Sangam Lit

In this episode, we perceive joyful scenes of homecoming, as depicted in Sangam Literary work, Ainkurunooru 391-400, situated in the ‘Paalai’ or ‘Drylands landscape’ and penned by the poet Othalaanthaiyaar.

Thus spreads the Fortieth Ten of Ainkurunooru: Return of the Daughter

391 A feast for crows
மறு இல் தூவிச் சிறு கருங் காக்கை!
அன்புடை மரபின் நின் கிளையோடு ஆரப்
பச்சூன் பெய்த பைந் நிண வல்சி
பொலம் புனை கலத்தில் தருகுவென் மாதோ;
வெஞ்சின விறல் வேல் காளையொடு
அம்சில் ஓதியை வரக் கரைந்தீமே.

O little black crow with flawless feathers! With much affection, I shall give the food of fresh meat with plenty of fat, in a well-etched, golden bowl, for you to eat with your kin, if you will caw aloud and make that maiden with beautiful, soft hair come here, along with that furious, bull-like young man, with a conquering spear!

392 No place for sorrow
வேய் வனப்பு இழந்த தோளும், வெயில் தெற
ஆய்கவின் தொலைந்த நுதலும், நோக்கிப்
பரியல் வாழி, தோழி! பரியின்,
எல்லை இல் இடும்பை தரூஉம்
நல் வரை நாடனொடு வந்தமாறே.

Looking at my arms that have lost their beauty of being bamboo-like, and my forehead that has lost its exquisite glow because of the scorching heat, do not feel sorrowful, my friend! If you feel sad, that will render endless suffering in this time of my return with the lord of the fine mountain country!

393 Is she back?
துறந்ததற் கொண்டு துயர் அடச் சாஅய்,
அறம் புலந்து பழிக்கும் அளைகணாட்டி!
எவ்வ நெஞ்சிற்கு ஏமம் ஆக
வந்தனளோ நின் மட மகள்
வெந்திறல் வெள் வேல் விடலை முந்துறவே?

As she left you, losing your health because of the great sorrow, you used to rebuke those who spoke of its justice, O woman with eyes brimming with tears! As comfort for that suffering heart, did she come back, that naive daughter of yours, following the young man with the victorious, white spear, ahead of her?

394 She is back
மாண்பு இல் கொள்கையொடு மயங்கு துயர் செய்த
அன்பு இல் அறனும் அருளிற்று மன்ற;
வெஞ் சுரம் இறந்த அம் சில் ஓதி,
பெரு மட மான் பிணை அலைத்த
சிறு நுதல் குறுமகள் காட்டிய வம்மே.

Owing to our principle lacking esteem, rendering crippling sorrow, the act of justice without love happened; But that act has rendered its grace to me today, for the maiden with beautiful, soft hair, who left to the hot drylands, the one who can put a huge, naive female deer to shame, that young maiden with a small forehead, has returned.

395 Crossing the drylands
முளி வயிர்ப் பிறந்த, வளி வளர் கூர் எரிச்
சுடர் விடு நெடுங் கொடி விடர் முகை முழங்கும்
இன்னா அருஞ் சுரம் தீர்ந்தனம்; மென்மெல
ஏகுமதி வாழியோ, குறுமகள்! போது கலந்து
கறங்கு இசை அருவி வீழும்,
பிறங்கு இருஞ் சோலை, நம் மலை கெழு நாட்டே.

Sharp and glowing flames born amidst the dried-up bamboo and kindled by the wind, spread like a tall vine, amidst the caves and clefts of the harsh and imposing drylands, and we have crossed it; Walk on slowly, O young maiden, may you live long! For we have arrived here, where mixed with flowers, resounding with music, cascades fall in our fine mountain country, filled with huge and prosperous groves.

396 Reaching the town
புலிப் பொறி வேங்கைப் பொன் இணர் கொய்து நின்
கதுப்பு அயல் அணியும் அளவை, பைபயச்
சுரத்திடை அயர்ச்சியை ஆறுகம் மடந்தை!
கல் கெழு சிறப்பின் நம் ஊர்
எல் விருந்து ஆகிப் புகுகம், நாமே.

Akin to the spots of the tiger are the golden flower clusters of the ‘Kino tree’. Plucking this, I shall adorn your swaying dark tresses. Slowly let go of the fatigue of crossing the drylands, O naive maiden! For we will soon enter our town, known for its mountains, and savour the midday feast.

397 A message for the companions
‘கவிழ் மயிர் எருத்தின் செந்நாய் ஏற்றை
குருளைப் பன்றி கொள்ளாது கழியும்
சுரம் நனி வாராநின்றனள்’ என்பது
முன்னுற விரைந்த நீர் மின்
இன் நகை முறுவல் என் ஆயத்தோர்க்கே.

Hurrying forward, please say to my sweet and smiling companions in town, ‘She’s crossing the drylands, where the male red dog with hanging hair on its neck lets the pregnant pig go free without killing it!’

398 The town’s lament
‘புள்ளும் அறியாப் பல் பழம் பழுனி,
மட மான் அறியாத் தட நீர் நிலைஇ,
சுரம் நனி இனிய ஆகுக!’ என்று
நினைத்தொறும் கலிழும் என்னினும்
மிகப் பெரிது புலம்பின்று தோழி! நம் ஊரே.

Even more than me, who shed tears every time I thought of you, this town of ours lamented tremendously, my friend, wishing, ‘May it fruit with many ripe fruits that birds know not about, and may there be plenty of waterholes that naive deer know not about, and let the drylands become pleasant’!

399 Demand for a wedding
‘நும் மனைச் சிலம்பு கழீஇ அயரினும்,
எம் மனை வதுவை நல் மணம் கழிக’ எனச்
சொல்லின் எவனோ மற்றே வென் வேல்,
மை அற விளங்கிய கழல்அடி,
பொய் வல் காளையை ஈன்ற தாய்க்கே?

Shall we say, ‘Even if you have performed the ceremony of removing the anklets in your home, let the good marriage ceremony happen in our home!’, to the mother of that bull-like young man, skilled in lies, wearing flawless, glowing anklets on his feet, the one with the victorious spear?

400 Season of spring
மள்ளர் அன்ன மரவம் தழீஇ,
மகளிர் அன்ன ஆடுகொடி நுடங்கும்
அரும் பதம் கொண்ட பெரும் பத வேனில்,
‘காதல் புணர்ந்தனள் ஆகி, ஆய் கழல்
வெஞ் சின விறல் வேல் காளையொடு
இன்று புகுதரும்’ என வந்தன்று, தூதே.

The rare quality of having a vine, akin to a gentle maiden, wrapping around a burflower tree, akin to a strong young man, and swaying with joy, happens in the perfect season of spring. Saying, ‘She, who united with love with that young and furious, bull-like man, wearing well-etched anklets and holding a victorious spear, will come home today’, a messenger has come here!

So concludes Ainkurunooru 391-400. All the verses are set in the context of a post-marital situation. The unifying theme of all the verses is that they happen in the situation when the lady who had eloped away with her man, returns after marriage to her natal home. The words are uttered by various actors within the bounds of this background.

Here’s another section whose focus is on the emotions of the subjects. This set of verses is the finale in this trilogy of tens, with the first part, verses 371-380, dwelling on the mother’s sorrow because of the lady’s eloping away, and the second part, verses 381-390, rendering the reflections of those who met this eloping couple in the drylands. The journey of love comes a full circle in this section with the lady returning home, happily married to her beloved. Let’s turn to the intent of the speakers in each of these verses.

In the first, the lady’s mother speaks to a little crow, promising a delicious feast of fatty meat, for the bird and its huge flock, if only the bird would caw aloud and make the man and lady return home. To understand this statement of the mother, we have to know that it was a superstitious belief that cawing of crows brought guests home. Even today, in many Tamil homes, people say, ‘The crow is cawing. Someone is going to come home’. Reflecting on how this belief would have come about, could it be because crows gather around whenever guests are home, as there would be plenty of food for them to peck on from the leftovers? Maybe somehow, this association of guests and cawing of crows would have later morphed, mistaking cause and consequence! Anyway, the thing to note here is the expectant heart of this mother, who hopes fervently that her daughter will come back home to her.

