Sangam Lit

In this episode, we perceive the celebration in the man’s return home, as portrayed in Sangam Literary work, Ainkurunooru 491-500, situated in the ‘Mullai’ or ‘Forest landscape’ and penned by the poet Peyanaar.

Thus blooms the Fiftieth Ten of Ainkurunooru: Ripples of the Return

491 Beauty back to you
கார் எதிர் காலை யாம், ஓவின்று நலிய,
நொந்து நொந்து உயவும் உள்ளமொடு,
வந்தனெம் மடந்தை, நின் ஏர் தர விரைந்தே.

In this time, when the rains were approaching, worrying unceasingly, with a heart that ached and ached, I have come here, O naive maiden, with much haste, to render your beauty back to you.

492 Racing against the rains
நின்னே போலும் மஞ்ஞை ஆல, நின்
நன்னுதல் நாறும் முல்லை மலர,
நின்னே போல மா மருண்டு நோக்க,
நின்னே உள்ளி வந்தனென்
நன்னுதல் அரிவை, காரினும் விரைந்தே.

Just like you, the peacock dances; Just like your fine forehead, the wild jasmine blooms; Just like you, the deer looks with startled eyes; And so, thinking just of you, I came here, O maiden with a shining forehead, racing against the rains!

493 Arrived with the rains
ஏறு முரண் சிறப்ப, ஏறு எதிர் இரங்க,
மாதர் மான் பிணை மறியொடு மறுகக்,
கார் தொடங்கின்றே காலை,
நேர் இறை முன்கை, நின் உள்ளி யாம் வரவே.

As bulls bellow with force, as thunder resounds in response, as the beautiful female deer along with its calf leaps about, it’s now the time, when the rains begin, after I have arrived thinking of you, O maiden wearing etched bangles on your forearms!

494 As you wished
வண்டு தாது ஊதத், தேரை தெவிட்டத்,
தண் கமழ் புறவின் முல்லை மலர,
இன்புறுத்தன்று பொழுதே,
நின் குறி வாய்த்தனம், தீர்க இனி படரே.

As bees buzz around pollen, as toads croak, as the cool and fragrant wild jasmine blooms in the forest, beautiful is this time. Knowing your heart, I have arrived as you wished, and so let your suffering cease!

495 Sweet turns the forest
செந்நில மருங்கில் பல் மலர் தாஅய்ப்,
புலம்பு தீர்ந்து இனியவாயின புறவே,
பின்னிருங் கூந்தல் நன்னலம் புனைய,
உள்ளுதொறும் கலிழும் நெஞ்சமொடு,
முள் எயிற்று அரிவை, யாம் வந்தமாறே.

Upon the red earth, many flowers bloom and letting go of its lament, sweet turns the forest. This is because, with a heart that shed tears every time I thought of you, O young maiden with thorn-like teeth, to adorn your braided dark tresses with beauty, I have arrived here!

496 Flowers for her tresses
மா புதல் சேர, வரகு இணர் சிறப்ப,
மா மலை புலம்பக் கார் கலித்து அலைப்பப்,
பேரமர்க்கண்ணி, நின் பிரிந்து உறைநர்
தோள் துணையாக வந்தனர்,
போது அவிழ் கூந்தலும் பூ விரும்புகவே.

As deer find refuge in the bushes, as millet clusters prosper, leaving the huge mountains in loneliness, rains resound and roar with waves. O maiden with huge and beautiful eyes, the one, who was parted away from you, has returned to become the companion for your arms. May your tresses hanging low, without adornments, wear flowers with desire now!

497 Rains and the Return
குறும் பல் கோதை கொன்றை மலர,
நெடுஞ்செம் புற்றம் ஈயல் பகர,
மாபசி மறுப்பக் கார் தொடங்கின்றே,
பேரியல் அரிவை, நின் உள்ளிப்
போர் வெங்குருசில் வந்தமாறே.

Making many small garlands of the golden shower bloom, termites to part away from their tall, red mounds, and animals to forget their hunger, the rains have begun, O maiden with an admirable nature, because the lord, who loves battles, has thought of you and returned!

498 He has arrived
தோள் கவின் எய்தின, தொடி நிலை நின்றன,
நீள் வரி நெடுங்கண் வாள் வனப்பு உற்றன,
ஏந்து கோட்டு யானை வேந்து தொழில் விட்டென,
விரைசெலல் நெடுந்தேர் கடைஇ,
வரையக நாடன் வந்தமாறே.

Arms have regained their beauty; Bangles have retained their position; Huge eyes with long lines have attained the brightness of swords; All because the king, who wields elephants with uplifted tusks, has ended his war mission, and riding his tall chariot, with great speed, the lord of the mountains has arrived!

499 Thinking of her worries
பிடவம் மலரத், தளவம் நனையக்,
கார் கவின் கொண்ட கானம் காணின்,
வருந்துவள் பெரிதென, அருந்தொழிற்கு அகலாது
வந்தனரால் நம் காதலர்,
அம் தீம் கிளவி, நின் ஆய் நலம் கொண்டே.

Thinking that she will worry immensely, if she sees the forest attain the beauty of the rains that make wild jasmines bloom and pink jasmines soak, without parting for other challenging missions, he has returned, that lover of yours, O woman with sweet words, bringing back your excellent beauty!

500 Transformation of her eyes
கொன்றைப் பூவின் பசந்த உண்கண்,
குன்றக நெடுஞ் சுனைக் குவளை போலத்
தொல் கவின் பெற்றன இவட்கே, வெல்போர்
வியன் நெடும் பாசறை நீடிய
வயமான் தோன்றல், நீ வந்தமாறே.

O lord, who appears like a strong tiger, the one who had been delayed at the wide and spreading battle camp of the winning king, the kohl-streaked eyes that had spread with the pallor of the golden shower flowers, have attained their old beauty, akin to the blue lily in the wide mountain spring, just because you have returned!

So concludes Ainkurunooru 491-500. All the verses are situated in the context of a man’s post-marital relationship with the lady. The unifying theme of the songs is the joyous moment when the man has returned and reunited with the lady.

In the first, the man expresses his feelings of worry as he saw that the rains were approaching and how that made him travel with great speed, so as to give back the beauty of the lady that was lost with his parting away. In the second, the man describes how all the elements of nature on his path, be it a peacock or the blooming jasmines or a startled deer, everything reminded him of his lady and that’s why he rushed to her, wanting to beat the rains in that race against time. In the third, the man says the rains have begun, making bulls bellow, thunder roar and deer romp, after he had arrived, telling us he has won the race with the rains. In the fourth, the man says to the lady that knowing that she wished for his arrival before the rains more than anything else, he made it there to slay her suffering and now the world feels so beautiful to savour, as sounds of bees buzzing, toads croaking, and the scent of wild jasmines echo that the rains are here. The fifth sees the man celebrating the beauty of the forest again, wherein flowers bloom upon the red earth and the domain gives up its lament about the dry season and welcomes the rains, and it feels so sweet only because he is back and one with the lady.

The confidante takes the speaker’s spotlight in the next five. In the sixth, she points to the changes in the world around, such as deer hiding in the bushes, millets raising their heads with delight, and making all life leave the mountains, leaving it in loneliness, because the rains were there. There is no cause for worry in the lady though, as the man was back and now the tresses, which the lady had abandoned without care, can delight in wearing flowers again. The confidante once again highlights how Sangam women avoided adorning themselves in the time their man was away. Returning, in the seventh, the confidante offers other instances of the effect of rains, such as the blooming of the golden shower, the parting away of termites from their mounds, and also, the forgetting of hunger by animals, as they shiver in the cold of the season, seeking protection from the elements. The confidante seems to say in this one that the rains have begun only because the man has returned, thinking of the lady.

The eighth sees the confidante turning her attention from the changes in the outer world to the appearance of her friend and remarks how the lady’s arms have become beautiful, the bangles are not slipping away, and her eyes are bright once again, and this is only because the man had finished the king’s mission victoriously and was back with her. In the ninth, the confidante celebrates the man’s thoughtfulness in considering how the lady would worry if she saw the rains arrive and moisten the jasmines, for he returned to the lady, bringing back her beauty in time. In the final verse, the confidante addresses the man directly, calling him a tiger and remarking how he had been delayed at the king’s battle camp, and concludes with the words that the lady’s eyes, which had spread with pallor in the colour of golden shower flowers, have now transformed to seem like a cool and fragrant blue lily in a mountain spring, just because the man was back.

And so we see how the man seems to be the custodian of the lady’s beauty, taking it away with him, when he goes, and bringing it back, when he returns. The essence of this section is the inner and outer transformation in a person’s return to their beloved. On that sweet note of a reunion amidst the lush and blooming spread of this domain, verses on the ‘Mullai’ or ‘Forest landscape’ ends, a section where the focus was not on intricate metaphors but rather a direct depiction of the emotions in parting and togetherness, in the bond and the joy of love. These verses echo to us that it’s not only earth-shattering moments of history that need to be sung about and celebrated, but the simple truth that even the simple joys of a family life have lasting value in linking generations, across space and time.

In this episode, we perceive the urgency in the man’s command to his charioteer, as portrayed in Sangam Literary work, Ainkurunooru 481-490, situated in the ‘Mullai’ or ‘Forest landscape’ and penned by the poet Peyanaar.

Thus blooms the Forty Ninth Ten of Ainkurunooru: Hasten the Horses

481 End the affliction
சாய்இறைப் பணைத்தோள் அவ்வரி அல்குல்
சேயிழை மாதரை உள்ளி நோய்விட
முள் இட்டு ஊர்மதி வலவ! நின்
புள்இயல் கலிமாப் பூண்ட தேரே.

Thinking of the maiden, adorned with etched ornaments, having fine lines on her waist and beautiful curves on her bamboo-like arms, love affliction spreads in me. To end this, O charioteer, apply your thorny goad and speedily ride this chariot, tied with your bird-like, proud horses!

482 Lose not a day
தெரியிழை அரிவைக்குப் பெரு விருந்தாக,
வல் விரைந்து கடவுமதி பாக, வெள்வேல்
வென்று அடு தானை வேந்தனொடு
நாளிடைச் சேப்பின், ஊழியின் நெடிதே.

As a great feast for the maiden, wearing well-etched ornaments, with much speed, ride on, O charioteer, for even if a day is spent with the king, who commands a white-speared, conquering army, it would seem longer than an eon!

