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In this episode, we appreciate the creative expression, portrayed in Sangam Literary work, Natrinai 94, written by Ilanthiraiyanaar. Set in the ‘Neythal’ landscape of coastal regions, the verse speaks in the voice of the lady to her confidante, conveying a message from her heart to the man, listening nearby.
நோய் அலைக் கலங்கிய மதன் அழி பொழுதில்,
காமம் செப்பல் ஆண்மகற்கு அமையும்;
யானே, பெண்மை தட்ப நுண்ணிதின் தாங்கி-
கை வல் கம்மியன் கவின் பெறக் கழாஅ
மண்ணாப் பசு முத்து ஏய்ப்ப, குவி இணர்ப்
புன்னை அரும்பிய புலவு நீர்ச் சேர்ப்பன்
என்ன மகன்கொல்-தோழி!-தன்வயின்
ஆர்வம் உடையர் ஆகி,
மார்பு அணங்குறுநரை அறியாதோனே!
The poem welcomes us as if it were a hospital with the word ‘நோய்’ meaning disease! We need not worry for disease according to the Sangam folks would most probably mean one of those troubles of the heart. This is made evident to us by the word ‘காமம்’ which is used to mean ‘love’ or ‘desire’. I smiled to meet ‘மதன்’, a multifaceted word meaning ‘strength’ in this context. The phrase ‘கை வல் கம்மியன்’ talks about ‘a craftsman, skilled with his hands’, probably a goldsmith, for in close proximity appears ‘முத்து’ or ‘pearl’. ‘புன்னை ‘ or ‘laurelwood’, the trees we have seen grace many an ancient shore, make an appearance and spread their fragrance once again.
Let’s follow this scent and move to the heart of the poem. The man and lady have been in a love relationship for a while. One day, when the man arrives to meet with the lady, knowing that he is in earshot, the lady tells her confidante, “When disturbed by this affliction called love, it’s a natural thing for men to express those tormenting feelings within. As for me, my femininity blocks me and I hold this feeling delicately, like the dimmed shine of a fresh pearl, yet to be washed and polished in the expert hands of a craftsman. Oh, that lord of flesh smelling waters, fenced by ‘punnai’ trees, filled with flower bunches! What sort of man is he! For he doesn’t see the one, who is filled with love for him and yearns to embrace his chest.” With these words, the lady expresses the anguish in her heart because the man doesn’t seem to understand her love for him and still procrastinates their formal union.
Peeling the petals, we savour the truths buried within. The verse talks about two different natures. One, that of a man who is free to express all that his heart feels and another, that of a female, wherein her femininity stops her in her tracks when she wants to likewise express her heart. To drive home the point, she brings in the perfect simile. That this is a land with rich shores, is echoed by the mention of a pearl. Here’s a pearl that has been freshly brought in, by the divers. As we have seen before, the pearls from this land have found favour in the hands of great kings and queens of ancient times. However exquisite such a find maybe, the shine of this fresh pearl is but dull and requires the expert hands of a craftsman to glow with all its might. The new pearl’s dull shine is likened to how the lady must delicately hide within her, all her passion for the man. From this, we gather how women were expected to keep their feelings of love and desire concealed from others, especially the men in question. Was this really the nature of women then or has it been presented or prescribed to be so, by these poets? We don’t know. But what we must appreciate is that, even if it were so, the lady finds a way to express all that’s in her heart.
The land of the man is described as one where there is the smell of flesh in the air, pertaining to fish, the livelihood of these seaside folks. But that’s not the smell we take in. This is because the fragrant flowers of the ‘punnai’ trees on land eclipse the flesh smelling waters. Through this description, the lady places a metaphor for how their relationship has evoked the unpleasant effects of gossip and slander through the town and how like the ‘punnai’s fragrance, the man seeking the lady’s hand in marriage will quell this unpleasantness in the air. A subtle metaphor by the lady to convey what her heart seeks!
The lady is anguished that the man cannot catch the pulse of her heart and see how much she yearns for him. I couldn’t help imagining the lady when she says, ‘என்ன மகன்கொல்’, as a girl with a facepalm expression saying, ‘What a guy!’ Joking apart, I think this poem highlights the importance of expressing what’s in the heart. If a Sangam lady with so many restrictions to her free expression could find a way to speak her heart, how much more fortunate we are, both men and women, to live in an age where we can freely speak the truth within, without expecting the other to read one’s mind. But, will we?
இயற்கையான ஒளியை மஙகலானிலிருந்து கன்னி முத்திலிருந்து அக்கலைஞன் வெளிக்கொணர்வதுபோல் தலைவியின் தோழி உள்ளக்கிடக்கையை எடுத்துரைக்க குறிப்பால் உணர்த்துகிறாள் தலைவி