In the second verse, it’s the lady saying these words to her confidante, who is expressing sadness at how the lady looks tired and seemingly lacking in her beauty and glow. The lady says to her friend, ‘All this is just because I walked in the scorching heat of the drylands. Please do not make a huge issue of this temporary discomfort, because otherwise people home might think that I’m not happy with my man’. The confidante’s concern for her friend, the lady’s thinking about the perception of others and her protectiveness over the man are all subtle nuances depicted in this intricate scene.

In the third, people of the village gather at the lady’s home and talk to the lady’s mother saying how she had felt so heartbroken and in fact, scolded anyone who had dared to say that the lady had done the right thing. Now, they ask the mother whether the girl, who had left home, had come back with her young man, bringing the much-needed comfort to her mother. The close bond between the villagers and they way they take part in the joy and sorrow of each other’s families is evident from this narrative.

Perhaps as a reply to the third verse, in the fourth, the lady’s mother tells the villagers how the lady had done something just but that something had lacked in love towards her family, because they had forbade her wedding. But still, the lady had made amends by returning home with the young man and showered the mother with love and grace. In this verse, the mother talks about how the lady would put a deer to shame, a unique way of showcasing her daughter’s beauty and gentleness.

In the fifth, it’s the man’s voice we hear speaking to the lady. Both of them have started the journey from his home after marriage and are making their way to the lady’s home, crossing the inevitable drylands. The man informs the lady that they are done with the hardest part of their journey, the crossing of the scorching drylands, where wildfire spreads. Now they have entered the mountain country, where cascades gush with flowers many. He thus cheers the lady that their tiring journey is about to end and that the lady will be soon reunited with her parents. In the sixth too, the man speaks to the lady, asking her to wear Kino flowers and walk slowly, trying to let go of the fatigue of crossing the drylands, for they were about to enter the lady’s town for the midday feast. Perhaps he wants to make a good impression on the lady’s family and that’s why he asks the lady to fresh up with flowers and feel energetic as they head home.

In the seventh, the lady requests some travellers she meets in the drylands to rush home before her and inform her good friends that she has crossed the drylands and is returning home to be with them. The eighth sees the lady back home and when the lady asks her confidante how did she bear with the loss when the lady eloped away, the confidante says something beautiful about the people of the village. She says even more than her, who was crying every time thoughts of the lady crossed her mind, the village people felt even more worry on behalf of the lady. They prayed that the drylands would bloom with fruits that birds knew not about, and also, have plenty of waterholes that deer knew not about, so that their dear girl would have a pleasant journey even in that harsh landscape. It’s heartwarming to see the love they feel for a daughter of their village and how they wish well for her, wherever she is.

In the ninth, it’s the lady’s mother speaking. She is informed that the ceremony of removing the anklets, an important part of a woman’s wedding, and something usually done at the lady’s home, has happened at the man’s house. The mother says, ‘Even if that is over, at least let the man and lady have a wedding ceremony at their house’, and wishes for the messengers to put this request to the man’s mother. It’s curious how even today two ceremonies happen in many cases in inter-caste and inter-religious weddings in India, one for the bride’s family and other, for the groom’s!

In the final verse, it’s the lady’s mother who speaks again, talking about how it was the season of spring, when a vine, placed in parallel to a woman, wraps around a burflower tree, placed in parallel to a man. She has remarked about the season saying that is why their daughter too felt the gush of love for the man and eloped with him. She’s not to be blamed at all. She concludes with the words to her family that a message has come in about the lady’s return home with her beloved.

What an exquisite collection of verses exploring intricate emotions that swell up in a challenging reunion! So much of goodness and love wafts from these verses, like the fragrance of flowers. With this section, we come to the end of our exploration of the ‘Paalai’ or ‘Drylands landscape’ and although I was fearing it would be dull and dry, it turned out to be surprisingly stunning, so vivid in its clear organisation of events pertaining to this domain. Indeed, there was much sorrow of separation but also the joy of reunion and a plethora of emotions in between. It’s time to bid farewell to these characters we have met and got to know in the expanse of this harsh landscape and walk on to our next domain!

In this episode, we perceive the observations of travellers, as depicted in Sangam Literary work, Ainkurunooru 381-390, situated in the ‘Paalai’ or ‘Drylands landscape’ and penned by the poet Othalaanthaiyaar.

Thus spreads the Thirty Ninth Ten of Ainkurunooru: Portraits of the Parted Pair

381 Inseparable lovers
பைங் காய் நெல்லி பல உடன் மிசைந்து,
செங் கால் மராஅத்த வரி நிழல் இருந்தோர்
யார்கொல், அளியர் தாமே வார் சிறைக்
குறுங் கால் மகன்றில் அன்ன
உடன் புணர் கொள்கைக் காதலோரே?

They eat many green gooseberry fruits and rest in the lined shade of the red-trunked burflower tree. Who might they be, for pitiable indeed they are! Akin to the long-winged, short-legged red-naped ibis, they seem to be lovers with the virtue of inseparability!

382 Bane of mothers
புள் ஒலிக்கு அமர்த்த கண்ணள், வெள் வேல்
திருந்து கழல் காளையொடு அருஞ் சுரம் கழிவோள்,
எல்லிடை அசைந்த கல்லென் சீறூர்ப்
புனை இழை மகளிர்ப் பயந்த
மனை கெழு பெண்டிர்க்கு நோவுமார் பெரிதே.

The maiden, whose eyes startle at the sound of birds, has left behind the harsh drylands with the young, bull-like man, wearing etched anklets. Then they rested at night in that uproarious little town, making the matrons of prosperous homes, the mothers of maiden wearing well-etched ornaments, worry a lot.

383 Finding joy in her actions
கோள் சுரும்பு அரற்றும் நாள் சுரத்து அமன்ற
நெடுங் கால் மராஅத்துக் குறுஞ் சினை பற்றி,
வலம் சுரி வால் இணர் கொய்தற்கு நின்ற
மள்ளன் உள்ளம் மகிழ் கூர்ந்தன்றே
பைஞ்சாய்ப் பாவைக்கும் தனக்கும்
அம் சாய் கூந்தல் ஆய்வது கண்டே.

Bees that savour honey resounded aloud around the small branch of tall-trunked burflower tree during the daytime in the drylands. To pluck from the right-whorled, bright flower clusters on this branch, the brave young man bent it and felt his heart brim with joy seeing the maiden with beautiful, soft tresses separate the flowers for her and her sedge doll!

384 Message to my companions
சேட் புலம் முன்னிய அசை நடை அந்தணிர்!
நும் ஒன்று இரந்தனென் மொழிவல்; எம் ஊர்,
‘யாய் நயந்து எடுத்த ஆய்நலம் கவின
ஆர் இடை இறந்தனள்’ என்மின்
நேர் இறை முன்கை என் ஆயத்தோர்க்கே.

O priests, who walk with swaying gaits to faraway lands, I wish to plead to you about something. And that is to go to my town and say to my companions, who wear rows of bangles on their forearms, ‘With the exquisite beauty, with which mother raised her, still intact, she has crossed the formidable drylands path’!

385 Message to my mother
‘கடுங்கண் காளையொடு நெடுந் தேர் ஏறி,
கோள் வல் வேங்கைய மலை பிறக்கு ஒழிய,
வேறு பல் அருஞ் சுரம் இறந்தனள் அவள்’ எனக்
கூறுமின் வாழியோ! ஆறு செல் மாக்கள்!
நல் தோள் நயந்து பாராட்டி,
எற் கெடுத்து இருந்த அறன் இல் யாய்க்கே.

Please say, ‘With the harsh-eyed, young bull-like man, climbing on a tall chariot, leaving behind mountains filled with murderous tigers, and traversing many other harsh drylands, she has crossed over’! May you live long, O people treading this path! Say these words to the one who always delighted in my beautiful arms, and the one, who spoilt me, that unjust mother of mine!

386 Daughter in the drylands
புன்கண் யானையொடு புலி வழங்கு அத்தம்
நயந்த காதலன் புணர்ந்து சென்றனளே
நெடுஞ் சுவர் நல் இல் மருண்ட
இடும்பை உறுவி! நின் கடுஞ் சூல் மகளே.

Small-eyed elephants and tigers rove in the drylands. With her lover, she has left thither, O woman from a tall-walled fine mansion, filled with confusion and suffering; That daughter you bore in your womb has crossed over!