483 Rush on homeward
ஆறு வனப்பு எய்த அலர் தாயினவே,
வேந்து விட்டனனே, மா விரைந்தனவே,
முன்னுறக் கடவுமதி பாக,
நன்னுதல் அரிவை தன்னலம் பெறவே.

Making the path picturesque, flowers spread everywhere. The king too has given leave, the horses are hastening. Make them go even faster, O charioteer, so that the maiden with a fine forehead will regain her beauty!

484 Make up for lost time
வேனில் நீங்கக் கார்மழை தலைஇக்
காடுகவின் கொண்டன்று பொழுது பாடுசிறந்து
கடியக் கடவுமதி பாக
நெடிய நீடினம் நேரிழை மறந்தே.

As summer withdrew, and the rains arrived, the forest has attained its beauty. At this time, adding glory to your work, with speed, ride on, O charioteer, for I have spent a long time, forgetting that maiden wearing fine ornaments!

485 Cease the sorrow
அரும்படர் அவலம் அவளும் தீரப்
பெருந்தோள் நலம்வர யாமும் முயங்க
ஏமதி வலவ தேரே
மாருண்டு உகளும் மலரணிப் புறவே.

To make the deep suffering and sorrow in her cease, so that her long arms attain their beauty for me to embrace, ride the chariot, O charioteer, in this flower-adorned forest, where startled deer leap away!

486 Say no more to suffering
பெரும்புன் மாலை ஆனாது நினைஇ
அரும்படர் உழைத்தல் யாவது என்றும்
புல்லி ஆற்றாப் புரையோள் காண
வள்பு தெரிந்து ஊர்மதி வலவ! நின்
புள் இயல் கலி மாப் பூண்ட தேரே.

The deep suffering of thinking endlessly in the long and angst-filled evening will be no more! So that I can see that flawless maiden, who endows unceasing pleasure in her embrace, put your whip to use, O charioteer, and ride the chariot, tied with your bird-like, proud horses!

487 Delight her heart
இதுமன் பிரிந்தோர் உள்ளும் பொழுதே
செறிதொடி உள்ளம் உவப்ப
மதியுடை வலவ ஏமதி தேரே.

For parted lovers, this is the time that makes one think of the faraway beloved! Delighting the heart of the maiden, wearing well-etched bangles, hasten this chariot, O intelligent charioteer!

488 Slay the worry
கருவி வானம் பெயல் தொடங்கின்றே
பெருவிறல் காதலி கருதும் பொழுதே
விரி உளை நன்மாப் பூட்டிப்
பருவரல் தீரக் கடவுமதி தேரே.

The skies, in accompaniment of clouds and thunder, have begun their downpour. This is the time that my esteemed lover will think of me and worry. And so, to end her deep suffering, tie the fine horses with swaying manes and hasten the chariot!

489 Pull on the reins
அம் சிறை வண்டின் அரியினம் மொய்ப்ப,
மென்புல முல்லை மலரும் மாலைப்
பையுள் நெஞ்சின் தையல் உவப்ப,
நுண் புரி வண் கயிறு இயக்கி, நின்
வண் பரி நெடுந்தேர் கடவுமதி விரைந்தே.

Making the colony of bees with beautiful wings buzz around, the soft-earthed forest blooms in this evening, the time when the young maiden will worry with an anxious heart. To delight her, pull on the intricately twisted, strong reins, and ride your strong horses, tied to the tall chariot, with much haste!

490 Ride on with speed
அம் தீம் கிளவி தான் தர எம் வயின்
வந்தன்று மாதோ காரே, ஆவயின்
ஆய்தொடி அரும் படர் தீர,
ஆய் மணி நெடுந்தேர் கடவுமதி விரைந்தே.

To give to me that beautiful and sweet-voiced maiden, the rains have arrived, behold! To slay the deep suffering of the maiden, adorned with beautiful bangles, ride the tall chariot, adorned with beautiful bells, with much haste!

So concludes Ainkurunooru 481-490. All the verses are situated in the context of a man’s parting from the lady, after marriage. The unifying theme of all the songs is that these occur at that moment, when the man is done with his mission and cannot bear to wait even a moment longer to see his beloved, and so, he urges his charioteer to ride with great speed.

The charioteer is referred to in different ways. In a few instances, he’s praised for his horses that are described as flying like birds, so fast they go, that their hooves seem not to touch the earth. In some cases, the man advises the charioteer to use his thorny goad and whip to nudge the horses, although there’s no need to do that, since these horses are leaping already. However, these remarks are to express the urgency in the man’s heart to reach the maiden without any delay. The charioteer’s intelligence is praised by the man in one, a reward strategy to push the worker to perform, no doubt! The intricate twists on the reins the charioteer holds and the tinkling bells on the chariot are the other elements regarding the charioteer highlighted here.

Turning to the intent of the speaker, and in this case, the man, in every case, he urges the charioteer to ride with great speed and take the man to his beloved lady, slightly varying the reason in each. In the first, the man talks of the love affliction that spreads in him, thinking of the lady, and to end that, the charioteer must ride fast, he says. In the second, it’s because even a single day spent fighting with the king would appear like an entire eon to the lady, who’s back home thinking of him, and for him as well, missing her. In the third, flowers are spreading everywhere, the king has given leave and so it was time to rush home. In the fourth, there’s a tinge of guilt in the man, who feels he has been too involved in his mission, and so, he has forgotten his lady for a long while, and decides to make up for all the time that’s been lost. In the fifth, the speedy ride is to make the lady’s suffering end and for the man to embrace her. In the sixth, the man wishes to do away with evenings without his beloved’s company and wishes to see her instantly. In the seventh, the man perceives it’s the rainy season, a time when lovers miss their beloved the most and so wishes to avoid pain in the lady and decides to delight her heart. In the eighth too, he talks about rains and thunder, and says he needs to end the lady’s suffering. In the ninth, he focuses on the bee-buzzing evening hour, when the lady would no doubt worry about him and he wishes to bring joy to her. The final one sees the man declaring that the rains had arrived and he must do all he can to end the pain in his beloved, and so, he urges his charioteer to make haste and take him home.

If the man was living in the current century, he would have to spend all that wealth he has earned on speeding tickets, I’m sure! Joking apart, this collection captures that relatable feeling that anyone in love, who has been parted from their beloved for a long while, would feel, at the moment when they journey towards them. The longing of the loved one and the anticipation of the moment of reunion turns this travel into a journey, filled with excitement like no other! Wishing you safe travels from the twenty-first century, O Sangam man on a speeding chariot! We see what you see and feel what you feel!

In this episode, we perceive the role of bard as a messenger of love, as depicted in Sangam Literary work, Ainkurunooru 471-480, situated in the ‘Mullai’ or ‘Forest landscape’ and penned by the poet Peyanaar.

Thus blooms the Forty Eighth Ten of Ainkurunooru: Ballad of the Bearer Bard

471 Here he comes in support
எல் வளை நெகிழ, மேனி வாட,
பல் இதழ் உண்கண் பனி அலைக் கலங்க,
துறந்தோன் மன்ற, மறம் கெழு குருசில்;
அது மற்று உணர்ந்தனை போலாய்
இன்னும் வருதி; என் அவர் தகவே?

As shining bangles slip away, skin fades in lustre and moisture muddles those many-petaled, kohl-streaked eyes, he abandoned her, that lord brimming with bravery! You seem not to realise this state of hers for yet you come! What greatness he has!

472 The Promised season is here
கை வல் சீறியாழ்ப் பாண! நுமரே
செய்த பருவம் வந்து நின்றதுவே;
எம்மின் உணரார்ஆயினும், தம்வயின்
பொய் படு கிளவி நாணலும்
எய்யார் ஆகுதல், நோகோ யானே.

O bard, who wields the small lute with skilled hands! The season your lord promised to return is here! Even if he does not share our feelings, at least he should feel shame for the false words he rendered but he doesn’t feel that too! It pains me a lot!

473 Don’t you forget me too
பலர் புகழ் சிறப்பின் நும் குருசில் உள்ளிச்
செலவு நீ நயந்தனைஆயின், மன்ற
இன்னா அரும் படர் எம்வயின் செய்த
பொய்வலாளர் போல
கை வல் பாண! எம் மறவாதீமே.

To reach your estimable lord, whose has the fame of being praised by many, if you are about to take up this journey, like that man of lies, who seems to have showered ceaseless suffering on me, don’t you forget me too, O skilled bard!

474 The bard’s good mind
மை அறு சுடர் நுதல் விளங்க, கறுத்தோர்
செய் அரண் சிதைத்த செரு மிகு தானையொடு
கதழ் பரி நெடுந் தேர் அதர் படக் கடைஇச்
சென்றவர்த் தருகுவல் என்னும்;
நன்றால் அம்ம, பாணனது அறிவே!

The bard says, ‘To make the flawless, radiant forehead glow, I shall go and bring back the one, who went to destroy well-built forts of foes with his proud army, riding his swift horses, tied to his tall chariot, rushing past paths many!’ It’s fine indeed, this bard’s mind!

475 Kindness of the bard
தொடி நிலை கலங்க வாடிய தோளும்
வடி நலன் இழந்த என் கண்ணும் நோக்கி,
பெரிது புலம்பினனே, சீறியாழ்ப் பாணன்;
எம் வெங் காதலொடு பிரிந்தோர்
தம்மோன் போலான்; பேர் அன்பினனே.

Looking at my faded arms, from which bangles slip away, and my eyes, which have lost their fine beauty, he lamented a lot, that bard, who wields the small lute. He’s not like the man, who parted away with my love; He seems to have great kindness.

476 Loveless evening
கருவி வானம் கார் சிறந்து ஆர்ப்ப,
பருவம் செய்தன பைங் கொடி முல்லை;
பல் ஆன் கோவலர் படலைக் கூட்டும்
அன்பு இல் மாலையும் உடைத்தோ
அன்பு இல் பாண! அவர் சென்ற நாடே?

The skies in accompaniment of clouds and thunder resound with rains, the green vines of the wild jasmine burst into seasonal bloom and the cowherds herd their many cattle back into the shed in this loveless evening. Won’t there be one such, O loveless bard, in the country he left to?

477 Companion to her heart
பனி மலர் நெடுங் கண் பசலை பாய,
துனி மலி துயரமொடு அரும் படர் உழப்போள்
கையறு நெஞ்சிற்கு உயவுத் துணை ஆக,
சிறு வரைத் தங்குவைஆயின்,
காண்குவை மன்னால் பாண! எம் தேரே.

