here and say lies, full of nothing. Go say that to those who will fall for your falsehoods!

Man:
O maiden wearing well-etched ornaments! Unless I attain the grace of your eyes, I cannot live. What could be the fault in me?

Lady:
Some man he is! Those marks of sharp nails and shining teeth, akin to the imprints of a spotted crab on the sands of a river shore, and your garland with those once-glowing petals now faded, on your chest, reddened, as those beautiful maiden hit you with fury, all stand testimony to your wrong-doing!

Man:
Do not see me differently. I will make it clear to you that I have done nothing wrong.

Lady:
I seek no clarity anymore. As you hurried here on your chariot, you have come wearing the garland of those women. Fearing the mistake of misplaced garlands and the quarrel that will follow, you might swear a false oath and if that angers the spirits, upon whom will ruin befall? Tell me now!”

Time to delve into the details. The verse is situated in the context of a love-quarrel between a man and a lady, owing to the man’s seeking of courtesans. These words are spoken by the lady and the man to each other. The lady starts by asking the man to move away, describing how he has come there, covered in pollen, which, she infers, has come from the flowers on the tresses of courtesans. She angrily asks him to avoid touching her, and laments whether she has no other go but to bow low before the strength of this man. The man replies saying no one can answer to those who are so harshly set in their thoughts, and the lady responds saying he need not try saying any words of untruth. That will not work with her. To this, the man takes a humble stance and says, unless he gets the grace of the lady’s eyes, he cannot live. When I’m such a person, how can you think I’m at fault, he asks. ‘How dare he?’, fumes the lady! ‘Can’t I see the marks of those maiden’s nails and teeth on his reddened chest, akin to the claw prints of a crab on a river shore? Aren’t these enough to shout out all the wrong he’s done?’, she adds. The man asks her not to look at him in that manner and he calls her close saying he can explain everything. Just then, the lady declares that she needs no explanations, for if in the course of that, the man happens to swear a false oath to hide his mistake of wearing the courtesan’s garland, then ruin would fall on her head. With those final words, the lady actually gives in and accepts the man, fearing the effect of a false oath.

The importance given to speaking the truth when swearing an oath and how its consequences in angering the heavenly spirits not only affect the speaker but also the listener are some of the inferences we can make of perceptions in Sangam society. It’s interesting how this belief in being true to an oath and the consequences of heavenly fury continues even in this twenty-first century too, as can be witnessed in a court of law, during a testimony, when a person swears upon a holy book of their choice, promising to speak ‘the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth!’

In this episode, we encounter an animated exchange between the lady and the man, as depicted in Sangam Literary work, Kalithogai 87, penned by Maruthan Ilanaakanaar. The verse is situated in the ‘Marutham’ or ‘Farmlands landscape’ and sketches a situation of domestic conflict.

தலைவி
ஒரூஉ நீ; எம் கூந்தல் கொள்ளல் யாம் நின்னை
வெரூஉதும் காணுங்கடை

தலைவன்
தெரியிழாய்! செய் தவறு இல்வழி, யாங்குச் சினவுவாய்,
மெய் பிரிந்து, அன்னவர்மாட்டு?

தலைவி
ஏடா! நினக்குத் தவறு உண்டோ? நீ வீடு பெற்றாய்
இமைப்பின் இதழ் மறைபு ஆங்கே கெடுதி;
நிலைப் பால் அறியினும், நின் நொந்து நின்னைப்
புலப்பார் உடையர் தவறு

தலைவன்
அணைத் தோளாய்! தீயாரைப் போல, திறன் இன்று உடற்றுதி;
காயும் தவறு இலேன் யான்

தோழி
மான் நோக்கி! நீ அழ நீத்தவன் ஆனாது
நாணிலன்ஆயின், நலிதந்து அவன்வயின்
ஊடுதல் என்னோ, இனி?

தலைவி நெஞ்சொடு கூறல்
‘இனி யாதும் மீக்கூற்றம் யாம் இலம்’ என்னும்
தகையது காண்டைப்பாய், நெஞ்சே! பனி ஆனாப்
பாடு இல் கண் பாயல் கொள.

A rare short song amidst the Kalithogai verses. The words can be translated as follows:

“Lady:
You step aside! Do not caress my tresses. I’m scared when I see you!

Man:
O maiden wearing well-etched ornaments! Why are you angry with me when I have done nothing wrong in the manner of parting away for the sake of those others?

Lady:
Hey you! Is there anything that would appear a fault in your eyes? You abandoned me in the blink of an eye and parted away thither. Even after knowing your true nature, those who lament about you and sulk with you are the ones at fault!

Man:
O maiden with soft arms! As if I were a bad person, you get so furious with me when I have done nothing wrong.

Confidante:
O maiden with a deer’s gaze! If he, who parted away, leaving you in tears, is someone who is shameless, what is the point of suffering and sulking on account of his behaviour now?

Lady to her heart:
Heed, o heart! ‘There is nothing more to be said’ is the worthy conclusion now! Why don’t you let my sleepless eyes, pouring with endless tears, sleep a little?”

Let’s explore the details. The verse is situated in the context of a love-quarrel between a man and a lady, owing to the man’s seeking of courtesans. These words are a series of exchanges between the lady and the man with an intervention by the lady’s confidante. The lady starts by asking the man to move aside and not touch her tresses, and the man asks her why she was so angry when he had not gone to the courtesans or done anything wrong. The lady scornfully replies that nothing would be wrong in the man’s eyes. The only wrong would be in those, who attempt to sulk and quarrel with him, knowing his true nature. The man continues pretending that he has done nothing wrong. Seeing these back and forth exchanges, the confidante tells the lady if the man is so shameless, what is the use of sulking with him. Hearing this, the lady turns to her heart and says that a conclusion has been reached that there is no point in saying anything more, and she begs her heart to find a way to bring sleep to her tear-filled, sleepless eyes! In short, the verse echoes the common occurrence of accusations, denials and eventual acceptance!