387 In his company
‘அறம் புரி அரு மறை நவின்ற நாவின்
திறம் புரி கொள்கை அந்தணிர்! தொழுவல்’ என்று
ஒண்டொடி வினவும் பேதைஅம் பெண்டே!
கண்டனெம் அம்ம, சுரத்திடை அவளை
இன் துணை இனிது பாராட்ட,
குன்று உயர் பிறங்கல் மலை இறந்தோளே.

O naive woman, wearing shining bangles, saying, ‘O priests, with strong principles, with tongues that chant precious scriptures, I bow to you’, you question us. Yes, we did see her in the midst of the drylands. As her sweet companion took great care of her, she crossed the radiant mountain with soaring peaks.

388 Path of the Parted
நெருப்பு அவிர் கனலி உருப்புச் சினம் தணியக்
கருங் கால் யாத்து வரி நிழல் இரீஇ,
சிறு வரை இறப்பின், காண்குவை செறிதொடிப்
பொன் ஏர் மேனி மடந்தையொடு
வென் வேல் விடலை முன்னிய சுரனே.

As the sun scorched, akin to fire, letting the flaming fury of the heat subside, they rested in the lined shade of the black-trunked ‘Aacha tree’. If you cross that small mountain, you will come across the drylands, which the maiden wearing well-etched bangles, and a skin, akin to gold, and her young man with a white spear, crossed on.

389 State of her feet
‘செய் வினைப் பொலிந்த செறி கழல் நோன் தாள்
மை அணல் காளையொடு பைய இயலி,
பாவை அன்ன என் ஆய்தொடி மடந்தை
சென்றனள்!’ என்றிர், ஐய!
ஒன்றினவோ, அவள் அம் சிலம்பு அடியே!

You say, ‘Walking slowly with the young and determined, bull-like man having a black beard, clad in tight, shining, well-etched warrior anklets, that doll-like, naive maiden wearing beautiful bangles left’, O good sir! Did her beautiful feet, clad in anklets, touch the ground?

390 Seen in his company
நல்லோர் ஆங்கண் பரந்து கைதொழுது
பல் ஊழ் மறுகி வினவுவோயே!
திண் தோள் வல்வில் காளையொடு
கண்டனெம் மன்ற சுரத்திடை, யாமே.

O woman, you run hither and thither and question all the good people there, with folded hands! We did see her in the company of the strong armed, young, bull-like man, skilled with his bow, in the midst of the drylands.

So concludes Ainkurunooru 381-390. All the verses are set in the context of a man’s love relationship with a lady, prior to marriage, and specifically in the situation of elopement of this couple. The unifying theme of all the songs is that these are statements about the couple, who have eloped away, from the perspective of those who saw them in the drylands. Most of these words are uttered by travellers, with a few being said by the lady or the lady’s foster mother to those travellers.

In this section, it’s difficult to separate the land and the protagonists as they are intricately tied together in these observations. So, let’s head straight to the speakers and their intentions. In the first, a traveller wonders who this couple, who are eating gooseberry fruits and resting in the shade of a burflower tree, might be. Looking closely at them, this person says they seem to have the quality of an ‘andril’ bird mentioned in Sangam literature as a symbol of inseparable togetherness. In Kurunthogai 160, we debated and discovered that this bird most probably points to the ‘Red-naped ibis’, which is found all over India and have the quality of always being found in pairs. Perhaps this is the reason why the Sangam folks chose these birds to talk about the intimacy and inseparability of these ancient lovers. While this seems to be a mere observation about two people, looking closer, we can sense the empathy in this traveller about their challenging circumstances and their deep love.

In the second, a traveller talks about the lady and man and mentions them to be resting in a little town at the edge of the drylands. The gentle nature of the lady is sketched in the way her eyes startle at the sound of birds, while the man’s strong personality is portrayed by symbolising him as a sturdy bull. This traveller makes an intricate observation about the mothers in that town where the pair are resting for the night. They are the mothers of young maidens and they seem to be in a lot of worry. Perhaps these mothers are thinking about the mother of this young maiden who has eloped and are sympathising with her sorrow or they are worried that their own daughters may inflict them with the similar pain of eloping with a young man.

In the third, is a sweet observation by a traveller about the interaction between the man and lady in the drylands. Seeing a tall burflower tree, resounding with bees, the man seems to have read the mind of his lady and held down a branch for her to pluck flowers from. After she plucked those flowers, the lady was busy separating one group of flowers for her and one group for her doll, made of sedge grass. Seeing this, the man’s heart was filled with joy, says this traveller. To think of this maiden as someone still playing with dolls jolts us indeed. But this is a repeated reference of maiden holding on to their dolls even when they have parted away with men!

In the fourth, the lady takes the spotlight and requests some priests she meets on the way to pass on a message to her playmates that she was doing well, and that her beauty was intact, even as she traverses the drylands with the man. The lady thinks back about her friends with affection and knowing that they will worry in her absence and passes on this message to the travelling priests. In the fifth, the lady passes on a message to her mother this time, describing how the mother had forbidden the lady’s relationship with the man and calling mother as ‘unjust’. Though there seems to be a bit of anger on the part of the lady, she wants the traveller to pass on the good message to her mother that her daughter has crossed the drylands safely with her man.

In the sixth, travellers address the lady’s birth mother by making a note of her suffering-filled state and inform her that the daughter she bore in her womb had crossed the dangerous drylands, where elephants and tigers rove. In the seventh, the travellers address the lady’s foster mother, who has followed the daughter she raised, trying to find her there. They say to this mother that they saw the lady in the middle of the drylands, and also mention how well the man took care of the lady, and together, they had crossed over. In the eighth too, these travellers inform the foster mother that the lady and man were seen resting in the shade of an ‘Aacha’ tree in the drylands and they point to a hill ahead and say, if you cross that, you will find the place where they were. Thereby, these travellers tell the foster mother that the lady is long gone and there was no use in pursuing her.

In the ninth, the foster mother questions the travellers asking whether they saw the beautiful feet of the lady touch the hot ground, wondering how the delicate maiden was able to bear the scorching heat of the place. In the final verse, the travellers remark about the way the foster mother runs everywhere, asking all good people about her daughter with hands folded, and inform her they had indeed seen the man and the lady in the midst of the drylands. And so we see that this is a section with intricate descriptions about both the man and the lady and their travel through the harsh drylands. Moving indeed is the empathy expressed by the various actors such as the travellers about the state of the man, and the lady, the lady’s thought about informing her playmates and mother, and ultimately, a mother’s beating heart about the welfare of her daughter. In short, this is a poignant collection of verses talking about the journey of love!

In this episode, we listen to the lament of a mother, as depicted in Sangam Literary work, Ainkurunooru 371-380, situated in the ‘Paalai’ or ‘Drylands landscape’ and penned by the poet Othalaanthaiyaar.

Thus spreads the Thirty Eighth Ten of Ainkurunooru: Ballad of the Melancholic Mother

371 Path of righteousness
மள்ளர் கொட்டின் மஞ்ஞை ஆலும்
உயர் நெடுங் குன்றம் படு மழை தலைஇச்
சுரம் நனி இனிய ஆகுக தில்ல
‘அறநெறி இது’ எனத் தெளிந்த என்
பிறை நுதல் குறுமகள் போகிய சுரனே!

When the people of the drylands beat their drums, the peacock dances. May clouds that surround soaring peaks, rain down and make the drylands as pleasant as possible! For deciding ’this is the path of righteousness’, my young daughter, with a crescent-like forehead, has parted to those drylands!

372 Leaving slander behind
என்னும் உள்ளினள்கொல்லோ தன்னை
நெஞ்சு உணத் தேற்றிய வஞ்சினக் காளையொடு,
அழுங்கல் மூதூர் அலர் எழ,
செழும் பல் குன்றம் இறந்த என் மகளே?

Did she even think about me? That daughter of mine, who along with the strong and fierce bull-like young man, who offered the right words for her mind to feast on, making this uproarious, ancient town resound with slander, has parted away, crossing prosperous peaks many!

373 Mother of the young man
நினைத்தொறும் கலிழும் இடும்பை எய்துக
புலிக் கோள் பிழைத்த கவைக் கோட்டு முது கலை
மான்பிணை அணைதர, ஆண் குரல் விளிக்கும்
வெஞ் சுரம் என் மகள் உய்த்த
அம்பு அமை வல் வில் விடலை தாயே!

