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In this episode, we celebrate the joy in Sangam Literary Work, Natrinai Poem 22, written by an anonymous poet, and set in the ‘Kurinji’ or the mountainous regions, in the words of the lady’s confidante to the lady, announcing good tidings.
கொடிச்சி காக்கும் அடுக்கல் பைந்தினை
முந்து விளை பெருங்குரல் கொண்ட மந்தி
கல்லாக் கடுவனொடு நல் வரை ஏறி,
அங்கை நிறைய ஞெமிடிக் கொண்டு தன்
திரை அணல் கொடுங்கவுள் நிறைய முக்கி,
வான் பெயல் நனைந்த புறத்த நோன்பியர்
கை ஊண் இருக்கையின் தோன்றும் நாடன்
வந்தனன், வாழி தோழி, உலகம்
கயம் கண் அற்ற பைது அறு காலை
பீளொடு திரங்கிய நெல்லிற்கு
நள்ளென் யாமத்து மழை பொழிந்தாங்கே.
A field bustling with crops, is what this poem looked like, at first glance, with its references to ‘தினை’ as well as ‘நெல்’, meaning millets and paddy respectively. Then, it took a turn into a forest, bringing in ‘மந்தி’ and ‘கடுவன்’ meaning female and male monkeys respectively. I love it that the ancient Tamils had different names for the male and female of the species. This to me shows, on one hand, acute observation of animal behaviour, and also, the importance accorded to animals. For ‘man’ and ‘woman’ we are, not just a male human and a female human. Through this linguistic distinction, animals too seem to have been regarded on par with the humans, then. In the end of the verse, there’s the promise of a rain shower in ‘மழை பொழிந்தாங்கே’. What more can you ask for?
Exploring a little further, we understand that the lady’s confidante has some good news for our lady. She runs to her friend and says,“Within that millet field on the ranges, guarded by a mountain girl, a female monkey enters sneakily and steals the millet ears of the crops growing on the outer edge. Then, it climbs on to a well-protected rock far above, along with its male partner, which is ignorant of such stealth. Sitting there, it grinds the millets between its palms, then, throwing away the husk and sharing with its mate, it takes a mouthful of millet into its cheeks. Notice that it sits with a rain-soaked back, just like devout monks who eat their food after their rituals and a dip in the river. From a land filled with such scenes, returns your man, my dear friend! And how he comes! In a drought-ridden world, where the land is parched everywhere and where the paddy is drooping with tired tips, he arrives as that midnight rain that cools the soil and delights the crop! For he has not just arrived with empty hands, but has come with good tidings of marriage.”
Feeling the joy a little more closely, we see the beauty and the aptness of the imagery involving the monkey. There’s a concise phrase in the poem calling the male monkey as a ‘கல்லா கடுவன்’, meaning that the male is not crafty or artful like the female monkey. You will appreciate what a nuanced observation this is, when I tell you that I found a reference in Nature, an international journal of science, which says that young female chimps are much smarter than their male counterparts for they use tools and pick the skills from mommy monkeys while the little boys seem to be only leaping around. Perhaps, the burden of bearing at a young age instills this sense of responsibility in the female. Stunning isn’t it that millennia before the days of scientists like Jane Goodall, here we have an unknown poet making marked observations on ape behaviour casually, as if it’s a well-known fact to them! This same behaviour of the female monkey in sharing her spoils with her partner is also a hidden reference to the life that the lady must lead with her man, protecting his wealth and sharing the joy. This is the message that the confidante seems to hint at. Another interesting feature is that light reference to midnight rain. When the paddy is drooping and the land is parched everywhere, what does it matter when it rains? But, to the ancient Tamils, apparently it does. For midnight rain cools the earth further, without the hidden rays of the sun stealing some of it away. And hence, so perfect is the arrival of the man, like the blessed rain which paints the fields green, for he adds a new sheen to the cheeks of this pining lady!
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