In this episode, we listen to advice offered by a mother to her young son, as portrayed in Sangam Literary work, Kalithogai 86, penned by Maruthan Ilanaakanaar. The verse is situated in the ‘Marutham’ or ‘Farmlands landscape’ and contrasts the positive and negative qualities of a man.

தலைவி
மை படு சென்னி மழ களிற்று ஓடை போல்,
கை புனை முக்காழ் கயந் தலைத் தாழ,
பொலம் செய் மழுவொடு வாள் அணி கொண்ட
நலம் கிளர் ஒண் பூண் நனைத்தரும் அவ் வாய்
கலந்து கண் நோக்கு ஆர, காண்பு இன் துகிர்மேல்
பொலம் புனை செம்பாகம் போர் கொண்டு இமைப்ப,
கடி அரணம் பாயா நின் கை புனை வேழம்,
தொடியோர் மணலின் உழக்கி, அடி ஆர்ந்த
தேரை வாய்க் கிண்கிணி ஆர்ப்ப, இயலும் என்
போர் யானை, வந்தீக, ஈங்கு!

செம்மால்! வனப்பு எலாம் நுந்தையை ஒப்பினும், நுந்தை
நிலைப் பாலுள் ஒத்த குறி என் வாய்க் கேட்டு ஒத்தி;

கன்றிய தெவ்வர்க் கடந்து களம் கொள்ளும்
வென்றிமாட்டு ஒத்தி, பெரும! மற்று ஒவ்வாதி,
‘ஒன்றினேம் யாம்’ என்று உணர்ந்தாரை, நுந்தை போல்,
மென் தோள் நெகிழ விடல்

பால் கொளல் இன்றி, பகல் போல், முறைக்கு ஒல்காக்
கோல் செம்மை ஒத்தி, பெரும! மற்று ஒவ்வாதி,
கால் பொரு பூவின் கவின் வாட, நுந்தைபோல்,
சால்பு ஆய்ந்தார் சாய விடல்

வீதல் அறியா விழுப் பொருள் நச்சியார்க்கு
ஈதல்மாட்டு ஒத்தி, பெரும! மற்று ஒவ்வாதி,
மாதர் மென் நோக்கின் மகளிரை, நுந்தைபோல்,
நோய் கூர நோக்காய் விடல்

ஆங்க
திறன் அல்ல யாம் கழற, யாரை நகும், இம்
மகன் அல்லான் பெற்ற மகன்?
மறை நின்று, தாம் மன்ற வந்தீத்தனர்

தலைவன் :
‘ஆயிழாய்! தாவாத எற்குத் தவறு உண்டோ? காவாது ஈங்கு
ஈத்தை, இவனை யாம் கோடற்கு’

தலைவி
……………………………………..சீத்தை; யாம்
கன்றி அதனைக் கடியவும், கை நீவி,
குன்ற இறு வரைக் கோண்மா இவர்ந்தாங்கு,
தந்தை வியல் மார்பில் பாய்ந்தான் அறன் இல்லா
அன்பிலி பெற்ற மகன்.

The lady’s voice continues to ring aloud and the words can be translated as follows:

“Akin to the ornament hanging on the black head of a bull elephant, the well-etched, three-stranded chain dangles on your tender head. Along with the axe made of gold, a sword too hangs on that exquisite, shining jewel, moistened by your sweet mouth, a sight that is an insatiable delight for my eyes to behold! On an alluring coral platform, in the stance of an attack but never actually pouncing on a guarded fort, partly made of gold, stands the elephant, handmade for you. As you pull it along, you muddle the sand houses made by maiden wearing bangles, and move, as anklets in the shape of a toad’s mouth resound. My dear battle elephant, come to me!

My little lord! In your handsome appearance, though you are like your father, when it comes to lasting qualities, please listen to my words and follow course.

In overcoming furious enemies, seizing the battlefield and claiming victory, be like your father; However, don’t be like your father, in making the soft arms of those who believe they are one with him, thin away!

In rendering justice, without favouring any one side, akin to the swivel in a yoke, which slants not, be like your father! However, don’t be like your father, in bringing sorrow to those, who believe in his greatness, akin to how a flower’s beauty fades, when plucked by the wind!

In offering with generosity to all those, who come seeking wealth to him, without ever refusing, be like your father! However, don’t be like your father, in abandoning and bringing suffering to women, who have a gentle and beautiful gaze!

As I chide mentioning all these wrong qualities, who are you smiling at, O son, the offshoot of the wrong-doer? Oh! All this time he was hiding away, and now he has come before us!

Man:
O maiden wearing well-etched ornaments! Why these accusations on me, who has done no wrong? Give him to me, for me to hold and rejoice!

Lady:
O unworthy one! Even as I stop him in anger, pushing away my hand, akin to a tiger cub that leaps at the base of a mountain, he has pounced on his father’s wide chest, the unjust son of this loveless man!”

Time to delve into the nuances. The verse is situated in the context of a love quarrel between the man and the lady, owing to the man’s seeking of courtesans, and in this verse, the lady expresses her thoughts to her young son, as the man listens by. As in the previous verse, the lady starts by talking about the adornments on the little boy, a three-stranded gold chain on his head like the face ornament of an elephant, and then about the necklace he wears, made of gold, with pendants in the shape of an axe and a sword. She talks about how the little boy’s drool drenches these golden ornaments and how that’s such a sweet sight for her to see. Then, she mentions how the boy is pulling a golden elephant on a coral platform and messing up the sand houses made by little girls. She also sketches for us, the tinkling sound of the boy’s anklets. The striking aspect of this description is in how the lady calls her son as ‘a battle elephant’! Mothers are known to cuddle with their little ones, referring to them by different animal names and it makes me smile to see this timeless quality reflecting in this Sangam mother.

Returning, we find the mother telling her boy, that indeed he looks as handsome as his father. However, the boy must take care to follow mama’s advice when it came to other qualities, she says. Then, in that three-step format, she elaborates on the ways the boy must be like his father and the ways to not be like his father. The qualities that the boy must follow in the footsteps of his father are, in attaining victory over enemies in a battlefield, in rendering justice without partiality, and offering charity ceaselessly to those who come seeking to him. At the same time, the mother says the boy must never be like his father, in thinning the arms of women who love him, in bringing sorrow and forsaking them.