The suffering of crying every moment when thoughts cross, may she too attain! I speak of the mother of the young man, wielding a strong bow and a quiver full of arrows, with whom my daughter left to the hot drylands, where escaping from a murderous tiger, an old male deer embraces its female and cries aloud in its strong voice!

374 Young daughter
பல் ஊழ் நினைப்பினும், நல்லென்று ஊழ
மீளி முன்பின் காளை காப்ப,
முடி அகம் புகாஅக் கூந்தலள்
கடுவனும் அறியாக் காடு இறந்தோளே.

After thinking about it many times, deciding that this was the right thing to do, with the bull-like, young man, akin to the god of death, who protects her, the daughter of mine with tresses not long enough to be even tied, has parted away to the drylands jungle that not even a male monkey knows about!

375 Seeing her everywhere
‘இது என் பாவைக்கு இனிய நன் பாவை;
இது என் பைங்கிளி எடுத்த பைங்கிளி’ என்று,
அலமரு நோக்கின் நலம் வரு சுடர் நுதல்
காண்தொறும் காண்தொறும் கலங்க,
நீங்கினளோ என் பூங் கணோளே?

Saying, ‘This is the favourite doll of my doll; This is the parrot raised by my little parrot’, as my eyes rove around, I think of my daughter, with a beautiful, radiant forehead, and whatever I see, it makes me shed tears. Leaving me in this state, did she part away, my girl with flower-like eyes?

376 A curse upon fate
நாள்தொறும் கலிழும் என்னினும் இடை நின்று
காடு படு தீயின் கனலியர் மாதோ
நல் வினை நெடு நகர் கல்லெனக் கலங்க,
பூப் புரை உண்கண் மடவரல்
போக்கிய புணர்த்த அறன் இல் பாலே!

Suffering even more than me, who cries every day, may it stand in the midst of a raging wildfire in a forest and perish, that fate, which lacks justice, that which made my naive daughter with flower-like, kohl-streaked eyes part away, making this well-crafted, tall mansion resound with uproar!

377 Her things here
நீர் நசைக்கு ஊக்கிய உயவல் யானை
இயம் புணர் தூம்பின் உயிர்க்கும் அத்தம்
சென்றனள் மன்ற, என் மகளே
பந்தும் பாவையும் கழங்கும் எமக்கு ஒழித்தே.

A fatigued elephant, filled with thirst, sighs akin to the ‘thoombu’ pipe played together with many musical instruments in the drylands. It’s here, she parted away to, that daughter of mine, leaving her ball, doll and playing beans with me!

378 Crying companion
செல்லிய முயலிப் பாஅய சிறகர்
வாவல் உகக்கும் மாலை, யாம் புலம்பப்
போகிய அவட்கோ நோவேன்; தே மொழித்
துணை இலள் கலிழும் நெஞ்சின்
இணை ஏர் உண்கண் இவட்கு நோவதுவே.

It’s that evening hour when wanting to travel far, a bat spreads its wings. At this time, making me lament, she left. I worry not for her, but for this girl with well-set, beautiful, kohl-streaked eyes, whose heart cries because her honey-voiced companion is no more with her!

379 Sweeter than a wedding
தன் அமர் ஆயமொடு நன் மண நுகர்ச்சியின்
இனிது ஆம்கொல்லோ தனக்கே பனி வரை
இனக் களிறு வழங்கும் சோலை
வயக்குறு வெள் வேலவற் புணர்ந்து செலவே?

Is it sweeter than a good wedding in the presence of her beautiful companions? This parting away in the company of that young man with a shining, white spear to groves, where herds of elephants rove, in those cool mountains?

380 Mother of the eloper
அத்த நீள் இடை அவனொடு போகிய
முத்து ஏர் வெண் பல் முகிழ் நகை மடவரல்
தாயர் என்னும் பெயரே வல்லாறு
எடுத்தேன் மன்ற, யானே;
கொடுத்தோர் மன்ற, அவள் ஆயத்தோரே.

To that long and winding drylands path, she left with him, that naive young maiden with white teeth, akin to pearls, and a blooming smile. ‘Mother of the maiden, who eloped away so’ is the name I have received for raising her; The ones who have given me that name are her companions!

So concludes Ainkurunooru 371-380. All the verses are set in the context of a man’s love relationship with a lady, prior to marriage, and specifically in the situation when the man has eloped away with the lady, foreseeing that the lady’s parents will not accept the man’s marriage proposal. The unifying theme in all the songs is that all are said by the lady’s mother, in this situation when the lady has left her home to be with the man she loves.

The few descriptions of the land in this section talk about how when the people of this region resound their drums, peacocks dance, mistaking the same for thunder. In another instance, there’s a scene where a male deer escapes from a tiger and cries with relief as it embraces its female. A curious statement talks about how the lady has parted away to a jungle that even a monkey does not know, implying that these agile cousins of ours are well-versed with the spread of the land, and if the lady is travelling somewhere that a well-travelled monkey doesn’t know, then we can be sure it’s really far away. Next, is a portrait of an elephant filled with so much thirst in the drylands that seems to sigh exactly like a ‘thoombu’ musical instrument of those days.

Returning to the intent of the speakers, as we have seen, all the verses are said by the lady’s mother. Though it’s hard to say whether these words are said by the lady’s birth mother or the foster mother, who raised her, most interpreters agree that the first nine are said by the birth mother and the last one by the foster mother. In the first, the mother wishes that it rains in the drylands so that it’s pleasant to cross for her dear daughter, who has left her thinking that parting away was the right path for her future. In the second, the mother wonders if the lady even thought about her, as she left with the man, making their town resound with slander. In the third, the lady’s mother curses that the man’s mother too should feel her pain that soars every time thoughts of the lady cross her mind. In the fourth, the mother remarks on the young and immature age of the lady, whose hair has not even grown long enough to be tied up and how she has found the courage to leave to such a faraway place with her man. That a child remains forever young and vulnerable in a mother’s eyes is evident from these words!

In the fifth, the mother remarks how she sees the lady wherever she turns around, be it in her doll or in the parrot the lady used to pet and keep at home. Don’t we too see the people we love in the things they used, whenever they part away from us? In the sixth, mother curses fate for leaving her in that state wherein her daughter has eloped away. In the seventh, mother remarks how the lady has gone, taking away all joy, and just leaving behind her things, like the ball, doll and dried molucca beans that she used to play with. In the eighth, mother declares she worries not for the lady who parted away in the evening hour, when bats spread their wings but for the lady’s confidante, who seems to be shedding tears before her, missing her sweet friend. In the ninth, mother questions whether eloping with the man to the drylands was something sweeter than a marriage in the company of her friends, hinting that had the lady revealed her relationship, mother might have taken steps for their marriage. In the final one, the foster mother talks about how she has been branded as the mother who raised the girl who eloped away and says it’s the lady’s friends who have blessed her with that name, as they were the ones who helped the lady part away with her beloved.

In this section, we are once again back to the realm of coherence and unity of thought, and each verse echoes in the same melancholic tone of a mother’s lament. Among the many emotions encountered such as sadness, dejection and anxiety, the highlight is that verse which describes the mother, who seeks rains to pour upon the drylands and make it pleasant for her daughter, etching for us, that matchless heart, which wishes well, even in the midst of hurt!

In this episode, we listen to perspectives about people, as portrayed in Sangam Literary work, Ainkurunooru 361-370, situated in the ‘Paalai’ or ‘Drylands landscape’ and penned by the poet Othalaanthaiyaar.

Thus spreads the Thirty Seventh Ten of Ainkurunooru: About Her, About Him

361 Fury of her form
உயர்கரைக் கான் யாற்று அவிர்மணல் அகன்துறை
வேனில் பாதிரி விரி மலர் குவைஇத்
தொடலை தைஇய மடவரல் மகளே!
கண்ணினும் கதவ, நின் முலையே!
முலையினும் கதவ, நின் தட மென் தோளே!

By the raised banks of a wild river, in the spreading sands of the wide shore, you heap summer trumpet flowers and weave a garland, O naive maiden! More furious than your eyes, is your bosom; More furious than your bosom, are your soft and curved arms!

362 A dark and difficult path
பதுக்கைத்து ஆய ஒதுக்கு அருங் கவலை,
சிறு கண் யானை உறு பகை நினையாது,
யாங்கு வந்தனையோ பூந் தார் மார்ப!
அருள் புரி நெஞ்சம் உய்த்தர
இருள் பொர நின்ற இரவினானே?