As pallor spreads in those cool, flower-like, huge eyes, with a deep sorrow, she wallows in suffering. As a kind companion to her helpless heart, if you could stay there for a little while, you will see, O bard, the arrival of my chariot!

478 What more did she say?
‘நீடினம்’ என்று கொடுமை தூற்றி,
வாடிய நுதலள் ஆகி, பிறிது நினைந்து,
யாம் வெங் காதலி நோய் மிகச் சாஅய்,
சொல்லியது உரைமதி நீயே
முல்லை நல் யாழ்ப் பாண! மற்று எமக்கே?

Saying, ‘He prolonged the return’, she would have cursed my cruelty and become one with the faded forehead. Thinking about me endlessly, my desirable lover would have been greatly afflicted and lost her health. Please tell me all she said, O bard, who wields the fine lute of the forest!

479 Sweetness of her words
சொல்லுமதி பாண! சொல்லுதோறு இனிய
நாடு இடை விலங்கிய எம்வயின், நாள்தொறும்,
அரும் பனி கலந்த அருள் இல் வாடை
தனிமை எள்ளும் பொழுதில்,
பனி மலர்க் கண்ணி கூறியது எமக்கே.

Please tell me, O bard! In this time, when I am separated by many countries, and tormented endlessly, by the hard and cold, compassionless northern winds, which laugh at my loneliness, whatever you say about the words of the maiden, with moist, flower-like eyes- That rings with lasting sweetness!

480 No more a bard
நினக்கு யாம் பாணரேம் அல்லேம்; எமக்கு
நீயும் குருசிலை அல்லை மாதோ
நின் வெங் காதலி தன் மனைப் புலம்பி,
ஈர் இதழ் உண்கண் உகுத்த
பூசல் கேட்டும் அருளாதோயே!

I’m no bard of yours! You’re no lord of mine! For you seem not to render your grace, even after hearing about the suffering of your desirable lover, as she laments in her home and sheds tears from the moist petals of her kohl-streaked eyes!

So concludes Ainkurunooru 471-480. All the verses are situated in the context of the man’s post marital relationship with his lady and in the situation where he’s parted away from her. The unifying theme of all the songs is that these words are about a bard, who acts as a messenger between the parted. The speakers happen to be the lady’s confidante, the lady, the man and the bard himself.

The bard is referred mostly as the one who wields the small lute, and in one instance, as the wielder of the ‘mullai yazh’ or the ‘forestlands lute’. While his skill is mentioned in a few verses, the spotlight is on the message he bears.

In the first and the second, it’s the confidante saying these words to the bard. In the first, she highlights the lady’s distressed state because the man left her, brimming with bravery to battle. Then, with sarcasm, she talks about the greatness of this lord, who could leave his lady so, and wonders how dare the bard come there, bringing the man’s message. In the second, she declares that the promised season of return was there but there was no sign of the man, and asks, even if he does not have any feelings like the lady, at least shouldn’t he have the shame that the words he rendered to the lady, saying he would never part away, have turned false now? We see how the confidante is exceptionally harsh to the man and through this, she conveys her love and support to the suffering lady that there is someone to speak for her and care for her welfare.

In the third to sixth verses, the lady takes the matter in her own hands and expresses her emotions to the bard. In the third, she asks the bard, who has promised to take her message to the lord, not to forget her when he goes there, in the manner of the man. In the fourth, she celebrates the bard’s good mind which promises to bring back the man to end her suffering. In the fifth, she celebrates the bard’s kindness, as he feels empathy for her faded state at the man’s parting. She contrasts his concerned behaviour with the seemingly loveless actions of the man, who is away from her. In the seventh, she wonders if there’s no suffering-filled evening at all, in the country where the man has parted away to.

Verses seven to ten see the action moving to the battle camp, where the man is engaged in his mission. In the seventh to ninth, the man addresses the bard and he asks the bard to be a good companion to the lady and soon he promises his chariot will be there, in the seventh. In the eighth, the man accepts how the lady would be hurt and angry at him for leaving her, but presses the bard to say whatever she said. In the ninth, the man declares whatever words the bard speaks about the lady, rings so sweet in his ears, as he remains far away from her and tormented by the northern winds. In the final one, the bard says to the man, ‘Enough is enough. If you don’t care for the state of the lady and don’t return, I can no longer be in your service’, and hands his resignation letter, expressing how much he values the welfare of the lady and stressing that love comes before duty to the man. Thus, in this curious section, focusing on the man’s separation from the lady, the spotlight falls on the different ways a message is received, highlighting the challenging role of a messenger, especially in love.

In this episode, we listen to hopeful words rendered to an anxious heart, as portrayed in Sangam Literary work, Ainkurunooru 461-470, situated in the ‘Mullai’ or ‘Forest landscape’ and penned by the poet Peyanaar.

Thus blooms the Forty Seventh Ten of Ainkurunooru: Consolation of the Confidante

461 He cannot remain apart
வான் பிசிர்க் கருவியின் பிடவு முகை தகைய,
கான் பிசிர் கற்ப, கார் தொடங்கின்றே;
இனையல் வாழி, தோழி; எனையதூஉம்
நிற் துறந்து அமைகுவர்அல்லர்,
வெற்றி வேந்தன் பாசறையோரே.

Owing to the drops from the sky, accompanied by clouds and thunder, buds of the wild jasmine bloomed, and as the forest wafts with the scent of rain, the season has begun; Worry not, my friend, may you live long! He is not someone who can be apart from you even for a short while, the one who is at the battle camp of the victorious king!

462 Rains in the wrong
ஏதில பெய்ம் மழை கார் என மயங்கிய
பேதைஅம் கொன்றைக் கோதை நிலை நோக்கி,
எவன் இனி, மடந்தை! நின் கலிழ்வே? நின்வயின்
தகை எழில் வாட்டுநர் அல்லர்,
முகை அவிழ் புறவின் நாடு இறந்தோரே.

Seeing the strange rain that falls for no reason, the foolish golden shower tree thinks, ‘The rainy season is here’ and opens its buds. Seeing the garland-like blossom of its flowers, why do you cry now, O naive maiden? He is not someone, who will cause harm to your exquisite beauty, the one who parted away to the forest lands where buds bloom!

463 Flowers for the tresses
புதல்மிசை நறு மலர் கவின் பெறத் தொடரி, நின்
நலம் மிகு கூந்தல் தகை கொளப் புனைய
வாராது அமையலோ இலரே; நேரார்
நாடு படு நன்கலம் தரீஇயர்,
நீடினர் தோழி! நம் காதலோரே.

Taking fragrant flowers blooming on the bush and making it into a garland to add esteem to your beautiful tresses, he shall surely come; He prolongs his return only to bring fine ornaments from the country of the foes, that lover of yours!

464 Winter is here
கண் எனக் கருவிளை மலர, பொன் என
இவர் கொடிப் பீரம் இரும் புதல் மலரும்
அற்சிரம் மறக்குநர் அல்லர் நின்
நல் தோள் மருவரற்கு உலமருவோரே.

Akin to eyes, the bluebell vine blooms, akin to gold, the spreading dark bushes of ridge gourd vines bloom in this winter season. He is not one to forget that this season has arrived, the one who yearns with great pain to embrace your beautiful arms!

465 Foes are finished
நீர் இகுவன்ன நிமிர் பரி நெடுந் தேர்,
கார் செய் கானம் கவின் பட, கடைஇ,
மயங்கு மலர் அகலம் நீ இனிது முயங்க,
வருவர், வாழி, தோழி!
செரு வெங் குருசில் தணிந்தனன் பகையே.

Akin to descending cascades, sturdy horses tied to tall chariots leave behind the beauty of the flourishing forest in the rains and arrive, so that you can sweetly embrace his intoxicating, wide chest, may you live long, my friend! For the foes of the war-loving king are conquered!

466 Messenger of Kings
வேந்து விடு விழுத் தொழில் எய்தி, ஏந்து கோட்டு
அண்ணல் யானை அரசு விடுத்து, இனியே
எண்ணிய நாளகம் வருதல் பெண் இயல்
காமர் சுடர் நுதல் விளங்கும்
தே மொழி அரிவை! தெளிந்திசின் யானே.

Accepting the honourable mission of the great king, he travelled to another king, who wields esteemed elephants with uplifted tusks. He has taken leave from this king now and will return on the promised day that we await. O honey-voiced maiden, on whose glowing forehead, shines the epitome of femininity, I know this very well!

467 Message of his prompt return
புனை இழை நெகிழச் சாஅய், நொந்துநொந்து
இனையல் வாழியோ இகுளை! ‘வினைவயின்
சென்றோர் நீடினர் பெரிது’ என: தங்காது
நம்மினும் விரையும் என்ப,
வெம் முரண் யானை விறல் போர் வேந்தே.

Making the adorned ornaments slip away, you lose your health and worry unceasingly, saying, ‘The man who left on a mission delayed his return’, O young maiden, may you live long! Without staying back, he will hurry and return even before we expect. So say those who come from the conquering king with furious battle elephants!

468 He will come with the rains
வரி நுணல் கறங்க, தேரை தெவிட்ட,
கார் தொடங்கின்றே காலை; இனி, நின்
நேர் இறைப் பணைத் தோட்கு ஆர் விருந்து ஆக,
வடி மணி நெடுந் தேர் கடைஇ,
வருவர் இன்று, நம் காதலோரே.

As the striped frogs croak, as toads grunt, the season of rains has begun; Now, to become the excellent feast for your long, bamboo-like arms, climbing on to the tall chariot adorned with bells, he will come today, that lover of yours!

469 Watch the rains bring the man
பைந் தினை உணங்கல் செம் பூழ் கவரும்
வன்புல நாடன் தரீஇய, வலன் ஏர்பு
அங்கண் இரு விசும்பு அதிர, ஏறொடு
பெயல் தொடங்கின்றே வானம்;
காண்குவம்; வம்மோ, பூங் கணோயே!

The red quail steals the drying millet grains in the water-scarce lands of the lord. To bring him to you, climbing on to the right upon the wide spaces there and making it quiver with thunder, the skies have begun their downpour; Come, let’s go see that, O lady with flower-like eyes!

470 How can he remain so?
இரு நிலம் குளிர்ப்ப வீசி, அல்கலும்
அரும் பனி அளைஇய அற்சிரக் காலை
உள்ளார், காதலர், ஆயின், ஒள்ளிழை!
சிறப்பொடு விளங்கிய காட்சி
மறக்க விடுமோ, நின் மாமைக் கவினே?

