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In this episode, we fly by an ancient shore depicted in Sangam literary work, Natrinai 35, written by Ammovanaar. The poem is set in the ‘Neythal’ landscape or the coastal regions, in the words of the lady’s confidante to the man, probing the reasons for the dimness in the lady’s eyes.
பொங்கு திரை பொருத வார் மணல்அடைகரைப்
புன் கால் நாவல் பொதிப் புற இருங் கனி
கிளை செத்து மொய்த்த தும்பி, பழம் செத்துப்
பல் கால் அலவன் கொண்ட கோட்கு அசாந்து,
கொள்ளா நரம்பின் இமிரும் பூசல்
இரை தேர் நாரை எய்தி விடுக்கும்
துறை கெழு மாந்தை அன்ன இவள் நலம்
பண்டும் இற்றே; கண்டிசின்தெய்ய;
உழையின் போகாது அளிப்பினும், சிறிய
ஞெகிழ்ந்த கவின் நலம்கொல்லோ?-மகிழ்ந்தோர்
கள்களி செருக்கத்து அன்ன
காமம்கொல்?-இவள் கண் பசந்ததுவே!
As we travel through these Natrinai poems, we find that a majority of these poems are set in ‘Kurinji’ or the mountainous regions as well as in ‘Neythal’ or the coastal regions, interspersed with ‘Paalai’ or the drylands, while the other two regions are few and far between. The predominance of poems in the mountains and coasts may also mean that these geographical regions predominated ancient Tamil land. It’s no surprise that there are many poems in the ‘Neythal’ or the coastal landscape as the region, two thousand years ago, was surrounded on almost all sides by the sea. In this poem, we meet again our old friend, ‘அலவன்’, the ‘crab’ scurrying around on the sands. We also greet a tree by the sea, ‘நாவல்’ or the ‘jamun tree’ with its addictive black plum fruits. We get to meet a new Tamil word for the ‘past’ in ‘பண்டு’(pandu). In another curious coincidence, found that the Telugu name for the ‘Naaval’ or the ‘jamun’ fruit is ‘neredu pandu’. Tangy taste of the past indeed!
Taking a closer look at our shore, we see that the lady has wed her man and has left to live in his home. The lady’s confidante visits her in her husband’s house after marriage. To the man, she says, “On the shore with foaming waves, filled with white sands, there stands a thin-stemmed Naaval tree with flesh-filled black fruits hanging from its branches. A bee that wanders by, mistakenly thinks that the Naaval fruit is another bee like itself and buzzes around it. A many-legged crab roaming under the tree, mistakes the bee for the fruit and makes a snatch at it. Disturbed by this intrusion, the bee makes a jarring noise like an untuned lute. Hearing all the commotion, a crane flies by. Both the bee and the crab beat their retreat seeing this winged arrival. The city of Manthai with its sea port, is filled with such shores and such scenes. Our lady shines with such a beauty as that city of Manthai. It was the same in the past too. Behold that beauty, O lord! Even when you do not part away in search of wealth and stay by her side, showering her with love, why does her eyes turn pale? Is it because you loosen the grip of your embrace even though you stand close by? Or is it akin to the streak of red, left by the toddy, in the eyes of those even after they are done drinking and delighting in it?” With these words, the lady’s confidante issues a subtle warning to the man, saying that her friend is a fragile creature who cannot bear even the slightest separation.
Let’s jump on this sand and walk with abandon, taking in what we can, on the shore of this poem. I find it fascinating that in many Sangam poems, a woman’s beauty is compared to a city. Today if you were to use the same comparison, it would be most probably be deemed an insult! How have we changed the face of our cities, letting the natural fade and as in cosmetic surgery, we have put up structures to suit our needs than what nature needs! So, this girl as pretty as the ancient city of Manthai! And, where is this magical Manthai? Manthai remains an unidentified Chera port-city while there are some references that point to the Manthai town in Sri lanka, an archaeological hotspot where an old buried seaport is said to be. Moving on to the flora and fauna that unfold in the poem, we meet a ‘Naaval’ tree, a bee, a crab and a crane. While it seems to be a description of a scene from the shore, it’s also meant to signify the event that has unfolded in the lives of our Sangam characters. This reflects the act of the man flying into the scene, like the crane, and marrying the lady, who’s like the ‘Naaval fruit’, thereby stopping the conflicts between the bee, signifying the lady’s confidante and the crab, pertaining to the lady’s kin, who intend to protect her. A metaphor for marriage is delivered like a well-written screenplay. Finally, the poem leaves us to muse over how love too is an intoxication that makes those in love want to forever remain under its spell!
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