As she’s saying these words sternly to the boy, she notices the boy smiling. She wonders who he’s smiling at, only to turn and find her man walking towards her, and she exclaims how all these days the man has been hiding his face and now he comes there. To his angry wife, the man tries to say that he has done nothing wrong and asks her to let him hold his little son. To this, the lady replies saying even if I were to stop this little brat, like a tiger cub pouncing on huge mountain, the boy jumps on the father’s chest. So unjust is the son of her loveless man, she concludes. Apart from the anger of the lady well expressed and her wisdom of seeing the right and wrong in her man, the highlight here is the unconditional love and jubilant joy, a young child feels for their parent, especially the one less frequently seen, etched vividly in the last few lines of this verse!

In this episode, we listen to a mother’s words to her child, as depicted in Sangam Literary work, Kalithogai 85, penned by Maruthan Ilanaakanaar. The verse is situated in the ‘Marutham’ or ‘Farmlands landscape’ and paints a portrait of the adornments on a child, in an affluent household.

காலவை, சுடு பொன் வளைஇய ஈர் அமை சுற்றொடு
பொடி அழற் புறம் தந்த செய்வுறு கிண்கிணி
உடுத்தவை, கைவினைப் பொலிந்த காசு அமை பொல்ங் காழ்; மேல்
மை இல் செந் துகிர்க் கோவை; அவற்றின் மேல்
தைஇய, பூந் துகில், ஐது கழல் ஒரு திரை
கையதை, அலவன் கண் பெற அடங்கச் சுற்றிய
பல உறு கண்ணுள் சில கோல் அவிர் தொடி
பூண்டவை, எறியா வாளும் எற்றா மழுவும்
செறியக் கட்டி, ஈர்இடைத் தாழ்ந்த,
பெய் புல மூதாய்ப் புகர் நிறத் துகிரின்
மை அற விளங்கிய ஆன் ஏற்று அவிர் பூண்
சூடின, இருங் கடல் முத்தமும், பல் மணி, பிறவும், ஆங்கு
ஒருங்கு உடன் கோத்த உருள் அமை முக் காழ்; மேல்
சுரும்பு ஆர் கண்ணிக்குச் சூழ் நூலாக,
அரும்பு அவிழ் நீலத்து ஆய் இதழ் நாண,
சுரும்பு ஆற்றுப்படுத்த மணி மருள் மாலை

ஆங்க அவ்வும் பிறவும் அணிக்கு அணியாக, நின்
செல்வுறு திண் தேர்க் கொடுஞ் சினைக் கைப்பற்றிப்
பைபயத் தூங்கும் நின் மெல் விரற் சீறடி
நோதலும் உண்டு; ஈங்கு என் கை வந்தீ,
செம்மால்! நின் பால் உண்ணிய

பொய் போர்த்துப் பாண் தலை இட்ட பல வல் புலையனைத்
தூண்டிலா விட்டுத் துடக்கி, தான் வேண்டியார்
நெஞ்சம் பிணித்தல் தொழிலாத் திரிதரும்
நுந்தைபால் உண்டி சில
நுந்தை வாய் மாயச் சூள் தேறி, மயங்கு நோய் கைமிக,
பூ எழில் உண்கண் பனி பரப்ப, கண் படா
ஞாயர்பால் உண்டி சில

அன்னையோ! யாம் எம் மகனைப் பாராட்ட, கதுமெனத்
தாம் வந்தார், தம் பாலவரோடு; தம்மை
வருக என்றார் யார்கொலோ ஈங்கு?

என் பால் அல் பாராட்டு உவந்தோய்! குடி உண்டீத்தை; என்
பாராட்டைப்பாலோ சில
செருக் குறித்தாரை உவகைக் கூத்தாட்டும்
வரிசைப் பெரும் பாட்டொடு எல்லாம் பருகீத்தை
தண்டுவென் ஞாயர் மாட்டைப் பால்.

A mother’s words to her son are presented here and can be translated as follows:

“On the feet, you wear well-etched, tinkling anklets, made from fine gold powder, rendered by the flames, with hot gold, stringed into a two-stranded chain. Around your neck, you wear a hand-crafted chain of gold coins, and a flawless, red coral necklace. Upon that, is an exquisite garment that is delicate and loose-fitting, full of creases. On your hands, you wear many bangles with intricate patterns containing the design of crab’s eyes. You also wear jewels, tightly fitted with swords that do not attack, and axes that do not fell, and dangling between, is a perfect pendant in the shape of a bull, in the hue of the red velvet bugs that appear in the rainy season. Shining bright are the pearls of the huge sea and many sapphires, all stringed together with a rounded three-stranded chain. Putting the budding blue lotus that makes the bees swarm around to shame, is the sapphire garland, calling out to bees!

And so, as all these adornments add beauty to your beauty, you walk on, holding on to the curving handles of your sturdy, rolling chariot. As you move slowly, you gentle-toed feet might hurt; Come to my hands, little lord, and drink up your milk!

In the company of bards shrouded in lies, he extends crafty baits and attains the hearts of those he desires. This seems to be the primary occupation of your father. For his sake, drink a little milk; Believing the false oaths of your father, with the disease of affliction soaring, tears flow from the flower-like, kohl-streaked eyes of your other mothers; For their sake, drink a little milk;

Goodness! As I’m praising my son, suddenly he has come here, with his entourage. Who has invited him here now?

You have drunk a little milk with delight, hearing my praises. Why don’t you drink a little for my sake? You always make those who are angry with you, dance with delight. As I sing your praises so, drink up all the milk, for the sake of your other mothers, and render me my peace.”