Filled with stone graves, difficult to traverse is that path. Without thinking about the seething wrath of the small-eyed elephant there, how did you arrive here, O lord, with a chest clad in a flower garland? With a heart to render your grace, you have arrived, even as darkness blocked you in the middle of the night!

363 Seeing god
சிலை வில் பகழிச் செந் துவர் ஆடைக்
கொலை வல் எயினர் தங்கை! நின் முலைய
சுணங்கு என நினைதி நீயே;
அணங்கு என நினையும், என் அணங்குறு நெஞ்சே.

O sister of hunters, who wield a ‘silai’ bow and piercing arrows, who are clad in red attire and skilled in killing, you think that those are pallor spots on your breast, but my fearful heart thinks those are furious gods!

364 Wait till I win her over
முளவு மா வல்சி எயினர் தங்கை
இளமா எயிற்றிக்கு, நின் நிலை அறியச்
சொல்லினென் இரக்கும்அளவை
வென் வேல் விடலை, விரையாதீமே!

To the sister of hunters, who gather porcupine meat, that young and beautiful huntress, I will explain your state. Till I plead to her, O young man wielding a white spear, please do not be in haste!

365 Penance of a mango shoot
கண மா தொலைச்சித் தன்னையர் தந்த
நிண ஊன் வல்சிப் படு புள் ஓப்பும்
நலம் மாண் எயிற்றி போலப் பல மிகு
நன்னல நயவரவு உடையை
என் நோற்றனையோ? மாவின் தளிரே!

Hunting huge herds of deer, her brothers bring home fatty meat, and she chases away birds that seek to steal it. Akin to that beautiful and excellent huntress, you seem to posses many good traits that bring joy to all. What penance did you do for this, O shoot of a mango tree?

366 Secret of the Buttercup
அன்னாய், வாழி! வேண்டு, அன்னை! ‘என் தோழி
பசந்தனள் பெரிது’ எனச் சிவந்த கண்ணை,
கொன்னே கடவுதி ஆயின், என்னதூஉம்,
அறிய ஆகுமோ மற்றே
முறி இணர்க் கோங்கம் பயந்தமாறே?

Long may you live, mother! Listen to me, mother! With reddened eyes, you say that my friend’s form has spread with pallor, and question her about it furiously. How can we understand even a little bit about that, when it is because of the leaves and flowers of the buttercup tree, given to her?

367 His name and her life
பொரி அரைக் கோங்கின் பொன் மருள் பசு வீ,
விரிஇணர் வேங்கையொடு, வேறு பட மிலைச்சி,
விரவு மலர் அணிந்த வேனில் கான் யாற்றுத்
தேரொடு குறுக வந்தோன்
பேரொடு புணர்ந்தன்று அன்னை! இவள் உயிரே.

Wearing fresh and golden flowers of the rough-trunked buttercup tree, along with the blooming flowers of the Kino tree, she went to the wild river, gushing with the various flowers of summer. There came a man in his chariot thither, and with his name, her life has bonded inseparably!

368 If she lives
எரிப் பூ இலவத்து ஊழ் கழி பல் மலர்
பொரிப் பூம் புன்கின் புகர் நிழல் வரிக்கும்
தண் பத வேனில் இன்ப நுகர்ச்சி
எம்மொடு கொண்மோ, பெரும! நின்
அம் மெல்லோதி அழிவிலள் எனினே!

Many flame-like flowers of the silk-cotton tree mature and fall down in the dotted shade of the beechwood tree with flowers, akin to puffed rice, in the cool and pleasant season of spring. You may find pleasure in her company, O lord, if that maiden with beautiful and soft tresses can remain without ruin till then!

369 Louder than the cuckoo
வள மலர் ததைந்த வண்டு படு நறும் பொழில்
முளை நிரை முறுவல் ஒருத்தியொடு, நெருநல்
குறி நீ செய்தனை என்ப; அலரே,
குரவ நீள் சினை உறையும்
பருவ மாக் குயில் கௌவையின், பெரிதே!

In that fragrant grove, where lush flowers bloom and bees buzz around, with a maiden having shoot-like, neat row of teeth, you trysted yesterday, they say. Louder than the cry of the seasonal dark cuckoo that lives on the long branch of the ‘tarenna’ tree, is slander that spreads in town!

370 The garlanded one
வண் சினைக் கோங்கின் தண் கமழ் படலை
இருஞ் சிறை வண்டின் பெருங் கிளை மொய்ப்ப,
நீ நயந்து உறையப்பட்டோள்
யாவளோ? எம் மறையாதீமே.

Who is she, who wears a cool and fragrant garland given by you, made with the flowers of the buttercup tree with tough branches, around which black-winged bees buzz around, and who lives with much desire for you? Do not hide from me!

So concludes Ainkurunooru 361-370. The verses are set in varying situations both before marriage and after marriage between the man and the lady. The unifying theme of these verses is that all of them are direct addresses, bringing to the fore, the character of the person being spoken to. The words are said either by the man, the confidante or the lady in varying contexts.

Unlike the other verses in the ‘Paalai’ or ‘Drylands landscape’, the connection to land is wafer-thin. For instance, the only indication of this being set in the drylands in many verses is the type of flower mentioned such as the ‘Kongam’ or the ‘Kuravam’ or the season of spring, heralded by the blooming of flowers or the singing of the cuckoo.

Let’s delve into the intent of the speakers. In the first, it’s the man saying these words to the lady in a situation when they are eloping together. The lady seems to have seen trumpet flowers on the banks of a river and immediately forgetting the situation and inherent danger, she starts heaping the flowers and making a garland, without worrying about anything. The man must have remarked about this, and in response, overcome with shyness, hides her eyes. At this time, the man says that even more than her eyes, her bosom attacks him with fury, and when she hides that in response, the man concludes even more than her bosom, those soft and curved arms of hers attack him. The young man thus expresses how smitten he is with the maiden in his company.

In the second, it’s the confidante addressing the man as she talks about all the dangers in his path. One, that is filled with stone cisterns, which are make-shift graves made with stones by highway robbers for the people they killed and stole from. The thought to respect the dead is an element that echoes the honour among these thieves. Returning, in addition to the danger from these fellow humans, elephants too seem to rove about there. On top of it all, this is at night when darkness blocks the man from taking even a single step. Even so, the man has come to grace the lady, praises the confidante.

The man takes the spotlight in the third and he addresses his lady, calling her the sister of hunters, who are clad in red and skilled with their bows. Like in the case of the first verse, he talks about how the spots on the lady’s bosom seem to look at him with the fury of a mountain god, indicating his surrender to her beauty. In the fourth, the confidante once again addresses the man. Here, he seems to have told her of his intention to elope with the lady. She asks him to wait with patience until she has won over the lady with her words about the man’s proposal. In the fifth, the man address a new leaf of a mango tree, as he walks through the drylands, and says it seems to have such beauty and all the good traits, just like the lady, and asks how was it able to attain that unmatchable quality. This reveals how the man’s heart is still with the lady he left behind and it’s her he sees in all the objects of beauty around him.

In the sixth, the confidante addresses the mother who seems to have questioned the lady about why her form was spread with pallor and why was she was losing her health. To this, the confidante says, ‘You will never understand it by questioning her for this is all because of the leaves and flowers of the buttercup tree’. Though this looks like a puzzle to us, this is the confidante’s way of revealing the lady’s relationship with the man by mentioning the gifts he gave the lady before uniting with her. In the seventh, the confidante yet again addresses the mother talking about a day when the lady went near a wild river to collect the various flowers gushing through it, in that season of spring. Though she doesn’t say it explicitly and just talks about the man arriving there in his chariot, it’s possible that the man saved the lady, when she fell into the river. That’s possibly why the confidante concludes that the man’s name and the lady’s life are irrevocably tied together.

The seventh sees the confidante addressing the man when he intends to part away from the lady to seek wealth and promises that he would be back by spring. The confidante says, ‘Sure, you can delight with her in spring, when the silk-cotton tree’s fire-like flowers fall in the shade of the beechwood tree, but if only the lady manages to live till then. This is to indicate to the man that the lady would suffer in his absence and that he should return as quickly as he can. In the last two, it’s courtesan trouble in the drylands too! In the ninth, the lady addresses the man and asks about a woman that the man met with, the previous day, talking about how rumours are resounding louder than a cuckoo’s call in spring. Likewise, in the tenth, the lady questions the man about the woman to whom he offered a buttercup garland and demands that the man reveal who she is!

