Natrinai 114 – Dangerous river and dead elephant

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வெண்கோடு கொண்டு வியல் அறை வைப்பவும்,
பச்சூன் கெண்டி வள் உகிர் முணக்கவும்,
மறுகுதொறு புலாவஞ் சிறுகுடி அரவம்
வைகிக் கேட்டுப் பையாந்திசினே;
அளிதோ தானே தோழி, அல்கல்
வந்தோன் மன்ற குன்ற நாடன்,
துளி பெயல் பொறித்த புள்ளித் தொல் கரை
பொரு திரை நிவப்பின் வரும் யாறு அஞ்சுவல்,
ஈர்ங்குரல் உருமின் ஆர்கலி நல் ஏறு
பாம்பு கவின் அழிக்கும் ஓங்கு வரை பொத்தி,
மையின் மடப் பிடி இனையக்
கை ஊன்றுபு இழிதரு களிறு எறிந்தன்றே.

The poem begins rather menacingly with the sight of an ‘elephant’s white tusks laid out’, as reflected by the words ‘வெண்கோடு கொண்டு’. Dread builds up as we see ‘பச்சூன் கெண்டி’ meaning ‘cutting up raw flesh’. ‘Loud noises’ can be heard with the sound of ‘அரவம்’! Words like ‘பையாந்திசினே’ and ‘அஞ்சுவல்’ evoke a strong feeling of fear. Although ‘துளி’ means only a ‘drop’ now, ‘துளி பெயல்’ indicates a ‘downpour’ here, perhaps signifying a pile of raindrops, pouring down. The quaint little term ‘தொல் கரை’ talks of an ‘ancient shore’. It never fails to give me a thrill, to see a word for ‘ancient’ in two-thousand year old Sangam poetry. ‘அழிக்கும்’ and ‘இழிதரு’ speak of imminent danger, accentuated by the presence of ‘பாம்பு’, ‘பிடி’ and ‘களிறு’, referring to a ‘snake’, ‘female elephant’ and ‘male elephant’ respectively. Led by these glimpses, let’s enter the expanse of the verse.

The man and woman have been in a love relationship for a while and have been trysting by day and night, with the help of the lady’s confidante. The confidante, seeing the man arriving for his nightly tryst, talks to the lady, making sure the man’s listening nearby. She says, “All day, I have been worried, listening to the frenzy of our little village, reeking with the smell of raw flesh, talking endlessly about spreading out white tusks on wide rocks, cutting meat and tearing out sharp nails. Isn’t it a sad state, my friend, for the man from the mountains, who comes by at night? There’s the terror of the river’s high waves pounding against those ancient shores, bearing marks of a heavy downpour. A downpour, that roars with a wet voice and flashes down a thunderbolt, destroying the beauty of snakes. The thunderbolt, crashing on the hill, falls on a male elephant, which has its trunk thrust out to help its young female climb up, and strikes it dead.” With these words, the confidante is revealing all the dangers surrounding the man as he trysts with the lady and is subtly urging him to change his ways by seeking a formal union with the lady. 

Having seen the breadth of the verse, now let’s dive into its depth. It’s a poem rich in images and each image tells stories many. First is the scene of white tusks laying about in the sun, chunky pieces of flesh being cut open and huge nails being torn from the skin. Tusks tell us that an elephant has been felled. Who did it, we still know not! But we take in the bold actions of the mountain folk in claiming the corpse of this elephant. Next, the confidante mentions that their narrow streets are reeking with the smell of flesh and talk of this huge event in their lives. With this, she conveys to the man that the village is alert and awake. Then, she talks about the man from the mountains, as if she does not realise he’s around and says that it’s a sad state of affairs for him. She then elaborates by talking about the heavy downpour, that makes the river gush forth in full spate and dash against banks that have existed since before their time. As if the gushing river was not fearsome enough, the rain sends lightning and thunder crashing down, which is said to destroy the beauty of snakes. A little note for us to understand that these ancient mountain folk saw snakes, as beautiful and thunder, as a threat to them. 

The confidante then moves to the final image of the poem where before our eyes, there stands a strong, male elephant with its trunk held out to help a struggling female elephant climb and in that moment, lightning strikes the male elephant, ending its life. And now, we understand, it’s this elephant that’s being taken apart by the ruthless mountain folk, as shown in the opening image of the poem. An ancient illustration of the modern, non-linear screenplay! 

By bringing forth an elephant struck down by lightning, a snake shuddering under the sound of thunder, a river rushing to strike its banks and the lady’s kith and kin spreading the spoils of an elephant, the confidante fills the man’s heart with fear. Instead of commanding, instructing, admonishing, by illustrating with images, the confidante brings out the character of the mountain country and its people and with her words, moves the man away from his path of danger!