Time to delve into the nuances. The verse is situated in the context of a love quarrel between the man and the lady, owing to the man’s seeking of courtesans. Here, the lady renders these words to her son. The lady starts by making a detailed description of all the jewels her young son is wearing. Gold anklets, chain of gold coins, a coral necklace, bangles with many intricate patterns, containing crabs-eyes designs, pendants in the shape of a sword, an axe and an ox, that too in the colour of red velvet bugs are all to be found. Then, there are pearls and sapphires stranded in a gold chain, with sapphires looking like a blue lotus and inviting bees around. Then, the lady talks about how the boy pushes his chariot as he learns to walk with his tiny feet. This reference made me wonder, ‘Isn’t that too much jewels for a little child to bear?’! If these Sangam folks are adorning their tender children with so much, imagine how much of excess wealth must have rolled about in these farmlands. With all that money flowing around, no wonder the man goes courting whoever he desires. And this is the exact thought the lady brings forth next, even as she invites her son to drink some milk for the sake of his roving father; Then, she asks the boy to drink some milk for the sake of courtesans, who believe in his father and suffer later because of that. At this moment, the man suddenly enters his home with his retinue, and the lady scornfully asks, ‘Who has called him there?’ She turns her attention back to her child, and bids him to drink up some milk for her sake and then finish the entire bowl for the sake of the other mothers and give her some peace. In the previous verses, the milk reference indicated a situation of breastfeeding, but here the mother seems to have turned to cow’s milk and is venting her sorrow on her man’s activities through these words, beckoning her son to drink up milk. Yet again, the way a child becomes the solace for a Sangam woman, forsaken by her husband, who seeks other women, is the essence to be extracted here!

In this episode, we perceive the lady’s ire, as portrayed in Sangam Literary work, Kalithogai 84, penned by Maruthan Ilanaakanaar. The verse is situated in the ‘Marutham’ or ‘Farmlands landscape’ and sketches the inferences in the lady’s mind about the intentions of courtesans.

தலைவி தோழியை வினாவுதல்
உறு வளி தூக்கும் உயர் சினை மாவின்
நறு வடி ஆர் இற்றவை போல் அழிய,
கரந்து யான் அரக்கவும், கை நில்லா வீங்கிச்
சுரந்த என் மெல் முலைப் பால் பழுதாக நீ
நல் வாயில் போத்தந்த பொழுதினான், ‘எல்லா!
கடவுட் கடி நகர்தோறும் இவனை
வலம் கொளீஇ வா’ என, சென்றாய் விலங்கினை
ஈரம் இலாத இவன் தந்தை பெண்டிருள்
யார் இல் தவிர்ந்தனை? கூறு

தோழி
நீருள் அடை மறை ஆய் இதழ்ப் போதுபோல் கொண்ட
குடைநிழல் தோன்றும் நின் செம்மலைக் காணூஉ,
‘இவன் மன்ற யான் நோவ உள்ளம் கொண்டு, உள்ளா
மகன் அல்லான் பெற்ற மகன்’ என்று அகல்நகர்
வாயில் வரை இறந்து போத்தந்து, தாயர்
தெருவில் தவிர்ப்பத் தவிர்ந்தனன்; மற்று, அவர்
தம்தம் கலங்களுள், ‘கையுறை’ என்று இவற்கு,
ஒத்தவை ஆராய்ந்து, அணிந்தார்…..

தலைவி
…………………………………………. ‘பிறன் பெண்டிர்
ஈத்தவை கொள்வானாம், இஃது ஒத்தன்; சீத்தை,
செறு தக்கான் மன்ற பெரிது’

தலைவி புதல்வனொடு புலந்து உரைத்தல்
சிறு பட்டி; ஏதிலார் கை, எம்மை எள்ளுபு நீ தொட்ட,
மோதிரம் யாவோ? யாம் காண்கு
அவற்றுள் நறா இதழ் கண்டன்ன செவ் விரற்கு ஏற்பச்
சுறா ஏறு எழுதிய மோதிரம் தொட்டாள்
குறி அறிந்தேன்; ‘காமன் கொடி எழுதி, என்றும்
செறியாப் பரத்தை இவன் தந்தை மார்பில்
பொறி ஒற்றிக்கொண்டு ஆள்வல்’ என்பது தன்னை
அறீஇய செய்த வினை

அன்னையோ? இஃது ஒன்று
முந்தைய கண்டும், எழுகல்லாத என் முன்னர்,
வெந்த புண் வேல் எறிந்தற்றா, இஃது ஒன்று
தந்தை இறைத் தொடி மற்று இவன் தன் கைக்கண்
தந்தார் யார், எல்லாஅ! இது?
‘இஃது ஒன்று என் ஒத்துக் காண்க, பிறரும் இவற்கு’ என்னும்
தன் நலம் பாடுவி, தந்தாளா நின்னை,
‘இது தொடுக’ என்றவர் யார்

தலைவி தன் நெஞ்சு அழிந்து கூறுதல்
அஞ்சாதி; நீயும் தவறிலை; நின் கை இது தந்த
பூ எழில் உண்கண் அவளும் தவறிலள்;
வேனிற் புனல் அன்ன நுந்தையை நோவார் யார்?
மேல் நின்றும் எள்ளி, இது இவன் கைத் தந்தாள்
தான் யாரோ? என்று வினவிய நோய்ப்பாலேன்
யானே தவறுடையேன்!

Yet another song in the same scenario of the lady waiting for her son to return home. The words can be translated as follows:

“Lady to her Confidante:
When a strong wind attacks a fragrant tender green mango on a high branch, straining its twig, the fruit’s milk spills over. Akin to that, even when I tried to rub it away and hide it, beyond the control of my hands, my breasts swelled up and the milk flowed down in waste. That’s the state you had left me in. When you parted away from our gates, I told you, ‘Dear! Take him for a round around the temples of gods and be back’. But you failed to do just that! Among the women that his compassionless father courts, whose house did you stay back in, for so long? Please tell me.

Confidante’s Response:
Akin to a pretty flower filled with pollen that is hidden by leaves in the water, under the shade of an umbrella, walked your esteemed son. Seeing him, saying ‘He is the son borne by the thoughtless man, who stole away our hearts and cares not about us anymore’, they came out of the gates of their huge houses. As these mothers stopped him, he was unable to walk away, and they too, selecting the right ornament, made him wear it, saying it was their gift to him!