Here I was admiring the coherence and unity of thought in the verses set in this landscape, and this section turns out to be that one odd fellow, where various contexts, why even courtesan trouble seems to loom in what’s usually the hot and dry air of the drylands! Perhaps it was evident to people then about why these verses are bunched together, but to us, it seems a random arrangement of words uttered on different occasions with some elements found in this landscape. Still, here too, we can admire the strong association of flowers and seasons with the land and delight in the superlative observational powers of these ancient people about the world around them!

In this episode, we listen to the joyous news of the man’s return, as portrayed in Sangam Literary work, Ainkurunooru 351-360, situated in the ‘Paalai’ or ‘Drylands landscape’ and penned by the poet Othalaanthaiyaar.

Thus spreads the Thirty Sixth Ten of Ainkurunooru: Here he comes

351 Leaving behind the drylands
அத்தப் பலவின் வெயில் தின் சிறு காய்,
அருஞ் சுரம் செல்வோர் அருந்தினர் கழியும்
காடு பின் ஒழிய வந்தனர்; தீர்க, இனி
பல் இதழ் உண்கண் மடந்தை! நின்
நல் எழில் அல்குல் வாடிய நிலையே.

The small fruit of the jackfruit tree on the path, devoured by heat, is the only food for those traversing those formidable drylands. Leaving that jungle behind, he has crossed over and come. May it end now, O maiden with many-petaled, kohl-streaked eyes, the faded state of your beautiful waist!

352 Traversed the formidable
விழுத் தொடை மறவர் வில் இடத் தொலைந்தோர்
எழுத்துடை நடுகல் அன்ன விழுப்பிணர்ப்
பெருங்கை யானை இருஞ் சினம் உறைக்கும்
வெஞ் சுரம் ‘அரிய’ என்னார்,
வந்தனர் தோழி! நம் காதலோரே!

Those who perished by the bows of those drylands robbers with unfailing aim, are honoured with hero stones, inscribed with words. Akin to the rough surface of these stones is the skin of elephants with huge trunks, filled with mad rage, living in the hot drylands. Not thinking it’s hard to cross this domain, he has come, O friend, that lover of yours!

353 A chest to embrace
எரிக் கொடி கவைஇய செவ் வரை போலச்
சுடர்ப் பூண் விளங்கும் ஏந்து எழில் அகலம்
நீ இனிது முயங்க, வந்தனர்
மா இருஞ் சோலை மலை இறந்தோரே.

Akin to wildfires spreading vine-like in the red hot hill, are the radiant ornaments on his upraised, beautiful chest. For you to embrace that, he has come, the one who parted away to the mountain with dark and huge groves!

354 Maiden’s memories
ஈர்ம் பிணவு புணர்ந்த செந்நாய் ஏற்றை
மறியுடை மான் பிணை கொள்ளாது கழியும்
அரிய சுரன் வந்தனரே
தெரிஇழை அரிவை! நின் பண்பு தர விரைந்தே.

The wild red dog mounted on its moist mate and then let go of a young deer with a little fawn, without killing it, in that harsh drylands. From there, he has come so speedily, as the memories of you, the young maiden with well-etched ornaments, appeared in his mind!

355 Thinking of you
திருந்துஇழை அரிவை! நின் நலம் உள்ளி,
‘அருஞ் செயல் பொருள்பிணி பெருந் திரு உறுக!’ எனச்
சொல்லாது பெயர் தந்தேனே பல் பொறிச்
சிறு கண் யானை திரிதரும்
நெறி விலங்கு அதர கானத்தானே.

O maiden with well-etched ornaments, thinking of your fine beauty, I decided to let go of this affliction of seeking hard-to-attain wealth, and without telling others, I parted away, from that jungle, where small-eyed elephants rove and block the paths!

356 Pleasant to ponder
உள்ளுதற்கு இனியமன்ற செல்வர்
யானை பிணித்த பொன் புனை கயிற்றின்,
ஒள் எரி மேய்ந்த சுரத்திடை
உள்ளம் வாங்க, தந்த நின் குணனே.

Akin to the golden rope that the wealthy use to tie their elephants with, the glowing fire spreads in the drylands. Here, it seized my heart and made me return, those good qualities of yours, which were pleasant to ponder upon.

357 The power of flowers
குரவம் மலர, மரவம் பூப்ப,
சுரன் அணி கொண்ட கானம் காணூஉ,
‘அழுங்குக, செய்பொருள் செலவு!’ என விரும்பி, நின்
அம் கலிழ் மாமை கவின
வந்தனர் தோழி! நம் காதலோரே.

As the tarenna bloomed and the burflower blossomed, seeing the drylands jungle adorn itself with such beauty, deciding to let the journey to earn wealth perish, to make your dark-skinned beauty turn radiant, he has come, my friend, that lover of yours!

358 Thoughts that pull back
கோடு உயர் பல் மலை இறந்தனர் ஆயினும்,
நீட விடுமோ மற்றே நீடு நினைந்து,
துடைத்தொறும் துடைத்தொறும் கலங்கி,
உடைத்து எழு வெள்ளம் ஆகிய கண்ணே?

Even though he crossed over many hills with soaring peaks, will that let him prolong his journey, those thoughts of yours that make your eyes well with tears, and even though, you wipe and wipe, it continues to soar like a rising flood that breaches the dam?

359 Exhausting to ecstatic
அரும் பொருள் வேட்கையம் ஆகி, நிற் துறந்து,
பெருங் கல் அதரிடைப் பிரிந்த காலைத்
தவ நனி நெடிய ஆயின; இனியே,
அணியிழை உள்ளி யாம் வருதலின்
நணிய ஆயின சுரத்திடை ஆறே.

Desiring to attain rare wealth, leaving you behind, I parted to the path on the huge mountain. At that time, it seemed to be extremely long and exhausting. But now, as I came thinking of you, the maiden wearing beautiful ornaments, it turned so beautiful, that path in the midst of the drylands!

360 An effortless return
எரி கவர்ந்து உண்ட என்றூழ் நீள் இடை
அரிய ஆயினும், எளிய அன்றே
அவவு உறு நெஞ்சம் கவவு நனி விரும்பி,
கடு மான் திண் தேர் கடைஇ,
நெடு மான் நோக்கி! நின் உள்ளி யாம் வரவே!

Although the long path scorched by the sun and devoured by wild fire was formidable, it appeared effortless for me, as my heart, filled with desire, thought about embracing you, making me hasten the sturdy chariot tied with speedy horses, focusing on the moment of being with you, O maiden with huge, deer-like eyes!

So concludes Ainkurunooru 351-360. All the verses are set in the context of a man’s parting from a lady, after marriage, when he leaves her in search of wealth. The unifying theme of these songs is that they all speak about the man’s return from his journey to the drylands to seek wealth and all are addressed to the lady. The confidante says these words to the lady for the most part with some verses appearing in the point of view of the man as well.

Here’s a section which contains some descriptions about the drylands. In one, we see how there’s no other food in the drylands other than a piece of small, shrivelled jackfruit. In another, we see how memorial stones with inscriptions are placed for those who perished in the attack of drylands robbers. The highlight here is the mention of the word ‘எழுத்துடை’ meaning with ‘with letters’ and this showcases the literacy of this ancient culture that honoured its dead with words, two thousand years ago. This memorial stone in turns stands in as a simile for the wild and furious elephants that lived in these drylands. In another instance, we observe how a wild red dog or ‘dhole’ has just finished its mating with its sweet mate, and in that pleasant mood, takes pity on a deer with a young one and lets the poor mother and child escape unharmed. To talk about the spreading wildfire in another scene, the simile of a golden rope that wealthy people tie their elephants with, is brought forth. From this scene of ruin, the focus falls on blooming flowers such as tarenna and burflower and the way these flowers transform those drylands into groves of beauty, proclaiming the arrival of spring. In other instances, there’s further mention of this region being scorched by the harsh sun, and in addition, devastated by wildfires as well. Hot and fiery is the mood of the land here!