Making the vast lands cool down, winds blow, and even during the day, harsh dew pours in this time of winter. If that lover of yours does not think of you now at this time, O maiden wearing glowing ornaments, will the memory of your dark-skinned beauty that’s etched in his mind let him remain so?

So concludes Ainkurunooru 461-470. All the verses are situated in the context of a man’s post-marital relationship with his lady, and specifically at a time when he’s parted from her on a king’s mission. The unifying theme of all the songs is that these are said by the confidante to console the lady, who worries that the man has not returned even as the rainy season had arrived. This section can be seen as the finale of the trilogy around the man’s parting away to the battlefield. In the first part (441-450), we saw the man’s perspective as he misses the lady at the battlefield; in the second part (451-460), we perceived the lady’s pining as the man remains away from her; and in this one, we see the lady’s confidante cheering up the lady and promising that all will be well soon.

In the first, the confidante remarks that indeed the rainy season had arrived as indicated by the blooming of the wild jasmine, but the lady need to have no worry because the man is someone who loves the lady so much that he cannot be away from her. Here, the man’s love for the lady is highlighted to bring hope to the lady. In the second, the confidante tells the lady that the rains that have fallen are not the seasonal ones but it’s some random downpour and the golden shower tree was fooled by this, and so the lady shouldn’t worry seeing its blooming flowers. Yet again, the confidante expresses trust in the man’s nature of never causing harm to the lady in any way and promises he would be back before the ‘real’ rains. Whether the lady believed these words of the confidante or not, we have to appreciate the love of this friend and her intention in cheering her friend at all cost.

In the third, the confidante says the man will surely be back to adorn the lady’s tresses with the flowers that will bloom in the rainy season, and that his delay is only because he was in act of collecting fine things from the enemy country to bring back to the lady. Promise of a fragrant and golden future is the strategy here! The fourth sees the confidante promising the lady that the man cannot forget the lady now that the winter season had arrived, and when he looks at bluebell vines, he would think of the lady’s eyes and when he sees the ridge gourd’s golden flowers, it will remind him of the pallor that would spread on the lady and nudge him to rush back to her. In the fifth, the confidante says the king’s enemies are conquered, and so the man will rush back to embrace the lady, hurrying past rain-washed forests.

The sixth offers us interesting details about the role of the man as a messenger between kings and how it was an honourable position. Fulfilling these duties, the man will return on the promised day, the confidante says to the lady. In the seventh, the confidante speaks of the message received from the king’s camp that the man will return sooner than expected and there was no need for the lady to worry about the man not returning in time. In the eighth, the confidante dwells on the rainy season, announced by the croaks of toads and frogs, and says soon the man’s chest will become the feast for the lady’s arms. In the ninth too, the confidante does not shy away in announcing that the rains have started and instead says to the lady that they have begun their magic, only to bring the man to the lady soon. Finally, in the tenth, the confidante talks about the winter season, when dew pours even in the day, and asks the lady that even if the man doesn’t think of the lady, would the etched image of the lady’s beauty let him remain there, forgetting her!

The confidante’s compassionate nature comes to the fore even as she heaps her trust in the man’s love for the lady, and also, on the power of the lady’s beauty. The various techniques this confidante uses are a manual for those who are in the profession of healing minds and offering wise counsel. Her wisdom, kindness and selfless devotion to another’s welfare etch her as the most fascinating character in the pages of Sangam literature!

In this episode, we perceive the yearning of the lady, as depicted in Sangam Literary work, Ainkurunooru 451-460, situated in the ‘Mullai’ or ‘Forest landscape’ and penned by the poet Peyanaar.

Thus blooms the Forty Sixth Ten of Ainkurunooru: Tears from the Homefront

451 He cannot return
கார் செய் காலையொடு கையறப் பிரிந்தோர்
தேர்தரு விருந்தில் தவிர்குதல் யாவது,
மாற்றரும் தானை நோக்கி
ஆற்றவும் இருத்தல், வேந்தனது தொழிலே?

How can he, who is parted away on this day in the rainy season, leaving me in helplessness, arrive in his chariot, relish the feast and stay here, if, considering his army that cannot be conquered, the king’s wish happens to be to remain there?

452 Collecting taxes and spreading pallor
வறந்த ஞாலம் தளிர்ப்ப வீசிக்
கறங்குரல் எழிலி கார் செய்தன்றே,
பகை வெங்காதலர் திறைதரு முயற்சி,
மென் தோள் ஆய் கவின் மறையப்
பொன் புனை பீரத்து அலர் செய்தன்றே.

Making the dried-up land cool down, the rainy season has arrived with winds and clouds having thundering voices. My lover, who has won the king’s enemies, is now in the midst of collecting taxes, and owing to this, my slender arms have lost their alluring beauty and pallor spreads on them, in the hue of golden-hued, ridge gourd flowers.

453 Chariot remains away
அவல்தொறும் தேரை தெவிட்ட, மிசைதொறும்
வெங்குரல் புள்ளினம் ஒலிப்ப, உதுக்காண்,
கார் தொடங்கின்றால் காலை, அதனால்
நீர் தொடங்கினவால் நெடுங்கண், அவர்
தேர் தொடங்கின்றால் நம் வயினானே.

In all the puddles, frogs croak, and everywhere above, birds resound with their desirable voices. Look! This is a day when the rainy season has begun, and so, my huge eyes have begun shedding tears, as his chariot has not started its journey towards us!

454 Wild jasmine and the rains
தளவின் பைங்கொடி தழீஇப், பையென
நிலவின் அன்ன நேர் அரும்பு பேணிக்
கார் நயந்து எய்தும் முல்லை, அவர்
தேர் நயந்து உறையும், என் மாமைக் கவினே.

Embracing the pink jasmine, blooming on green vines, slowly, akin to the moon, white buds of the wild jasmine spread, knowing that its loving rainy season had arrived. Akin to that, is my dark-skinned beauty that will bloom only when his loving chariot arrives.

455 Retiring war drums and Resounding rain clouds
அரசு பகை தணிய, முரசு படச் சினைஇ,
ஆர் குரல் எழிலி கார் தொடங்கின்றே,
அளியவோ அளிய தாமே, ஒளி பசந்து
மின் இழை ஞெகிழச் சாஅய்த்
தொன்னலம் இழந்த என் தட மென்தோளே.

As the king’s enemies were vanquished, drums have ceased roaring, and the rainy season heralded by the rainclouds with a resounding voice has begun. Aren’t they to be pitied? These curving, soft arms of mine that have lost their old beauty and glow, as pallor spreads and shining ornaments slip away!

456 Won’t he recollect his promise?
உள்ளார் கொல்லோ தோழி, வெள் இதழ்
பகல் மதி உருவின் பகன்றை மாமலர்
வெண்கொடி ஈங்கை பைம் புதல் அணியும்
அரும் பனி அளைஇய கூதிர்,
ஒருங்கு இவண் உறைதல் தெளித்து அகன்றோரே?

The light-petaled, huge rattlepod flower, akin to the moon during the day, adorns the green bush of the twisted acacia with white vines, in this winter season, with extreme cold. Won’t he think, my friend, of me staying all alone here, at this time, the one who parted away with promises?

457 Unable to forget
பெய் பனி நலிய உய்தல் செல்லாது,
குருகினம் நரலும் பிரிவருங் காலைத்,
துறந்து அமைகல்லார் காதலர்,
மறந்து அமைகல்லாது, என் மடங்கெழு நெஞ்சே.

Unable to bear the pouring dew, flocks of birds resound aloud in this season when it’s unbearable to be apart. At this time, my lover cannot remain apart from me, and my heart filled with naivety, cannot remain without thinking of him.

458 Golden pallor in the eyes
துணர்க்காய்க் கொன்றைக் குழற்பழம் ஊழ்த்தன,
அதிர் பெயற்கு எதிரிய சிதர் கொள் தண் மலர்,
பாணர் பெருமகன் பிரிந்தென,
மாண் நலம் இழந்த என் கண் போன்றனவே.

The tubular fruit clusters of the golden shower, akin to the tresses of maiden, matures in the thunderous downpour and the cool flowers drop down, appearing like my eyes, which have lost their fine beauty, as the lord of the bards parted away.

459 Ending pallor with an embrace
மெல் இறைப் பணைத்தோள் பசலை தீரப்
புல்லவும் இயைவது கொல்லோ, புல்லார்
ஆர் அரண் கடந்த சீர் கெழு தானை
வெல்போர் வேந்தனொடு சென்ற
நல் வயல் ஊரன் நறும் தண் மார்பே?

To make the pallor that spreads on my soft, bamboo-like arms to vanish, is it at all possible to embrace the cool and fragrant chest of the lord, who rules over the town with prosperous fields, the one who went along with the conquering king and his famous army to seize the formidable forts of foes?

460 Swirling northern winds
பெருஞ்சின வேந்தனும் பாசறை முனியான்,
இருங்கலி வெற்பன் தூதும் தோன்றா,
ததை இலை வாழை முழு முதல் அசைய,
இன்னா வாடையும் அலைக்கும்,
என் ஆகுவென் கொல், அளியென் யானே?

The furious king seems not to hate the battle camp still and the lord of the huge mountains seems not to send any messenger. Shaking the plantain tree with dense leaves from top to bottom, the terrible northern winds blow. What is to become of me? I am to be pitied indeed!

So concludes Ainkurunooru 451-460. All the songs are set in the context of a man’s post-marital relationship with his lady, and revolve around the situation of the man’s parting away to aid his king in warfare. The unifying theme of all these verses is that all are uttered by the lady back home, seeing that the man had not returned from his war mission even as the rainy season has arrived at her door, tormenting her.

In the previous ten, we saw how the man was away in the battlefield and lamenting that he was not able to return to his lady as promised. The next set of ten seems to be a sequel to the first, where we see the lady echoing his emotions of the pain in being apart at this time. The lady addresses her confidante in all the verses, lamenting about her situation. In the first, she declares that the man cannot return anytime soon because the king seems to want to remain there. In the second, she describes how the rainy season had arrived, and even though the actual battle is over, the man was still engaged collected taxes from the foes so that he was not able to return to her, and owing to this, pallor seemed to spread on her skin, in the hue of the golden flowers of the ridge gourd. Curious to understand how medicine would see these many descriptions of this symptom of pallor, spreading on the skin of these Sangam maiden. Was it only a phenomenon on this particular people at that particular time or do we have parallels in different cultures at different times? After all, pining for a loved one is a timeless and universal emotion and wonder how its manifestation changes over space and time!