Lady’s exclamation:
How can he accept the offerings of those other women? What thoughtlessness! He deserves my anger greatly!

Lady’s words to her son:
You little devil! Where is the ring that a stranger’s hand gave, so as to mock me? Show me! Suiting those red fingers, appearing akin to the petals of the lavanga flowers, is this ring in the shape of a shark that she has given you. I understand the message that she has sent through this! She means to say, ’Through this symbol etched on the flag of the God of love, I declare that it’s me who will reside in the heart of the lord and reign there forever’. This is the thought that she wants me to know!

Are you such a person to bring this to me? After seeing this and when I haven’t still recovered, akin to throwing a spear on a sore wound, I see the bangle that usually dangles on father’s wrist, now on his arm. Who gave it, my dear? Saying, ‘Let’s see if the desire the man feels for me, he could ever see in others’, singing the praises of her own beauty, did she give it to you, asking you to take it?

Lady’s lament:
Don’t be scared. You are not at fault! She, with kohl-streaked, flower-like eyes, who gave it in your hands, is not at fault either! As for your father, who is akin to a stream in spring, who can even blame him? The only one at fault, is the one who asked ‘Who is the one who stood above mocking and then gave this in the boy’s hands?’ – That would be me!”

Time to delve into the details. The verse is situated in the context of a love quarrel between the man and the lady, owing to the man’s seeking of courtesans. These words are a conversation between the lady and confidante, predominantly in the voice of the lady. She starts as in the case of these previous verses talking about how the confidante had delayed returning home, after leaving with the boy for some temple visits around. The lady, being a breastfeeding mother, suffered much, owing to her breasts swelling up and flowing with milk akin to the secretion from a tender mango fruit hanging in a high branch, when a strong wind shakes it. The lady asks the confidante to whose house she had taken her son.

The confidante relates how seeing the boy in the streets, the man’s courtesans had come out of their houses, declaring this is the son of the man who never thought of them. Though angry with the father, they showered gifts many on the boy. Hearing this, the lady gets mad asking how the boy can accept these gifts from those strangers. Looking at a ring in the shape of a shark, she decides the courtesan who gave it to the boy wants to say that she is the one, who rules in the heart of the man forever, because the symbol is the one on the flag of the god of love. Next, she talks about how she’s not even recovered from that attack, when like a spear thrown on a sore wound, she spots a bangle that usually is found on the father’s wrist. This makes her so angry because she infers that the courtesan had sent it through the boy to tell the lady the man thought her so special to give her his own bangle.

After her shouts and laments in this manner, seeing that her son had gotten a little scared, she calms him asking him not to worry, and concludes saying the boy is not at fault. Neither is the courtesan who gave those things to him. Likewise, who can ever stay mad at the boy’s father, she says. So, the only one at fault is her, who asked such question to the boy, the lady concludes. The final statement echoes the helplessness the lady feels in this moment of betrayal. A fine point is that even though those courtesans lament that the man does not think of them, the lady thinks they are so fine and happy. What we can infer is none of the women find any happiness in this farmlands landscape, where the man roves like a bee from one woman to another, living a life of pleasure without consequences!

In this episode, we perceive the angst of the lady, as depicted in Sangam Literary work, Kalithogai 83, penned by Maruthan Ilanaakanaar. The verse is situated in the ‘Marutham’ or ‘Farmlands landscape’ and reveals the consequences of the man’s actions on the lady.

தலைவி
பெருந் திரு நிலைஇய வீங்கு சோற்று அகல் மனை,
பொருந்து நோன் கதவு ஒற்றிப் புலம்பி யாம் உலமர,
இளையவர் தழூஉ ஆடும் எக்கர் வாய் வியன் தெருவின்
விளையாட்டிக்கொண்டு வரற்கு எனச் சென்றாய்,
உளைவு இலை; ஊட்டலென் தீம் பால் பெருகும் அளவெல்லாம்
நீட்டித்த காரணம் என்?

தோழி
கேட்டீ
பெரு மடற் பெண்ணைப் பிணர்த் தோட்டுப் பைங் குரும்பைக்
குட வாய்க் கொடிப் பின்னல் வாங்கி, தளரும்
பெரு மணித் திண் தேர்க் குறுமக்கள் நாப்பண்,
அகல் நகர் மீள்தருவானாக, புரி ஞெகிழ்பு
நீல நிரைப் போது உறு காற்கு உலைவன போல்,
சாலகத்து ஒல்கிய கண்ணர், ‘உயர் சீர்த்தி
ஆல் அமர் செல்வன் அணி சால் மகன் விழாக்
கால்கோள்’ என்று ஊக்கி, கதுமென நோக்கி,
திருந்துஅடி நூபுரம் ஆர்ப்ப இயலி, விருப்பினால்,
கண்ணும், நுதலும், கவுளும், கவவியார்க்கு
ஒண்மை எதிரிய அம் கையும், தண் எனச்
செய்வன சிறப்பின் சிறப்புச் செய்து, ‘இவ் இரா
எம்மொடு சேர்ந்து சென்றீவாயால், செம்மால்!
நலம் புதிது உண்டு உள்ளா நாணிலி செய்த
புலம்பு எலாம் தீர்க்குவேம் மன்’ என்று இரங்குபு,
வேற்று ஆனாத் தாயர் எதிர்கொள்ள, மாற்றாத
கள்வனால் தங்கியது அல்லால், கதியாதி,
ஒள்ளிழாய்! யான் தீது இலேன்

தலைவி
எள்ளலான், அம் மென் பணைத் தோள் நுமர் வேய்ந்த கண்ணியோடு
எம் இல் வருதியோ? எல்லா! நீ தன் மெய்க்கண்
அம் தீம் சொல் நல்லார் அணிந்த கலம் காட்டி,
முந்தை இருந்து மகன் செய்த நோய்த்தலை
வெந்த புண் வேல் எறிந்தற்றால், வடுவொடு
தந்தையும் வந்து நிலை.