Turning to the intent of the speakers, in the first, it’s the confidante conveying the good news saying that the lady’s ruined waists will now transform with beauty, since the man has crossed the drylands and was on his way there. In the second, it’s her again, talking about the man’s courage to cross the terrifying drylands filled with mad elephants, she declares he has returned. In the third, she says to the lady that the man has returned just so that the lady can embrace his handsome, gold-clad chest. In the fourth, the confidante talks about how the man returned so quickly because of thoughts about the lady.

The man takes the spotlight in the next two verses, with him declaring, in the fifth, that he decided to not proceed with this pointless pursuit of wealth and how he returned without telling others, thinking of the lady and the joy to be had in her company. In the sixth, he talks about how the lady’s fine qualities, so sweet to think about, pulled him back from the drylands.

In the seventh, the confidante once again becomes the speaker and she talks about how when spring announced itself in the drylands through the flowering of the ‘kuravam’ and ‘maraam’, the man decided to let go of of his journey and to make the lady happy, he was returning. In the eighth too, the confidante talks about how the lady’s tears and thoughts would not let the man prolong his journey, no matter how far he had gone.

We hear the man’s voice in the last two verses. In the ninth, he contrasts the path he took to reach the drylands on his onward and return journey. Onward, when seeking wealth, it seemed so exhausting, but when returning, it turned so pleasant and beautiful, because he was thinking of the lady. He echoes a similar thought in the tenth about how the onward path was terrible with its heat and wildfire and seemed impossible to cross, but on the return, it was effortless because the man just thought about being with the lady and embracing her, as he wielded his horses and chariot so speedily in her direction.

When it’s about wealth, the path traversed is portrayed as harsh and impassable, but when it’s about being with a beloved, the same path seems to become a place of beauty and ease. A section which shows the timeless feeling of how the entire world seems to transform when one journeys towards love!

In this episode, we perceive the arrival of the promised season, as portrayed in Sangam Literary work, Ainkurunooru 341-350, situated in the ‘Paalai’ or ‘Drylands landscape’ and penned by the poet Othalaanthaiyaar.

Thus spreads the Thirty Fifth Ten of Ainkurunooru: The Season of Love

341 Singing ‘Kuyil’
அவரோ வாரார்; தான் வந்தன்றே
குயில் பெடை இன் குரல் அகவ,
அயிர்க் கேழ் நுண் அறல் நுடங்கும் பொழுதே!

My beloved has not returned; But it has arrived, the time when the female cuckoo sings in its sweet voice and the bright-hued, fine black sand ripples!

342 Buzzing ’Surumbu’
அவரோ வாரார்; தான் வந்தன்றே
சுரும்பு களித்து ஆலும் இருஞ் சினைக்
கருங் கால் நுணவம் கமழும் பொழுதே!

My beloved has not returned; But it has arrived, the time when bees relish and resound around the huge branch of the black-trunked mulberry tree, wafting with fragrance!

343 Blooming ‘Kongam’
அவரோ வாரார்; தான் வந்தன்றே
திணி நிலைக் கோங்கம் பயந்த
அணி மிகு கொழு முகை உடையும் பொழுதே!

My beloved has not returned; But it has arrived, the time when the beautiful flower clusters of the strong and sturdy buttercup tree burst into bloom!

344 Dancing ‘Kuravam’
அவரோ வாரார்; தான் வந்தன்றே
நறும் பூங் குரவம் பயந்த
செய்யாப் பாவை கொய்யும் பொழுதே!

My beloved has not returned; But it has arrived, the time when the fragrant flowers of the Tarenna, appearing like dolls, are to be plucked!

345 Scattering ‘Athiral’
அவரோ வாரார்; தான் வந்தன்றே
புதுப் பூ அதிரல் தாஅய்க்
கதுப்பு அறல் அணியும் காமர் பொழுதே!

My beloved has not returned; But it has arrived, the time when the fine, black sand, akin to tresses, wears with desire, the spreading new flowers of the wild jasmine!

346 Blossoming ‘Paadiri’
அவரோ வாரார்; தான் வந்தன்றே
அம் சினைப் பாதிரி அலர்ந்தென,
செங் கண் இருங் குயில் அறையும் பொழுதே!

My beloved has not returned; But it has arrived, the time when seeing that the trumpet flower has bloomed on its beautiful branch, the red-eyed black cuckoo coos!

347 Adorning ‘Pungam’
அவரோ வாரார்; தான் வந்தன்றே
எழில் தகை இள முலை பொலியப்
பொரிப் பூம் புன்கின் முறி திமிர் பொழுதே!

My beloved has not returned; But it has arrived, the time when the tender leaves of the beechwood tree, having flowers, akin to puffed rice, adorns the exquisite, young breasts!

348 Flowering ‘Maraam’
அவரோ வாரார்; தான் வந்தன்றே
வலம் சுரி மராஅம் வேய்ந்து, நம்
மணம் கமழ் தண் பொழில் மலரும் பொழுதே!

My beloved has not returned; But it has arrived, the time when the right-whorled ‘burflower tree’ towers above and flowers in the fragrant and cool grove!

349 Sprouting ‘Maa’
அவரோ வாரார்; தான் வந்தன்றே
பொரி கால் மாஞ் சினை புதைய
எரி கால் இளந் தளிர் ஈனும் பொழுதே!

My beloved has not returned; But it has arrived, the time when burying the branches of the mango tree with a spotted trunk, akin to tiny flames, young shoots sprout!

350 Falling ‘Vembu’
அவரோ வாரார்; தான் வந்தன்றே
வேம்பின் ஒண் பூ உறைப்ப,
தேம் படு கிளவி அவர் தெளிக்கும் பொழுதே!

My beloved has not returned; But it has arrived, the time when the glowing, white flowers of the neem fall on the ground, the time when he said he would clear my woes with his honey-like words!

So concludes Ainkurunooru 341-350. All the verses are set in the context of a man’s separation from the lady, after marriage, in search of wealth. The unifying theme of all the songs is that these are said by the lady expressing the single thought that the season the man said he would return had come but he had not come home. This season happens to be that time of the year called as ‘spring’ in most parts of the world, the season of birth and beginning. The word used in Tamil to denote this season is ‘Ila Venil’, which can be translated as ‘a young summer’ and as how, youth is the time of being in one’s shining best, this young Indian summer is full of beauty and vitality in these verses.

Focusing on the words of the lady, to reveal the arrival of the spring season in her world, she talks about the song of the cuckoo and the swaying dance of the fine black river sand; the buzzing bees around the scented, white flowers of the mulberry tree; the bright yellow flowers of the buttercup opening its buds; the plucking of the white Tarenna flowers, which seem to have the appearance of dolls; the spreading on wild jasmine on the black sand which makes its look the thick tresses of women wearing these flowers; the blossoming trumpet flowers and as if this was its cue, the black cuckoo starts its ceaseless song; the wearing of beechwood tree’s leaves on the breasts of young women; burflower tree’s flowering in the grove; little flames of new leaves sprouting from the mango tree’s branch; and finally, the falling white flowers of the neem tree. She ends with the words that he said he’d be back to allay my sorrow with his words, akin to honey!

This is one of those rare sections in Ainkurunooru with perfect coherence and unity of thought. In a nutshell, the lady points to the various ways in which the season of spring has announced its arrival whereas there was still no sign of the man. Her pain is twofold: One is because the time her beloved said he would return had come without him accompanying it, and the other is that this season of spring is when love seeks togetherness. Seeing the blooming flowers and hearing the singing birds, the sweet season of joy turns bitter to the lady, reminding her of her man’s absence. Wishing that the man returns soon to the lady, let’s delight in this document of the season of spring two thousand years ago, words that continue to make readers’ hearts bloom with joy and fill their lives with the fragrance of nature!

In this episode, we perceive the lady’s emotions after the man’s parting, as portrayed in Sangam Literary work, Ainkurunooru 331-340, situated in the ‘Paalai’ or ‘Drylands landscape’ and penned by the poet Othalaanthaiyaar.

Thus spreads the Thirty Fourth Ten of Ainkurunooru: Laments of the Lady

331 Scent of the beloved
அம்ம வாழி, தோழி! அவிழ் இணர்க்
கருங் கால் மராஅத்து வைகு சினை வான் பூ
அருஞ் சுரம் செல்லுநர் ஒழிந்தோர் உள்ள,
இனிய கமழும் வெற்பின்
இன்னாது என்ப, அவர் சென்ற ஆறே.