Returning, in the third, the lady hears the croaking frogs and the crying birds in the rainy season and talks about how her eyes are shedding tears because there’s no sign of the man’s chariot heading home. In the fourth, the pink jasmine blooms on vines, and close to it, the wild jasmine spreads its white buds only because its love, the rainy season, had appeared. Likewise, she adds her beauty too would bloom only when the man’s chariot appears. In the fifth, the lady laments how though the drums have ceased now and the foes were finished, the rainy season came ahead of the man’s return, and because of this, her arms had thinned away and ornaments were slipping away.

In the sixth, the lady tells us how the seasons have graduated from the rainy season to the winter, when the rattepod is said to bloom like the moon around a touch-me-not bush nearby. She wonders if the man won’t think of her at all, at this time. In the seventh, the lady says as the dew pours and the birds cry, her heart cannot forget the man, whom she knows cannot stay away from her. The eighth sees the theme of pallor returning, and now, attacking the eyes of the lady, making them golden-hued again, like the flowers of the golden shower tree. The interesting detail here is the description of the tube-like black fruits of this tree and placing them in parallel to a woman’s tresses. A testimony to the immense imagination of these ancients!

In the ninth, the lady wonders if it would be possible to embrace the man to end her pallor, even as she describes his mission of helping the king vanquish his enemies and seize their forts. The last one sees the lady expressing how the king seems to not feel any dislike towards his battle camp, even after being there for so long, and there seemed to be no message from the man. While this was so, the seasons were prompt in their torment, for the northern winds were shaking the plantain tree from root to tip, and seemingly, the lady too. And so, in this series, we understand that the pain of parting afflicts not only the man but the lady too, and while he can distract himself by immersing himself in his work, she seems to remain at home, dwelling only on him. Perhaps an indication that this lady perceives the pain of parting with even more intensity!

In this episode, we listen to the laments of the man, as portrayed in Sangam Literary work, Ainkurunooru 441-450, situated in the ‘Mullai’ or ‘Forest landscape’ and penned by the poet Peyanaar.

Thus blooms the Forty Fifth Ten of Ainkurunooru: Heartbeats from the Battlefield

441 Her words
ஐய ஆயின, செய்யோள் கிளவி;
கார் நாள் உருமொடு கையறப் பிரிந்தென,
நோய் நன்கு செய்தன எமக்கே;
யாம் உறு துயரம் அவள் அறியினோ நன்றே.

Gentle and beautiful are the words of my flawless maiden; In this day in the rainy season that resounds with thunder, as I’m parted from her helplessly, it renders much affliction in me; It would be good if she knows of the sorrow I feel!

442 Mother of my son
பெருஞ் சின வேந்தன் அருந் தொழில் தணியின்,
விருந்து நனி பெறுதலும் உரியள்மாதோ
இருண்டு தோன்று விசும்பின் உயர்நிலை உலகத்து
அருந்ததி அனைய கற்பின்,
குரும்பை மணிப் பூண் புதல்வன் தாயே.

If this hard mission of the raging king ends, she will attain a fine feast; the woman, with the chastity of ‘Arunthathi’ who resides in the heavens above the dark-hued skies; the mother of my son, adorned with ornaments, appearing like palm fruits.

443 Flight on the chariot
நனி சேய்த்து என்னாது, நற்றேர் ஏறிச் சென்று,
இலங்கு நிலவின் இளம் பிறை போலக்
காண்குவெம் தில்ல, அவள் கவின் பெறு சுடர் நுதல்
விண் உயர் அரண் பல வௌவிய
மண்ணுறு முரசின் வேந்து தொழில் விடினே.

Without hesitating that it’s too far away, climbing on the fine chariot, I shall instantly see the young crescent of the shining moon, her beautiful and radiant forehead, if the king, who has conquered many sky-soaring forts, with drums on the ground echoing aloud, ends his mission!

444 King’s enmity
பெருந் தோள் மடவரல் காண்குவெம் தில்ல
நீள் மதில் அரணம் பாய்ந்தெனத் தொடி பிளந்து
வைந் நுதி மழுகிய தடங் கோட்டு யானை,
வென் வேல், வேந்தன் பகை தணிந்து,
இன்னும் தன் நாட்டு முன்னுதல் பெறினே.

The white-speared king wields an elephant, whose protective covering has broken and the sharp end of its curving tusk has become blunt because it pounced on the long-walled fort. If this king’s enmity towards his foes ceases, and he thinks about returning to his own country, then I shall see the long-armed, naive maiden!

445 Oscillating heart
புகழ் சால் சிறப்பின் காதலி புலம்பத்
துறந்து வந்தனையே, அரு தொழில் கட்டூர்
நல் ஏறு தழீஇ நாகு பெயர் காலை
உள்ளுதொறும் கலிழும் நெஞ்சம்!
வல்லே எம்மையும் வர இழைத்தனையே!

Making my esteemed lover lament, you left her and came here, O heart! Now you cry every time you think about the sight of the fine bull embracing its mate and parting away, as you stay in this well-protected battle camp! It was you who pressed me to come here with haste!

446 Sight of fragrant tresses
முல்லை நாறும் கூந்தல் கமழ் கொள
நல்ல காண்குவம், மாஅயோயே!
பாசறை அருந் தொழில் உதவி, நம்
காதல் நல் நாட்டுப் போதரும் பொழுதே.

O dark-skinned maiden, I will relish the sight of those tresses, wafting with the fragrance of wild jasmines, the moment I return to our adorable, fine country, after I complete rendering my aid in this mission at the battle camp!

447 Season of the pink jasmine
பிணி வீடு பெறுக, மன்னவன் தொழிலே!
பனி வளர் தளவின் சிரல் வாய்ச் செம் முகை,
ஆடு சிறை வண்டு அவிழ்ப்ப,
பாடு சான்ற; காண்கம், வாணுதலே!

If my ties to the king’s mission ends, then now when the pink jasmine blooms in the cold and its red bud appears like the bill of a kingfisher, making bees flutter their wings, I shall get to see the song-worthy maiden with a radiant forehead!

448 Face to Face
தழங்குரல் முரசம் காலை இயம்ப,
கடுஞ் சின வேந்தன் தொழில் எதிர்ந்தனனே;
மெல் அவல் மருங்கின் முல்லை பூப்பப்
பொங்கு பெயல் கனை துளி கார் எதிர்ந்தன்றே;
அம் சில் ஓதியை உள்ளுதொறும்,
துஞ்சாது அலமரல் நாம் எதிர்ந்தனமே.

As the resounding drums echoed in the morning, the furious king stood face to face in his mission; In the soft and gentle pits, making wild jasmine bloom, the rainy season unfolds as rising clouds scatter rain drops; Whenever I think of that maiden with soft and gentle tresses, unable to sleep, I stand face to face with anxiety!

449 Ready to Ride
முரம்பு கண் உடையத் திரியும் திகிரியொடு
பணை நிலை முணைஇய வயமாப் புணர்ந்து,
திண்ணிதின் மாண்டன்று தேரே;
ஒண்ணுதல் காண்குவம், வேந்து வினை விடினே.

Waiting to be tied with the strong horse that hates to remain in this yoked state, with wheels that can break apart pebbles on the path, awaits my sturdy chariot, ready to leave. I shall get to see my maiden with a shining forehead, if the king’s mission ends.

450 End of the Sighs
முரசு மாறு இரட்டும் அருந் தொழில் பகை தணிந்து
நாடு முன்னியரோ பீடு கெழு வேந்தன்;
வெய்ய உயிர்க்கும் நோய் தணிய,
செய்யோள் இளமுலைப் படீஇயர், என் கண்ணே!

When this difficult war mission, resounding with the voice of drums, ends, and the proud and mighty king decides to return to his country, this affliction that makes me sigh will abate, and my eyes will find sleep on the young bosom of my flawless maiden!

So concludes Ainkurunooru 441-450. All the verses are situated in the context of a man’s post-marital relationship with his lady. The unifying theme of all the songs is that all are words expressing the man’s helplessness as he’s held up in the king’s mission of war, while the season he promised to return to the lady has arrived. Most of these songs are solitary laments by the man in the battle camp, uttering these words to himself.

In the first, the man receives a message from the lady about being in a state of affliction, missing him, since the rainy season had arrived. He describes how much pain these words induce in him and wishes that the lady learns how much he misses her and worries about her. In the second, he compares his wife to a symbol of chastity called ‘Arunthathi’ and refers to her as the mother of his son, saying that she would get the feast of seeing him, if the king’s war mission ends. Again in the third, he says wistfully, if only the king’s work of conquering forts ends, in an instant, he would fly off on his chariot to see his maiden’s glowing forehead. In the fourth, the man describes in detail the kind of war the king wages, with his elephants blunting their tusks in the ramming of enemy forts. For a moment, it feels like we are back in Puranaanooru! But the man pulls us into the world of ‘Agam’ or ‘Inner life’, when he talks about how he would get to see his maiden if the king’s enmity towards his foes abates. In the fifth, the man talks to his heart, as if it were a separate entity, and blames it for making him leave his lover and journey with haste to this battlefield, but now whenever it sees the sweet sight of bulls embracing their mates and retiring in the evening hour, it seemed to wallow in sorrow and want to go back to her!

In the sixth, the man thinks about the lady’s fragrant tresses and says he would see it if his work for the king ends. In the seventh, the rainy season had arrived making the pink jasmines open their red buds, called in parallel to a kingfisher’s bill, an instance of the plant-animal connections that Sangam poets are adept at. Saying this season has arrived, the man once again indicates if the king’s mission ends, he can get to see his maiden, who is worthy of songs being penned for her. Much love throbs in this heart, we see! The eighth sees the man contrasting the way the king stands facing his enemies in the morning with the way he stands facing anxiety at night, when thoughts of the lady don’t let him get a moment’s sleep, now that the wild jasmines are blooming and the rainy season had arrived. In the ninth, the man details about how ready his horse and chariot are, to fly to the lady the moment the king’s mission ends. The intricate note here is about how his horse hates to be tied to the stable in the battle camp, and thereby subtly hints at his own state of being yoked to fulfil the king’s mission. In the final one, the man declares if only the king decides to return to his own country, ending this war, then he will get to stop sighing and finally find sleep on the bosom of his perfect wife!