Another conversation between the lady and the confidante around the man’s courting of courtesans. The words can be translated as follows:

“Lady:

In this wide mansion, where the abundant rice cooking within echoes its great state of wealth, leaving me to hold on to the well-fitted, sturdy door and lament with angst, what was the reason that made you delay returning with my son, to the extent of making my breasts swell with the sweet milk that I wanted to feed him with? You had said that you would just take him out through the arena with sands spread out for youngsters, to embrace and dance, to the street for some play!

Confidante:

Listen to me! In the street, where little children had become tired playing by pulling the matted, green, pot-like fruits of the palmyra tree with long fronds, with tight ropes, riding in a strong chariot, resounding with clear bells, strode your son to come back to the wide mansion. At this time, women, who had eyes, akin to blue lilies with loosened petals, swaying in the wind, stood by their windows looking outside. Thinking, ’This must be the statue of the esteemed and adorned son of the god, who abode by a banyan, coming on a ritual round during the festival time’, suddenly they rushed out, making the anklets on their well-etched feet resound. Seeing the boy instead, with affection, they caressed his eyes, forehead and cheeks and holding his beautiful hand, they made him feel special with their cool grace. Then they asked him to stay with them, and if at all, he did that, they would let go of their lament over the shameless man, the boy’s father, who had devoured their fresh beauty, and then abandoned them, without a thought. As they pleaded so, seeing these other mothers, because of this little thief, who couldn’t say no, I had to stay there. So, do not be furious with me, O maiden wearing radiant jewels. I did nothing wrong!

Lady:

Showing much disrespect to me, how can you come to our home wearing the garlands woven by those maiden with beautiful, soft and bamboo-like arms? 

My dear! Amidst the pain that the son inflicts on me, previously by wearing jewels rendered by those women, who speak sweet and beautiful words, akin to a spear piercing a sore wound, the father’s state of arriving here with scars of embrace inflicts even more!”

Let’s explore the nuances. The verse is situated in the context of a love quarrel between the man and the lady, owing the man’s seeking of courtesans. These words are said by the lady to her confidante and son, while the man arrives at the end of the conversation, and listens nearby. Seeing the events in the previous verse, we had inferred this must be an affluent society. In this verse, we get evidence for our conclusion, in the lady’s description of her home as a place, where wealth overflowed, and there was always copious rice being made to distribute to guests who arrived. Then, turning to the matter at hand, the lady questions her friend asking why the confidante had delayed bringing back the lady’s son home, making the lady lament and wait by the door, when the confidante had said that she was only going to take the boy to play in the streets for a short while. The delay had made the lady’s breasts swell with milk she wanted to feed the boy, and it was flowing in waste, the lady details. 

To this question, the confidante relates how the boy was going in his chariot through the streets, where little children were playing rolling green palm fruits. Hearing the bell sounds of the chariot, courtesans inside a house seemed to have thought that this was sound of a temple chariot. Running outside, they discover that it’s not the god’s statue but the lord’s son and they shower their affection on the little boy, touching his forehead and cheeks and holding his little hand. They ask him to spend a little time with them, so that they can forget the pain of suffering the boy’s father had inflicted on them, by being with them and then, abandoning them later. The boy, unable to say no, to these ladies, agreed to step inside and that’s why I was delayed, the confidante says, adding she couldn’t do anything and that she was not at fault. 

Hearing this, the lady angrily asks the boy how could come there so cooly wearing the jewels those maiden had given him. Just then, she notices the boy’s father entering their home and the lady concludes by declaring that atop the pain inflicted by the boy, the father, who arrived home with scar wounds of being intimate with other women, was inflicting even more torture, just the way a spear that is thrown at a sore wound would feel! 

Amidst the usual scenario of the lady’s pain and anger at her son for entertaining the wishes of courtesans that we have been seeing in the past few verses, what’s striking her is the expression ‘வெந்த புண் வேல் எறிந்தற்றா’ meaning ‘Akin to throwing a spear at a sore wound’ and this exact expression is a commonly used phrase, even in contemporary Tamil, talking about a continuity in linguistic tradition for over two thousand years!

In this episode, we listen to a lady’s admonition to her son, as portrayed in Sangam Literary work, Kalithogai 82, penned by Maruthan Ilanaakanaar. The verse is situated in the ‘Marutham’ or ‘Farmlands landscape’ and sketches the man’s infidelity.

தலைவி
ஞாலம் வறம் தீரப் பெய்ய, குணக்கு ஏர்பு,
காலத்தில் தோன்றிய கொண்மூப் போல், எம் முலை
பாலொடு வீங்கத் தவ நெடிதாயினை;
புத்தேளிர் கோட்டம் வலம் செய்து இவனொடு
புக்க வழி எல்லாம் கூறு

தோழி
கூறுவேன்; மேயாயே போல வினவி, வழிமுறைக்
காயாமை வேண்டுவல் யான்

தலைவி
காயேம்.

தோழி
மடக் குறு மாக்களோடு ஓரை அயரும்
அடக்கம் இல் போழ்தின்கண், தந்தை காமுற்ற
தொடக்கத்துத் தாயுழைப் புக்காற்கு, அவளும்
மருப்புப் பூண் கையுறையாக அணிந்து,
‘பெருமான், நகைமுகம் காட்டு!’ என்பாள் கண்ணீர்
சொரி முத்தம் காழ் சோர்வ போன்றன; மற்றும்,
வழிமுறைத் தாயுழைப் புக்காற்கு, அவளும்
மயங்கு நோய் தாங்கி, மகன் எதிர் வந்து,
முயங்கினள் முத்தினள் நோக்கி, நினைந்தே,
‘நினக்கு யாம் யாரேம் ஆகுதும்?’ என்று,
வனப்பு உறக் கொள்வன நாடி அணிந்தனள்,
ஆங்கே, ‘அரி மதர் உண்கண் பசப்ப நோய் செய்யும்
பெருமான் பரத்தைமை ஒவ்வாதி’ என்றாள்;
அவட்கு இனிதாகி விடுத்தனன் போகித்
தலைக் கொண்டு நம்மொடு காயும் மற்று ஈது ஓர்
புலத் தகைப் புத்தேள் இல் புக்கான்…..

