Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music | Android | iHeartRadio | Email | TuneIn | RSS | More
In this episode, we smile at the exuberant expression of love, as portrayed in Sangam Literary work, Natrinai 155, penned by Paraayanaar. The poem is set in the ‘Neythal’ landscape of coastal regions and speaks in the elated voice of the man, revealing his emotions on meeting with the lady for the second time.
‘ஒள் இழை மகளிரொடு ஓரையும் ஆடாய்,
வள் இதழ் நெய்தற் தொடலையும் புனையாய்,
விரி பூங் கானல் ஒரு சிறை நின்றோய்!
யாரையோ? நிற் தொழுதனெம் வினவுதும்:
கண்டோர் தண்டா நலத்தை-தெண் திரைப்
பெருங் கடல் பரப்பின் அமர்ந்து உறை அணங்கோ?
இருங் கழி மருங்கு நிலைபெற்றனையோ?
சொல், இனி, மடந்தை!” என்றனென்: அதன் எதிர்
முள் எயிற்று முறுவல் திறந்தன;
பல் இதழ் உண்கணும் பரந்தவால், பனியே.
Filled with romantic feelings, the verse flows with rhythm in every drop. Melody croons to us through ‘இழை – இதழ்’, ‘ஆடாய் – புனையாய் – நின்றோய்’, ‘பெருங் கடல் – இருங் கழி’, and ‘முள் – முறுவல்’. Exploring words, we glimpse at ‘ஓரை’, the ‘game played by maidens along the shore’, followed by ‘நெய்தற் தொடலை’ meaning ‘a garland of water-lilies’. After absorbing these feminine interests of Sangam women, we glance upon ‘அணங்கோ’ meaning ‘goddess, are you?’ and ‘நிலைபெற்றனையோ’ meaning ‘eternal, are you?’ Weighty questions indeed! Ending with a ‘முள் எயிற்று முறுவல்’ meaning ‘a gentle smile from thorn-like teeth’, the verse makes us smile too. I’m still pondering on the reason for this sharp simile for one’s pearly whites. Perhaps thorns looked different then! Turning away from our wanderings, let’s move into the meaning of the verse.
The man has met the lady at a spot near the seashore and fallen in love with her. Coming by that place another time, he chances upon the lady. He relates his experience of meeting with the lady there saying, “’Neither do you play the game of ‘orai’ with maidens wearing luminous jewels nor do you weave a garland with big-petaled ‘neythal’ flowers. You stand on one side of this blooming orchard. Who might you be? Bowing to you, I ask. You possess a beauty that fades not from the viewer’s eyes! Could you be the goddess who resides in the vast sea with clear waves? Or are you a lady who dwells eternal by the dark backwaters? Tell me now, O young lass!’ When I said these words, in reply, her lips parted to reveal a smile from her thorn-like teeth and her many-petaled-flower-like, kohl-streaked eyes, filled with tears.” With these words, the man reveals that the lady reciprocates his love for her, although she speaks not a word.
Time to relish the nuances of this romance! As it opens, the poem reveals the inevitable effects of falling in love. Previously, the lady, who had no other distraction, was engaged in playing with her mates, building sand castles along the shore and plucking water-lilies blooming therein to weave garlands out of them. Something has changed now! The maiden is no where to be seen in the company of her playmates by the shore. She walks away alone to a nearby grove and stands waiting there. Who is she waiting for? What is the significance of that spot? We have to follow the man’s words closely to unearth answers. The man turns to the lady and in a lovestruck voice asks who she might be. An equivalent interaction in the twenty-first century, is a couple who live together greeting one another as ‘Hi, stranger’, pretending not to know each other, when they meet elsewhere. Our man doesn’t stop with wondering. He offers a multiple-choice answer set. Could the lady be a sea-goddess, who has risen from the crystal waves? Or, could she be a maiden who lives forever by the backwaters? For, this is no earthly beauty, he declares, with the light of love glowing in his eyes, no doubt!
Hearing the man’s words, the lady parts her lips and smiles. The smile doesn’t stop with the lips, for it moves to those flower-like eyes and fills it with tears of joy. Those elaborate words of the man can do nothing but bow before the wordless beauty that splashes from the eyes of the lady. This interaction validates the truth that sometimes the best response is a smile from the heart. Where words flounder, smiles flourish. Here’s wishing that like this Sangam lady, you too will witness moments that make you smile with your eyes, splashing dewdrops of bliss within and without.
Share your thoughts...