In these verses, we see how a man is being pulled apart in two directions, one by the fierce horse of his duty towards his king, and the other, by the gentle horse of his love for his lady. The highlight here is the importance given to expressing emotions. Just because this man is a noble and brave warrior, he does not swallow his tears and face the battlefield without any feeling. His human side is revealed by his missing of his woman and that’s a beautiful thing to learn from these verses that regardless of gender, emotions need to find an outlet. The other facet I admired is how all these songs are not about any historical character of prominence, some king or queen, but rather about a nameless man and his feelings for his lady, something that anyone, anytime can relate to, and through this, we can infer the value accorded by these ancient people on all humans, regardless of position or power!

In this episode, we perceive the effect of the rains on a domain, as depicted in Sangam Literary work, Ainkurunooru 431-440, situated in the ‘Mullai’ or ‘Forest landscape’ and penned by the poet Peyanaar.

Thus blooms the Forty Fourth Ten of Ainkurunooru: Ode to the Flowering Forest

431 Sapphire Peacocks
நன்றே, காதலர் சென்ற ஆறே!
அணி நிற இரும் பொறை மீமிசை
மணி நிற உருவின தோகையும் உடைத்தே.

Good is the path the lover traverses! For there, atop the bright-hued, huge hill, sapphire-hued peacocks can be seen!

432 Golden Garlands
நன்றே, காதலர் சென்ற ஆறே!
சுடு பொன் அன்ன கொன்றை சூடி,
கடி புகுவனர்போல் மள்ளரும் உடைத்தே.

Good is the path the lover traverses! For there, wearing golden shower flowers, akin to melted gold, appearing like people heading to a wedding, strong young men can be seen!

433 Moist Earth
நன்றே, காதலர் சென்ற ஆறே!
நீர்ப்பட எழிலி வீசும்
கார்ப் பெயற்கு எதிரிய கானமும் உடைத்தே.

Good is the path the lover traverses! For there, as clouds scatter the water within, the forest, which gracefully accepts this downpour of the rainy season, can be seen!

434 Leaping in the rain
நன்றே, காதலர் சென்ற ஆறே!
மறியுடை மான்பிணை உகள,
தண் பெயல் பொழிந்த இன்பமும் உடைத்தே.

Good is the path the lover traverses! For there, as a female deer with a fawn leaps about, the joy in a cool downpour can be seen!

435 Flowers galore
நன்றே, காதலர் சென்ற ஆறே!
நிலன் அணி நெய்தல் மலர,
பொலன் அணி கொன்றையும் பிடவமும் உடைத்தே.

Good is the path the lover traverses! For there, as the blue lotus that adorns the land blooms, gold-like golden shower and wild jasmine flowers can be seen!

436 Wild lime flowers
நன்றே, காதலர் சென்ற ஆறே!
நன் பொன் அன்ன சுடர் இணர்க்
கொன்றையொடு மலர்ந்த குருந்துமார் உடைத்தே.

Good is the path the lover traverses! For there, along with the fine, gold-like, glowing flower clusters of the golden shower, the flowering of the wild lime can be seen!

437 Jasmines in the Hail
நன்றே, காதலர் சென்ற ஆறே!
ஆலித் தண் மழை தலைஇய,
வாலிய மலர்ந்த முல்லையும் உடைத்தே.

Good is the path the lover traverses! For there, receiving the shower of the cool rain of hailstones, the wild jasmine, which blooms so brightly, can be seen!

438 Endowing Pleasure
நன்றே, காதலர் சென்ற ஆறே!
பைம் புதல் பல் பூ மலர,
இன்புறத் தகுந பண்புமார் உடைத்தே.

Good is the path the lover traverses! For there, as green bushes bloom with many flowers , the quality of endowing pleasure can be seen!

439 Villages of Cowherds
நன்றே, காதலர் சென்ற ஆறே!
குருந்தங் கண்ணிக் கோவலர்
பெருந் தண் நிலைய பாக்கமும் உடைத்தே.

Good is the path the lover traverses! For there, the huge and cool villages of cowherds, who wear wild lime flower garlands, can be seen!

440 Flame lily in the Rain shower
நன்றே, காதலர் சென்ற ஆறே!
தண் பெயல் அளித்த பொழுதின்
ஒண் சுடர்த் தோன்றியும் தளவமும் உடைத்தே.

Good is the path the lover traverses! For there, in that time when the cool shower pours down, the radiant, fire-like flame lily and pink jasmine flowers can be seen!

So concludes Ainkurunooru 431-440. All the verses are set in the context of the man’s post-marital relationship with his lady and specifically in the situation of his parting away from her to complete a mission. The unifying theme of all these verses is that these describe the transformation of the forest after the rains have fallen. Every verse is uttered by the confidante to the lady in a situation when the lady reveals her anxiety about the harshness of the man’s path, and the confidante allays her suffering with these good words.

In every verse, the confidante assures the lady that the path the man treads will be perfectly fine. In the first, she showcases blue-hued peacocks dancing on the hill. In the second, the confidence of seeing strong young men is presented, and these men are said to be wearing golden shower flowers and looking as if they are journeying to a wedding event, giving us information that people attending weddings in that era liked to wear golden shower flowers, which incidentally happens to be the very flower whose flowering signifies the start of the harvest season in the mountains as well as the auspicious time for a wedding.

Returning to the forest, in the third, the confidante reveals that ecstatic confluence of the rains and the forest soil. In the fourth, she points to a deer and a fawn leaping about and spreading joy there. In the fifth, a bouquet of flowers such as the blue lotus, golden shower and wild jasmine are blooming on the land. In the sixth, along with the gold-like golden shower, the wild lime tree bursts open brightly with its flowers. In the seventh, the pouring down of hail seems to knock on the petals of the wild jasmines and makes them bloom. The eighth reveals how all the green bushes decide to paint themselves in the hues of many flowers. In the ninth, the assurance of finding many villages of cowherds, identified by their wild lime garlands, is offered. In the final one, the confidante concludes with the sight of the fire-like flame lilies blooming in the cool rain, in the company of pink jasmine flowers that too! In short, without much adornment, the confidante talks about all the beauty that awaits to enrich the eyes of the travelling man. She thereby highlights her sweet nature of offering the right consolation for the lady’s anxiety. Imagine what a beautiful world it would be, if everyone had a friend like this confidante!

In this episode, we listen to various perspectives on parting away, as depicted in Sangam Literary work, Ainkurunooru 421-430, situated in the ‘Mullai’ or ‘Forest landscape’ and penned by the poet Peyanaar.

Thus blooms the Forty Third Ten of Ainkurunooru: Assorted Allusions

421 Scuttling hare
மாலை வெண் காழ் காவலர் வீச,
நறும் பூம் புறவின் ஒடுங்கு முயல் இரியும்
புன்புல நாடன் மட மகள்
நலம் கிளர் பணைத் தோள் விலங்கின, செலவே.

In the evening, when a guard throws his white stick, the hare hiding in the fragrant, flower-filled forest scuttles away in the soft lands of the lord. She is his daughter, and her beautiful, bamboo-like arms have prevented the travel!

422 Make haste
கடும் பரி நெடுந் தேர்க் கால் வல் புரவி,
நெடுங் கொடி முல்லையொடு தளவமலர் உதிர,
விரையுபு கடைஇ நாம் செல்லின்,
நிரை வளை முன்கை வருந்தலோ இலளே.

If we wield the horse with strong legs, tied to the tall chariot, speedily, making the wild jasmine with tall vines along with the pink jasmine shed their flowers, and journey on with haste, the maiden, wearing rows of bangles on her forearms, will worry not!

423 Brimming with tears
மா மழை இடியூஉத் தளி சொரிந்தன்றே;
வாள் நுதல் பசப்பச் செலவு அயர்ந்தனையே;
யாமே நிற் துறந்து அமையலம்;
ஆய் மலர் உண்கணும் நீர் நிறைந்தனவே.

The dark rainclouds resounding with thunder have poured down, and yet, you intend to take up a journey that will spread pallor on the maiden’s glowing forehead. She cannot live apart from you, for those beautiful, flower-like, kohl-streaked eyes are already brimming with tears.

424 Crying for the breast
புறவு அணி நாடன் காதல் மட மகள்
ஒள் நுதல் பசப்ப நீ செலின், தெண் நீர்ப்
போது அவிழ் தாமரை அன்ன நின்
காதல்அம் புதல்வன் அழும், இனி முலைக்கே.

She is the loving young daughter of the lord, who rules over the picturesque forest domain. Making her glowing forehead spread with pallor, if you leave, your loving son, akin to a blooming lotus in the clear waters, will end up crying, yearning for her sweet breast!

425 A speedy ride
புன் புறப் பேடை சேவல் இன்புற
மன்னர் இயவரின் இரங்கும் கானம்
வல்லை நெடுந் தேர் கடவின்,
அல்லல் அரு நோய் ஒழித்தல் எமக்கு எளிதே.

To make its dull-hued mate happy, the male bird cries out in the forest, resounding like the instruments played by the king’s musicians. If you ride the tall chariot speedily, it will be easy for me to end that suffering-filled disease of love!

426 War no more
வென் வேல் வேந்தன் அருந் தொழில் துறந்து, இனி,
நன்னுதல்! யானே செலவு ஒழிந்தனெனே!
முரசு பாடு அதிர ஏவி,
அரசு படக் கடக்கும் அருஞ் சமத்தானே.

The white-speared king has let go of that hard task of war now, O maiden with a beautiful forehead, and so, I won’t have to travel to that harsh battlefield to conquer enemy kings, commanding war drums to resound aloud.

427 A voided travel
பேர் அமர் மலர்க் கண் மடந்தை! நீயே
கார் எதிர் பொழுது என விடல் ஒல்லாயே;
போருடை வேந்தன், ‘பாசறை
வாரான் அவன்’ எனச் செலவு அழுங்கினனே.

O naive maiden with huge and beautiful flower-like eyes! You did not concede to let me go in this time when the rainy season is expected. The warring king too decided, ‘He will not come to the battlefield’, and voided my travel!

428 Mission to protect the maiden
தேர் செலவு அழுங்க, திருவில் கோலி,
ஆர் கலி எழிலி சோர் தொடங்கின்றே;
வேந்து விடு விழுத் தொழில் ஒழிய,
யான் தொடங்கினனால், நிற் புறந்தரவே.