தலைவி
…… அலைக்கு ஒரு
கோல் தா; நினக்கு அவள் யார் ஆகும்? எல்லா!
வருந்தி யாம் நோய் கூர, நுந்தையை என்றும்
பருந்து எறிந்தற்றாகக் கொள்ளும்; கொண்டாங்கே,
தொடியும் உகிரும் படையாக நுந்தை
கடியுடை மார்பின் சிறு கண்ணும் உட்காள்,
வடுவும் குறித்தாங்கே செய்யும். விடு, இனி;
அன்ன பிறவும், பெருமான் அவள்வயின்
துன்னுதல் ஓம்பி, திறவது இல் முன்னி, நீ
ஐயம் இல்லாதவர் இல் ஒழிய, எம் போலக்
கையாறு உடையவர் இல் அல்லால் செல்லல்;
அமைந்தது இனி நின் தொழில்.

Yet again, this is a conversation revealing aspects of the ‘farmlands’ lifestyle. The words can be translated as follows:

“Lady:
Akin to the seasonal cloud that rises from the east, wanting to pour down, so as to end the thirst of the world, making my breasts swollen with milk, you have delayed in returning. After taking a round in the temple of the gods, tell me all the places that you went with him!

Confidante:
I shall tell you. All I request is that after asking with so much interest, you shouldn’t get angry with me!

Lady:
I shan’t!

Confidante:
During those unrestrained times, when he used to play with young and foolish people, games of ‘orai’, there was a woman his father desired initially. To her home, your son went, and she offered the boy, an ornament, made of ivory as a gift, and made him wear it, saying, ‘O lord, show me your smiling face’, with tears dropping down, akin to pearls, scattering from a broken strand. After that, he went to the home of the other mother. She too, concealing her suffering, came before your son, embraced and kissed him, asking ‘Who could I be to you?’. Then, wanting to see him adorned, she dressed him with more ornaments, saying to him, ‘Making kohl-streaked eyes with red lines fill with pallor, do not seek courtesans like your father’. Saying sweet things to her, he took leave, and after that, he went to the house of a new woman, who is full of ire towards us!

Lady:
Bring me a rod to strike him right now! Who is she to you, my dear son? Making me filled with sorrow and affliction, like an eagle, she pounces and flies away with your father. With her bangles and nails as her weapons, she wounds and leaves scars on his chest. Don’t do this anymore! My dear, do not go to the homes of these women, wondering if your father is there. It’s better not to go to any other home other than ours with a worrying woman like me. Let this be the last time you do such things!”

Let’s delve into the details. The verse is situated in the context of a love quarrel between the man and the lady, owing to the man’s seeking of courtesans. Here, a conversation between the lady and her confidante unfolds, around the activities of the lady’s son, while the man listens nearby. The lady first asks the confidante, where she had taken her son after a temple visit, leaving her breasts to ache, swollen with milk, like a rain cloud that arrives to quench the thirst of the arid land. She asks her friend to relate to her all the places that she took her son to. The confidante agrees with a forewarning that the lady should not get mad. The lady too promises that and then the confidante goes on to say, how the lady’s son visited the house of a woman that the man had courted in his young and unrestrained days, and there, the woman seems to have given gifts of ivory ornaments to the child, with tears dropping down like pearls from her eyes, as she invited the boy to smile.

Next, the boy seems to have gone to the house of the other woman the man married and she too, was filled with suffering. This woman asks the boy about their relationship, and like the other woman, she too gives jewels to the boy and advises him not to be like his promiscuous father. Finally, the boy seems to have gone to the house of a new woman, who was known to have much malice towards the lady.

Hearing this, the lady’s anger soars and she asks for a rod to strike the child. Then cooling down, she talks about how that woman had stolen away her husband and asks her son to no longer visit the homes of such women. It’s better for him to remain close to her at their home, the lady concludes. By tracing the trail of the little boy’s footsteps, the man’s many relationships and the way he abandons them without a care is highlighted. There’s no dearth of wealth anywhere and even such forsaken women seem to be able to shower wealth on the man’s son. All this points to an affluent society, where power and wealth seems to be concentrated in the hands of a few men, resulting in a less than ideal lifestyle for the women concerned!

In this episode, we listen to a striking interaction between the man and the lady, as depicted in Sangam Literary work, Kalithogai 81, penned by Maruthan Ilanaakanaar. The verse is situated in the ‘Marutham’ or ‘Farmlands landscape’ and reveals the man’s attempts at allaying the lady’s ire.

புதல்வனை நோக்கித் தலைவி கூறுதல்
மை அற விளங்கிய மணி மருள் அவ் வாய் தன்
மெய் பெறா மழலையின் விளங்கு பூண் நனைத்தர,
பொலம் பிறையுள் தாழ்ந்த புனை வினை உருள் கலன்,
நலம் பெறு கமழ் சென்னி, நகையொடு துயல்வர,
உரு எஞ்சாது இடை காட்டும் உடை கழல் அம் துகில்
அரி பொலி கிண்கிணி ஆர்ப்பு ஓவா அடி தட்ப,
பாலோடு அலர்ந்த முலை மறந்து, முற்றத்துக்
கால் வல் தேர் கையின் இயக்கி, நடை பயிற்றா,
ஆல் அமர் செல்வன் அணி சால் பெரு விறல்
போல, வரும் என் உயிர்!

