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In this episode, we relish the scenes from a seaside village, portrayed in Sangam Literary work, Natrinai 127, penned by Seethalai Saathanaar. The verse is set in the ‘Neythal’ landscape of coastal regions and speaks in the voice of the confidante to the singer-messenger, refusing him entry to the lady’s house.
இருங் கழி துழைஇய ஈர்ம் புற நாரை
இற எறி திவலையின் பனிக்கும் பாக்கத்து,
உவன் வரின், எவனோ?-பாண!-பேதை
கொழு மீன் ஆர்கைச் செழு நகர் நிறைந்த
கல்லாக் கதவர் தன் ஐயர் ஆகவும்,
வண்டல் ஆயமொடு பண்டு தான் ஆடிய
ஈனாப் பாவை தலையிட்டு ஓரும்,
”மெல்லம் புலம்பன் அன்றியும்,
செல்வாம்” என்னும், ‘’கானலானே”.
Blooming in the coastal landscape, the poem opens with the words ‘இருங் கழி’ meaning ‘vast backwaters’. Peering closely, we meet with a ‘ஈர்ம் புற நாரை’ meaning ‘wet-backed seabird’. Next, we smile at the sensation evoked by ‘திவலை’, which refers to ‘water droplets’. Imagine a spray of water on your face on a hot day! As we have seen in other seaside poems, ‘பாக்கம்’ talks about a village on the shore and lives on even today, in the names of Chennai’s many regions. Another image that vividly sketches the character of a life by the sea is that of ‘கொழு மீன்’ meaning ‘fatty fish’. In close proximity appears the word, ‘ஆர்கை’ which means ‘to eat’. The rhythmic ‘செழு நகர்’ means a ‘rich household’ and it takes some unlearning to accept ‘நகர்’ refers not to a ‘street’ as in contemporary times, but a ‘mansion’. ‘கதவர்’ has nothing to do with ‘கதவு’ or ‘door’ but means ‘men quick to anger’. Sounds menacing! While that image appears on one side, there’s also ‘வண்டல் ஆயம்’ meaning ‘playmates’ and a ‘பாவை’ meaning ‘doll’. Let’s visit this mansion to understand what all these flashing images mean.
The man and lady are living a happy married life and as is the case, when’s there plenty, the man takes to visiting courtesans. One day thereafter, he decides to leave the courtesan and get back to his home. Knowing that his wife is angered by his actions, he sends his accomplice, the singer, as a messenger to his home. The confidante seeing the singer at the entrance of the lady’s house, says to him, “After searching the vast backwaters, the wet-backed seabird flutters its wings and the spraying water droplets make the seaside village shiver. In this seaside village, after feeding on fatty fish, the lady leaves her affluent home filled with her brothers, who are uneducated and full of fury. She sets out with her playmates, carrying the doll that she used to play with, long ago, on her head, saying, ‘Without the lord of the gentle shores, let us go to the grove by the shore.’ Now tell me, O bard, even if he were to come here, what is the use?” With these words, the confidante refuses to allow the singer to enter the lady’s home, which is indirectly, a refusal of the man’s attempt at appeasement.
Delving deep like the seabird we met earlier, let’s relish the nuances held within. The natural scene greets us, with the sight of the vast backwaters. That adjective tells a lot about the rich sources of water then and sadly makes me reflect on our current scenario where cities are encroached and built upon waterbodies of yore. Reversing to the picturesque past, we see a seabird flying over the waters. It dips in and out, pecking at a prey slithering through the waters. Then it rises and as it flies, it flutters its wings and the wetness falls as water droplets on that seaside village. The confidante mentions this natural scene saying that those water droplets make their village entire shiver. Seems like a mere description of the land. But, within it, lies hidden, a metaphor for how the man’s actions in the company of courtesans have spread through the lady’s village, spreading that cold wave of gossip!
The confidante then turns her attention to the lady and describes that in spite of all the gossip, she does not pine and suffer. She eats fatty fish to her satisfaction. Then, she leaves her mansion to go play with her mates. Before we follow the lady to see where she’s headed, let’s pause for a moment, at the mansion. The confidante says in the house, there live the lady’s many brothers and she adds these are not men who are educated. Why does the confidante stress on this? Perhaps to say that an educated person would be mellow and more accepting. She further adds that these brothers are quick-tempered too. In all this, a subtle warning to the man that the lady is not defenceless and has her brothers on her side. A subtle way to pass on a message to the man, ‘If you don’t watch out, you are about to get thumped!’ Coming back to the lady, we find that she has gone back to the playful days of her childhood, for she takes a little doll and tells her playmates that not caring whether the lord was there or not, they would go play in the seaside grove.
Thus, by painting a picture of content on the lady’s side, the confidante hopes that the man will see the mistake in his ways and perhaps take the right effort for regaining a happy life with the lady. No better course of action can there be for any jilted lover!
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