Preventing the chariot from travelling, the blessed rainbow arches and uproarious clouds have started to pour down. Setting aside the mission assigned by the king, I have begun the task of protecting you.

429 Give me leave
பல் இருங் கூந்தல்! பசப்பு நீ விடின்,
செல்வேம் தில்ல யாமே செற்றார்
வெல் கொடி அரணம் முருக்கிய
கல்லா யானை வேந்து பகை வெலற்கே.

O maiden with thick, dark tresses! If you let go of your pallor, I will be able to go thither to win over the enemies of our king, who wields wild elephants that shatter forts of foes, fluttering with flags of victory!

430 Cry not
நெடும் பொறை மிசைய குறுங் கால் கொன்றை
அடர் பொன் என்னச் சுடர் இதழ் பகரும்
கான் கெழு நாடன் மகளே!
அழுதல் ஆன்றிசின்; அழுங்குவல் செலவே.

O daughter of the lord, who rules over the mountains, filled with forests, wherein short-legged golden shower trees soar atop tall mounds and their glowing petals shine like gold discs! Cry not, I shall avoid my travel!

So concludes Ainkurunooru 421-430. All the verses are set in the context of a man’s post-marital relationship with his lady. The unifying theme of these songs is the rendition of perspectives by various speakers around the core of a man’s parting away from a lady, to complete a mission. The speakers include the man’s companions, the man, and the confidante, and they express a thought revealing the connection between the man’s parting away and the lady’s emotions.

The forest lands and rains make an appearance here and there and we’ll capture this, as we note the intent of the speakers in each verse. In the first, the man’s companions observe how the man has not left his home for many days. They then describe the man’s wife as the daughter of a lord, whose domain is the forest, where guards, possibly cowherds, throw their stick at the end of the day, signalling their work is done, and unintentionally, a hare hiding in the bush is startled and runs away in fear. After the lengthy description to talk about the lady, they say that her arms were the reason that the man has set aside his travel.

In the second, we encounter the familiar scenario of a man asking his charioteer to wield the horses, such that the wild jasmine flowers on the way scatter and fall, such should be the speed. This is to prevent worry from soaring in the heart of his lady. That the jasmines have bloomed indicate it’s the rainy season, which is his promised season of return, and the man wants to go home as soon as possible to avert further pain in the lady.

In the third and fourth, it’s the confidante speaking to the man, and the third sees her pointing to how the rains have arrived and yet the man was thinking of leaving the lady. She declares to him that the lady cannot bear the separation for now, just worrying that he might leave, her eyes were already brimming with tears. In the fourth, she talks about how if the man leaves, the man’s son, whom she describes as a blooming lotus in clear waters, will be left in a state of crying for his mother’s breast, implying that the lady will be no more. What a threat to keep the man from travelling!

In the fifth, we are back to the man hastening the charioteer and asking him to ride home fast to the forest, where a male bird is crying like the king’s musicians to make its mate happy. In the rest of the verses, it’s the man speaking directly to the lady. In the sixth, the lady worries that the man is going to leave her again and part at any moment, and the man assures her that his king is not at war at the moment and so he does not have to travel to the battlefield. In the seventh, the man talks about how the lady would not let him leave in the rainy season and somehow the king too decided that the enemy is not going to battle with him in this season, and so, the man had no plans of leaving, he assures the lady. In the eighth, the man talks about how because the rainbow revealed its face and the rainclouds poured down, he had decided not to carry on the king’s mission but to fulfil his mission of protecting the lady at home.

The ninth sees the man seeking the lady’s permission to go and fulfil his duty to his king and conquer the king’s enemies, and all he asks is that the lady let go of her pallor. Is it something in her hands though? In the final verse, the man describes the lady as the daughter of a lord, who rules over the mountains with golden shower trees, and asks her not to cry, and assures her that he will not travel, parting away from her.

In this section, there are couple of metaphorical references, which are unusual for this landscape, usually filled with direct descriptions of emotions. In the description of the hare scuttling away when a guard throw his stick, that scene stands as a metaphor for how like the hare, which is startled even though it was not the intention of the guard, the lady too feels needless worry that the man’s actions imply that he is going to part away from her soon. Likewise, in the description of the man’s son as a blooming lotus in clear waters, the confidante implies that if the man were to leave, that would be like plucking that lotus from the waters, making it wilt, hinting that the man’s son will suffer likewise, losing his mother. Even in this mixed bag of perspectives, there is unity of thought with all verses revolving around the pain a man’s parting seems to inflict upon a woman in Sangam times!

In this episode, we listen to joyous words about the arrival of a season, as portrayed in Sangam Literary work, Ainkurunooru 411-420, situated in the ‘Mullai’ or ‘Forest landscape’ and penned by the poet Peyanaar.

Thus blooms the Forty Second Ten of Ainkurunooru: This Time This Place

411 Rains have begun
ஆர் குரல் எழிலி அழிதுளி சிதறிக்
கார் தொடங்கின்றால், காமர் புறவே;
வீழ்தரு புதுப்புனல் ஆடுகம்
தாழ் இருங் கூந்தல்! வம்மதி, விரைந்தே.

Rainclouds with a resounding voice have scattered huge drops and begun the rainy season in the picturesque forest. Let’s play in the falling, fresh stream, O maiden with dark and low-lying tresses. Come quickly!

412 Flowers galore
காயா, கொன்றை, நெய்தல், முல்லை,
போது அவிழ் தளவமொடு பிடவு, அலர்ந்து கவினிப்
பூ அணி கொண்டன்றால் புறவே
பேர் அமர்க்கண்ணி! ஆடுகம், விரைந்தே.

Trees like Ironwood, Golden shower, Blue lotus, Wild jasmine have opened their flower buds, as have the vines like pink jasmine and wild jasmine. These have bloomed with beauty and adorned the forest, O maiden with huge, beautiful eyes. Let’s play. Come quickly!

413 A forest like you
நின் நுதல் நாறும் நறுந் தண் புறவில்
நின்னே போல மஞ்ஞை ஆல,
கார் தொடங்கின்றால் பொழுதே
பேர் இயல் அரிவை! நாம் நயத்தகவே.

In the cool and fragrant forest that smells like your forehead, a peacock dances just like you, in this season, when the rains have begun, O maiden with adorable traits, for us to rejoice!

414 Fertile turns the Forest
புள்ளும் மாவும் புணர்ந்து இனிது உகள,
கோட்டவும் கொடியவும் பூப் பல பழுனி
மெல் இயல் அரிவை! கண்டிகும்
மல்லல் ஆகிய மணம் கமழ் புறவே.

As birds and animals unite with joy and leap about, and as flowers on branches and vines mature and bloom, O maiden with a gentle nature, see how this fragrant forest has turned so fertile!

415 This is it
இதுவே, மடந்தை! நாம் மேவிய பொழுதே;
உதுவே, மடந்தை! நாம் உள்ளிய புறவே;
இனிது உடன் கழிக்கின், இளமை
இனிதால் அம்ம, இனியவர்ப் புணர்வே!

This is the one, O naive maiden, the season we were waiting for! That is the one, O naive maiden, the forest we were thinking about! Youth becomes a time of sweetness when spent together in the union of the beloved!

416 Like the elephant
போது ஆர் நறுந் துகள் கவினிப் புறவில் தாது ஆர்ந்து,
களிச் சுரும்பு அரற்றும் காமர் புதலின்,
மடப் பிடி தழீஇய, மாவே;
சுடர்த் தொடி மடவரல் புணர்ந்தனம், யாமே!

In the picturesque forest, filled with the fragrant pollen of flowers, feeding on nectar, the delighted bees resound around the desirable bushes. O elephant, you have embraced your naive mate. I too have united with my naive maiden wearing glowing bangles!

417 Welcome home
கார் கலந்தன்றால் புறவே; பல உடன்
ஏர் பரந்தனவால் புனமே; ஏர் கலந்து
தாது ஆர் பிரசம் மொய்ப்ப,
போது ஆர் கூந்தல் முயங்கினள், எம்மே.

The forest has welcomed the rainy season; It has attained many adornments in its groves; As honey-drinking bees buzz around with beauty, the woman having flower-filled tresses embraced me!

418 Skylark’s thirst
வானம்பாடி வறம் களைந்து, ஆனாது
அழி துளி தலைஇய புறவில், காண்வர
வானர மகளோ நீயே
மாண் முலை அடைய முயங்கியோயே?

Slaying the thirst of the skylark, unceasingly huge drops have fallen on the forest. There, appearing as a heavenly maiden, you embraced me with your esteemed bosom!

419 In the animals around
உயிர் கலந்து ஒன்றிய செயிர் தீர் கேண்மைப்
பிரிந்துறல் அறியா, விருந்து கவவி,
நம் போல் நயவரப் புணர்ந்தன
கண்டிகும் மடவரல்! புறவின் மாவே.

With life fusing as one in that faultless bond, which knows not separation, embracing anew, akin to us, with love, they too have united. O naive maiden, look at those animals in the forest!

420 Beauty of the forest
பொன் என மலர்ந்த, கொன்றை; மணி எனத்
தேம் படு காயா மலர்ந்த; தோன்றியொடு
நன்னலம் எய்தினை, புறவே! நின்னைக்
காணிய வருதும், யாமே
வாள் நுதல் அரிவையொடு ஆய் நலம் படர்ந்தே.

Like gold, the golden shower has bloomed in you; Like sapphire, the bee-buzzing ironwood has bloomed in you; Along with the flame-lily too, you have attained an exquisite quality, O forest! I will come to see you, with the maiden having a shining forehead, to delight in your fine beauty!

So concludes Ainkurunooru 411-420. All the verses are set in the context of a post-marital relationship between the man and the lady. The unifying theme of all the verses is that these are words uttered by the man celebrating the rainy season that has arrived in their forest domain, echoing the satisfaction that he was able to return to the lady as promised before the arrival of this season. As mentioned, the man is the speaker in every one of these verses and he addresses the lady directly, or utters these words to other entities, in her presence.