பெரும! விருந்தொடு கைதூவா எம்மையும் உள்ளாய்,
பெருந் தெருவில் கொண்டாடி ஞாயர் பயிற்ற,
திருந்துபு நீ கற்ற சொற்கள் யாம் கேட்ப,
மருந்து ஓவா நெஞ்சிற்கு அமிழ்தம் அயின்றற்றா,
பெருந்தகாய்! கூறு, சில

தோழியை நோக்கித் தலைவி கூறிய செய்தி
எல்லிழாய்! சேய் நின்று நாம் கொணர்ந்த பாணன் சிதைந்து, ஆங்கே
வாய் ஓடி, ‘ஏனாதிப்பாடியம்’ என்றற்றா,
‘நோய் நாம் தணிக்கும் மருந்து’ எனப் பாராட்ட,
ஓவாது அடுத்து அடுத்து, ‘அத்தத்தா!’ என்பான் மாண
வேய் மென் தோள் வேய்த்திறம் சேர்த்தலும், மற்று, இவன்
வாயுள்ளின் போகான்அரோ

தலைவன் கேட்ப, தோழியை நோக்கித் தலைவி உரைத்தல்
உள்ளி உழையே ஒருங்கு படை விடக்
கள்ளர் படர்தந்தது போல, தாம் எம்மை
எள்ளுமார் வந்தாரே ஈங்கு

தலைவன்
ஏதப்பாடு எண்ணி, புரிசை வியல் உள்ளோர்
கள்வரைக் காணாது, ‘கண்டேம்’ என்பார் போல,
சேய் நின்று, செய்யாத சொல்லிச் சினவல்; நின்
ஆணை கடக்கிற்பார் யார்?

தலைவி
அதிர்வு இல் படிறு எருக்கி, வந்து என் மகன்மேல்,
முதிர் பூண் முலை பொருத ஏதிலாள் முச்சி
உதிர் துகள் உக்க நின் ஆடை ஒலிப்ப
எதிர் வளி நின்றாய்; நீ செல்

தலைவன்
இனி, ‘எல்லா! யாம் தீதிலேம்’ என்று தெளிப்பவும், கைந்நீவி
யாதொன்றும் எம்கண் மறுத்தரவு இல்லாயின்,
மேதக்க எந்தை பெயரனை யாம் கொள்வேம்,
தாவா விருப்பொடு கன்று யாத்துழிச் செல்லும்
ஆ போல் படர் தக, நாம்.

We are back to the conversational style of Kalithogai verses. The words can be translated as follows:

“Lady to her son:
With his beautiful mouth, akin to a flawless gem, he babbles with a lisp, words without any meaning. As he does so, his radiant jewels become moistened. The golden crescent hanging from a well-etched round jewel upon his fragrant and handsome head dangles down. Extending beyond his form, showing his hip, the loose attire he wears block his feet that resound ceaselessly with his anklets filled with pebble-like stones. Forgetting the swelling breast filled with milk, pulling the well-made toy chariot, learning to walk, comes my life, akin to the great one, who sits under the banyan, the son of the strong and decorated lord!

My dear! Without leaving you to think about me ,who was held up with making a feast for the guests, in the huge street, your foster mothers taught you. When I hear those words that you learnt so well from them, that would be like ambrosia to my heart, the cure to my relentlessly worrying heart, O esteemed one! Why don’t you say a few?

Lady to her confidante:
O maiden wearing radiant jewels, the bard, who was brought here from a great distance, ran away with his mouth, and said the word ‘Enaathi Paadiyam’. As I praised my son saying that ‘He was the cure for my disease’, unceasingly he kept saying ‘Athatha’. Even as I buried him in my soft, bamboo-like shoulders, no other words seemed to come out of the little one’s mouth!

Lady saying to her confidante, when the man was in earshot:
Strategising how to destroy an entire army, the band of thieves surround. Akin to that, to make me the laughing stock, he has come here now.

Man:
As means of protection, those within the fort, even when they don’t see the thieves, shout out ‘We have seen them’. Like that, standing far away, you talk about things I never did and become furious. Who can even disobey your orders?

Lady:
Without any hesitation, with cunning, you have come to see my son. But I can see the pollen, fallen from the head of those strange women, scattered all over your attire, as you stand before me amidst the breeze. Please leave!

Man:
Even though I have said, ‘Dear one, there’s no wrong I have done’, caressing your hands, if you do not respond in the right manner, all I can do is to rush towards the little one, who bears the glorious name of my father, and hold our son, akin to a cow, returning from its grazing, rushing towards its calf tied up, with boundless love.”

Let’s delve into the details. The verse is situated in the context of a love quarrel between a man and a lady, owing to the man’s seeking courtesans. The words here are said initially by the lady, who talks to her son and her confidante, and then the conversation takes a turn and dwells between the man and the lady. As we have been seeing in the past few verses, the lady happens to celebrate the beauty and adornments of her infant son, in the beginning, talking about his jewel-like mouth, adorable prattle, the jewels on his head dangling and the anklets on his feet resounding. She mentions how the boy seemed to have forgotten his mother’s milk-filled breast, as he was busy pulling and playing with his toy chariot and learning to walk. From this line, we can infer how Sangam children were breastfed for a long time till the child could walk and talk. Next, the lady mentions how women, who could be the equivalent of today’s nannies, would teach the boy new words, even as the lady was busy with preparing a feast for guests, who had come home. The lady turns to her son and requests him to speak a few words, saying those words are like an elixir to her ears and are the only cure for her worrying heart. At this point, the lady turns to her confidante and conveys the news that the bard who had visited their home earlier had mentioned a particular place, when asked where he had been, and the lady thus knows, the man has been visiting the neighbourhood of the courtesans in the bard’s company. Next, she turns to her son’s words that she had sought from him and tells her confidante, no matter how much love she poured on the boy, the boy only kept referring only to his father.

Then, noticing the man had entered their home, the lady says to the confidante, while the man is in earshot, saying how he had arrived home, after making a mockery of her, just the way a band of thieves decide on the strategic time to destroy an army. The man replies to this accusation saying how even where there were no thieves, those in the fort would shout ‘thief, thief’, like that, the lady seems to be accusing him of things he has never done. The lady replies to this asking, ‘Is that so? Then how come I can see the pollen of other women fallen on your robe?’ The man concludes possibly wringing his hands in despair, saying even though he has repeatedly said he has not done anything wrong, if the lady could not understand it, all he could do was to rush and carry his son, with the feeling of a grazing cow rushing to its tethered calf with love brimming over. A verse which provides insights about the rearing of children in the Sangam era, amidst the usual conflict between the wandering man and the worrying lady!