Listen, my friend. May you live long! Bright flowers that have bloomed from clusters on the branches of the dark-trunked burflower tree, spread their sweet scent around the mountain, making those who traverse those drylands think of those they have left behind. Unpleasant it is, they say about the path that he parted away to!

332 Animals that rove
அம்ம வாழி, தோழி! என்னதூஉம்
அறன் இல மன்ற தாமே விறல் மிசைக்
குன்று கெழு கானத்த பண்பு இல் மாக் கணம்,
‘கொடிதே காதலிப் பிரிதல்;
செல்லல், ஐய!’ என்னாதவ்வே.

Listen, my friend. May you live long! Aren’t they utterly without compassion? I speak of those thoughtless animals that live in the jungles atop those mountain peaks, for they never say, ‘It’s cruel to part with your lover. Don’t go, O lord!’

333 Birds that soar
அம்ம வாழி, தோழி! யாவதும்
வல்லா கொல்லோ தாமே அவண
கல்லுடை நல் நாட்டுப் புள்ளினப் பெருந் தோடு,
‘யாஅம் துணை புணர்ந்து உறைதும்;
யாங்குப் பிரிந்து உறைதி!’ என்னாதவ்வே?

Listen, my friend. May you live long! Aren’t they utterly incompetent? I speak of the flocks of birds in the rock-filled, fine country there, for they never say, ‘We live so intimately with our mates. Why do you want to live apart from yours?’.

334 Harder than a rock
அம்ம வாழி, தோழி! சிறியிலை
நெல்லி நீடிய கல் காய் கடத்திடை,
பேதை நெஞ்சம் பின் செல, சென்றோர்
கல்லினும் வலியர் மன்ற
பல் இதழ் உண்கண் அழப் பிரிந்தோரே.

Listen, my friend. May you live long! Along the burning drylands path, where sprouts the small-leaved gooseberry tree, as my naive heart follows, the one who walks on must be harder than a rock, for he could part away even when these many-petaled, kohl-streaked eyes shed tears.

335 Dangerous path
அம்ம வாழி, தோழி! நம்வயின்
நெய்த்தோர் அன்ன செவிய எருவை
கற்புடை மருங்கில் கடு முடை பார்க்கும்
காடு நனி கடிய என்ப
நீடி இவண் வருநர் சென்ற ஆறே.

Listen, my friend. May you live long! In the hue of blood, are the ears of the vulture, which pecks around the stone graves for reeking flesh in the drylands forest. They say, it’s so difficult, the path that the one who delays his return has taken!

336 Afflicted by wealth
அம்ம வாழி, தோழி! நம்வயின்
பிரியலர் போலப் புணர்ந்தோர் மன்ற
நின்றது இல் பொருள் பிணி முற்றிய
என்றூழ் நீடிய சுரன் இறந்தோரே.

Listen, my friend. May you live long! In the one, who united with me as if he would never part away, the affliction for that fleeting wealth has gone beyond bounds, making him part away to those long drylands paths, scorched unceasingly!

337 Sweeter than an embrace
அம்ம வாழி, தோழி! நம்வயின்
மெய் உற விரும்பிய கை கவர் முயக்கினும்
இனிய மன்ற தாமே
பனி இருங் குன்றம் சென்றோர்க்குப் பொருளே.

Listen, my friend. May you live long! To the one who left to the cold and dark hill, seeking wealth seems sweeter than embracing me with his arms, full of desire!

338 Now when pain soars
அம்ம வாழி, தோழி! சாரல்
இலை இல மலர்ந்த ஓங்கு நிலை இலவம்
மலை உறு தீயின் சுரமுதல் தோன்றும்
பிரிவு அருங் காலையும், பிரிதல்
அரிது வல்லுநர் நம் காதலோரே.

Listen, my friend. May you live long! In the mountain slopes, the soaring silk-cotton tree, bereft of leaves, blooms with flowers, making it appear as if the mountain’s on fire in the drylands, in this season, when parting is so painful. Even now, he seems so capable of parting, that lover of mine!

339 Aren’t there evenings there?
அம்ம வாழி, தோழி! சிறியிலைக்
குறுஞ் சினை வேம்பின் நறும் பழம் உணீஇய
வாவல் உகக்கும் மாலையும்
இன்றுகொல், தோழி! அவர் சென்ற நாட்டே?

Listen, my friend. May you live long! Isn’t there an evening when bats flutter their wings seeking to eat the fragrant fruit on the short branch of the small-leaved neem tree, in the country that he parted away to, my friend?

340 Spreading like wildfire
அம்ம வாழி, தோழி! காதலர்
உள்ளார்கொல்? நாம் மருள் உற்றனம்கொல்?
விட்டுச் சென்றனர் நம்மே
தட்டைத் தீயின் ஊர் அலர் எழவே.

Listen, my friend. May you live long! Won’t my lover think of me? Have I lost the quality of attaining his grace? For he has left me and gone for long, making gossip spread around town, akin to wild fire amidst the bamboos!

So concludes Ainkurunooru 331-340. All the verses are set in the context of a man’s parting from the lady, after marriage, in search of wealth. The unifying theme of all the songs is that these words are uttered by the lady to her confidante, expressing her pain at the man’s parting.

Looking at the description of the terrain, in one, there’s a sensory depiction of how the ‘kadamba trees’ or ‘burflower trees’ burst into bloom with their fragrant flowers, and this scent would inevitably make the travellers think about their beloved, whom they have left behind. To give a modern parallel, just as how the scent of a perfume might kindle memories of a particular person, this flower makes the men travelling think back about their women. The interesting facet about this information is that this very flower is used in many perfumes, and that, no doubt dates back to ancient times. Returning, next, we catch a glimpse of a gooseberry tree, having rather small leaves, implying the shade rendered is not sufficient in those burning drylands paths. A unique bird, said to have ears as red as blood, makes an appearance next, said to be sniffing and pecking at the flesh-reeking stone mounds, revealing to us corpses left behind by the highway robbers and echoing the danger to life in those parts. Considering the description of the bird and the account of its activities, we can conclude this refers to the ‘Red-headed vulture’, the renowned scavenger of the Indian skies. In another visually stunning portrayal, the silk-cotton tree appears with no leaves at all, but filled with its red flowers, that make the mountain appear to be on fire.

Turning to the intent of the speaker, in the first, the lady laments that the man has gone far, and even though memories are kindled by the burflower blooms, the man would just keep walking on his harsh path to fulfil his mission. In the second, she projects her anger and sadness on the animals that the man would meet in his path and rebukes these beasts for their lack of compassion in not asking the man to return to the lady. In the third, from the life on land, she turns her attention to the life in the skies and chides the birds for not showing the man how they live so close with their loved ones, thereby nudging him to return to his beloved. In the fourth, she decides the man’s heart is harder than a rock for so easily he has left behind the sorrowful lady and parted away. In the fifth, the lady reflects with worry on the path the man has taken, for here death and danger looms with menace.

The sixth sees the lady exclaiming that the man is deeply afflicted to search for that wealth which never stays anywhere, and that’s why even though he said he would never part away from her, he has done just that. In the seventh, the lady remarks that the man seems to feel that finding wealth was something sweeter than embracing the lady, for why else would he have parted from her! In the eighth, she laments that the man has left her in that season, when the silk-cotton tree bursts into bloom, the one so hard to be apart. This makes me wonder which season would be considered acceptable for a parting by these lovers! From time of the year, the lady moves to the time of the day, and asks her friend whether there wouldn’t be an evening, the time when bats fly about in search of the neem’s scented fruit, in the place where the man has left too. Through this, the lady asks the timeless question of those in love, ‘Won’t they feel what I feel now?’. In the final one, the lady expresses her pain that the man has gone for too long and how this has made rumours spread in town like wildfire, spreading from a spark that fell on the bamboos, with people wondering if the man had abandoned the lady for good!

In this section, we have seen so many nuanced elements. One is, how to a person in love everything seems to revolve around them and their beloved, and the animals, birds, why even a flower seem to exist only to do their bidding. Another is the philosophical tussle between earning wealth and being with a beloved. Yet another is how certain scents, certain time of the day and year seem to make the parting even more painful. Most of all, the prominent thought that arises here is how although the women were far away from their men, their hearts and minds was not where they were, in the comfort of their homes, but wherever their beloved was, in those dangerous paths in the drylands!