Almost every song here talks about the changes in the forest that announce the arrival of the rains. Let’s take a look at this aspect first. Thundering clouds are heard and seen scattering huge raindrops in one, and in another, a long list of trees and vines open their buds and blossom together, welcoming their beloved guest called the rains. A peacock is seen dancing because the rains are here, and then all the birds and animals as well as the flowers on trees and vines are at their happiest, turning the forest into a fertile heaven. There’s also mention of bees buzzing around these blooming flowers and an elephant lovingly uniting with its mate with love. In another intricate one, a skylark gets the spotlight saying the rains have poured to end the starvation and thirst of this bird. Another scene shows that the season animals prefer to unite is this very rainy season. In the final depiction, as the rains arrive, golden shower trees bloom with their golden flowers, and the ironwood trees bloom with their sapphire-hued flowers and together with the flame-lilies too, they endow so much beauty on the soft forest!

Having seen the rains wave their magic wand on the forest, let’s turn our attention to the words the man says to the lady. In the first, the man invites the lady to come play with him in the fresh streams that gush because of the new rains. In the second too, he invites the lady to play, pointing to the many flowers that have bloomed in the forest. In the third, he places the forest in parallel to the lady’s forehead and says both waft with the same scent, and then adds how a peacock dances in the forest with the same delicate beauty of the lady. The fourth sees the man pointing to the lady scenes around him of birds and animals delighting with their mates, and flowers bursting into bloom everywhere, turning that forest so fertile. In the fifth, the man rejoices about the rainy season and their forest domain and turns philosophical as he talks about how youth turns into something forever pleasant if spent in the company of those we love.

In the sixth, the man addresses an elephant and says, ‘As bees buzz around the flowers of the bush, you relish the company of your mate. So do I, with my bangle-clad maiden’. He possibly says these words in the presence of the lady, so that she feels much joy. In the seventh, the man says that like the rainy season, which was welcomed by the forest, he too was welcomed with the embrace of his beloved. In the eighth, the man takes a mystical tone and says that the lady seemed to take the appearance of a heavenly maiden and embraced him, when he was returning homeward. In the ninth, the man points to the animals around him and tells the lady how they seem to untie as one, in a flawless togetherness, just like them. The final verse sees the man addressing the forest, and saying that he would visit it, along with his loving woman, to relish with her, the beauty the forest has attained because of the rains.

In verse after verse, we see the joy the rains endow on the forest and here echoes the subtext that the arrival of the man has endowed the same joy on the waiting lady. The timeless bond between the rains and the earth is reflected in the love between the man and the lady here! Looking deeply, we realise that at the core, these verses are a declaration of joy about being in this place, this moment – A celebration of the here and now, something all of us can do more with!

In this episode, we listen to the sweet reminiscences of the lady’s foster mother, as portrayed in Sangam Literary work, Ainkurunooru 401-410, situated in the ‘Mullai’ or ‘Forest landscape’ and penned by the poet Peyanaar.

Thus blooms the Forty First Ten of Ainkurunooru: The Music of Togetherness

401 Hard to obtain
மறி இடைப்படுத்த மான் பிணை போல,
புதல்வன் நடுவணன் ஆக, நன்றும்
இனிது மன்ற அவர் கிடக்கை; முனிவு இன்றி
நீல் நிற வியலகம் கவைஇய
ஈனும், உம்பரும், பெறலருங்குரைத்தே.

Akin to a fawn lying between a male deer and its mate, with the son in the middle, the way they were lying together was so pleasant to see. Such a flawless state, is hard to obtain here, in this world, surrounded by the blue-hued wide space, and in the world above.

402 Like a bard’s strings
புதல்வற் கவைஇய தாய் புறம் முயங்கி
நசையினன் வதிந்த கிடக்கை, பாணர்
நரம்பு உளர் முரற்கை போல,
இனிதால்; அம்ம! பண்புமார் உடைத்தே.

The way he was embracing with love, the back of the mother, who was hugging the son, has the same, sweet nature of music from the plucked strings of bards!

403 The sight of his son
புணர்ந்த காதலியின் புதல்வன் தலையும்
அமர்ந்த உள்ளம் பெரிது ஆகின்றே
அகன் பெருஞ் சிறப்பின் தந்தை பெயரன்
முறுவலின் இன் நகை பயிற்றி,
சிறு தேர் உருட்டும் தளர்நடை கண்டே.

Seeing the son of the one he united with; the offspring, who will claim the name of his greatly esteemed father, his heart feels a great love, as the boy, with a sweet, little smile, pushes his toy chariot, with a wobbling gait!

404 Embracing her
வாள் நுதல் அரிவை மகன் முலை ஊட்ட,
தான் அவள் சிறுபுறம் கவையினன் நன்றும்
நறும் பூந் தண் புறவு அணிந்த,
குறும் பல் பொறைய நாடுகிழவோனே.

As the maiden with a radiant forehead suckled her son at her breast, he embraced the small of her back sweetly, that lord of the country, filled with many little mounds, adorned with cool and fragrant, flower-filled forests!

405 Light of the home
ஒண் சுடர்ப் பாண்டில் செஞ் சுடர் போல,
மனைக்கு விளக்கு ஆயினள் மன்ற கனைப் பெயல்
பூப் பல அணிந்த வைப்பின்
புறவு அணி நாடன் புதல்வன் தாயே.

Akin to the red glow of the bright ‘paandil lamp’, she became the light of the home, that mother of the lord’s son, in whose domain, adorned with forests, bloom many picturesque flowers, amidst the heavy downpour!

406 Playing son
மாதர் உண்கண் மகன் விளையாட,
காதலித் தழீஇ இனிது இருந்தனனே
தாது ஆர் பிரசம் ஊதும்
போது ஆர் புறவின் நாடு கிழவோனே.

As the adorable son with kohl-streaked eyes played, embracing his lover, he was there, full of joy, that lord of the country, where honey-seeking bees buzz around the flower-filled forest.

407 Music of the embrace
நயந்த காதலித் தழீஇ, பாணர்
நயம் படு முரற்கையின் யாத்த பயன் தெரிந்து,
இன்புறு புணர்ச்சி நுகரும்
மென் புல வைப்பின் நாடு கிழவோனே.

Embracing his beloved, he would relish the fine music of the bard’s strings and then attain the sweet union with her, that lord of the country, filled with soft tracts of forests.

408 Delight in the son
பாணர் முல்லை பாட, சுடர் இழை
வாள் நுதல் அரிவை முல்லை மலைய,
இனிது இருந்தனனே, நெடுந்தகை
துனி தீர் கொள்கைத் தன் புதல்வனொடு பொலிந்தே.

As the bards sang the ‘mullai’ tune, along with the young maiden wearing glowing jewels, having a shining forehead and adorned with a ‘wild jasmine’ garland, the great lord with flawless principles, was there with much joy, delighting in his young son!

409 A three-fold embrace
புதல்வற் கவைஇயினன் தந்தை; மென் மொழிப்
புதல்வன் தாயோ இருவரும் கவைஇயினள் ;
இனிது மன்ற அவர் கிடக்கை;
நனி இரும் பரப்பின் இவ் உலகுடன் உறுமே.

The father embraced his son; As for the soft-spoken mother of the son, she embraced them both; So sweet was this scene of their togetherness, equal in greatness to this entire world with its huge and spreading lands!

410 An evening scene
மாலை முன்றில் குறுங்கால் கட்டில்
மனையோள் துணைவி ஆக, புதல்வன்
மார்பின் ஊரும் மகிழ்நகை இன்பப்
பொழுதிற்கு ஒத்தன்று மன்னே
மென் பிணித்து அம்ம பாணனது யாழே!

It’s evening, and in the front yard, there lies a short-legged cot. He lies on this, with his wife as his sweet companion and son crawling on his chest. The ecstatic joy and laughter that rise here at this sweet time can be said to be perfectly in tune with an intricately-tied bard’s lute!

So concludes Ainkurunooru 401-410. With this set of verses, we have entered the last domain of the forest landscape, and the verses we have seen so far situated in this domain deal with the patient waiting of the lady, when her husband has parted away on a mission to earn wealth or win a war. Turning to this particular section, all the verses are set in the context of a man’s married life with his lady. The unifying theme of all these verses is that these are uttered by the lady’s foster mother, and in most cases, to the lady’s birth mother, after a visit to the lady’s marital home.

As for references to land, these are very few and generic in description, such as a country, where there are little hills filled with forests, where heavy rains pour and assorted flowers bloom, making bees buzz around them. These lands are characterised as ‘soft’ and this echoes in the scenes that each of these verses reveal.

There’s a perfect coherence and unity of emotion in all the verses because each one depicts a happy scene involving the man and the lady, and in most cases, their son, a toddler. We can see the foster mother’s smiling face and sense her joy as she recollects the happy life of the girl she raised, as she says these words to the girl’s mother. In the first, she draws a parallel to a scene where a baby deer is lying in between a male deer and its mate, and says that’s how the man and lady were lying together, with their young son in the middle and such a state of joy is hard to find on earth and heaven, the foster mother says. In the second, she paints a picture of how the lady was embracing her son, and at that time, the man came and embraced the lady from behind and this makes the foster mother hear the music of a bard’s strings just then.

In the third, there’s an intricate note about how the man’s son will claim the respectable name of the man’s father, a practice followed in many Indian communities till this day, where the grandson is named after his grandfather, sometimes to the embarrassment of these modern youngsters! From these ancient words, we can understand that this is an age-old practice, a living tradition. Returning, here, the foster mother sees the joy in the man’s eyes, as he watches his young son, push his toy cart and toddle about. In the fourth, the man embraces his wife from behind as the lady suckles their young son. In the fifth, the foster mother describes the lady as the light of the man’s home, shining radiantly like a ‘paandil lamp’, a sentiment echoed even today!

In the sixth, the man embraces his wife and watches his son play. Here’s an intricate mention of how the boy’s eyes are kohl-streaked, indicating that this was something mothers did to their young children then. In the seventh, the man is described as enjoying the music of strings and the pleasant union with his wife, all dwelling in the domain of pleasure. The eighth sees the man, praised by the foster mother as someone having laudable principles, and describes him as watching his son with delight, even as bards sing the ‘mullai’ tune and his wife sits near him wearing a ‘mullai’ or ‘wild jasmine’ garland. In the ninth, the father hugs his son and the mother hugs them both and the foster mother describes this scene as being as great as this entire world when it comes to its value. In the final verse, the foster mother speaks to herself as she takes in the scene one evening, of the man lying with his wife by his side on a cot in their front yard, as their son crawls on the man’s chest, and she says the laughter and joy there is in the exact melody of a well-tied lute.

In these verses, there’s a repeated association of a lute’s strings with family’s togetherness. The timeless joy that brims over, when watching young children explore their world with play, is perfectly captured in the musical words of these ancient verses!