Natrinai 159 – Soothing waves and subtle words

October 16, 2019

In this episode, we relish scenes from an ancient shore and a subtle message that lies in store, as depicted in Sangam Literary work, Natrinai 159, penned by Kannam Pullanaar. The verse is set in the coastal landscape of ‘Neythal’ regions and speaks in the voice of the confidante to the man, bidding him in a hidden message, to seek the lady’s hand in marriage.

மணி துணிந்தன்ன மா இரும் பரப்பின்
உரவுத் திரை கொழீஇய பூ மலி பெருந் துறை,
நிலவுக் குவித்தன்ன மோட்டு மணல் இடிகரை,
கோடு துணர்ந்தன்ன குருகு ஒழுக்கு எண்ணி,
எல்லை கழிப்பினம்ஆயின், மெல்ல
வளி சீத்து வரித்த புன்னை முன்றில்,
கொழு மீன் ஆர்கைச் செழு நகர்ச் செலீஇய,
”எழு” எனின், அவளும் ஒல்லாள்; யாமும்,
”ஒழி” என அல்லம் ஆயினம்; யாமத்து,
உடைதிரை ஒலியின் துஞ்சும் மலி கடற்
சில் குடிப் பாக்கம் கல்லென
அல்குவதாக, நீ அமர்ந்த தேரே!

Opening with a phrase ‘மணி துணிந்தன்ன’ which means ‘a blemish-free sapphire’, the poem tells us that Sangam folks were well-versed with their gems and beads. Reminds me of an article I read recently, detailing the discovery of quartz, agate and carnelian beads in Keezhadi archaeological excavation. The casual reference of such precious stones in Sangam literature is substantiated by these discoveries today. Returning to the phrase, we find the word ‘துணிந்து’ used in the meaning of ‘faultless’ in this ancient reference, whereas since then, it has taken a journey of its own and come to mean the phrase ‘daring to take a risk’ in today’s Tamil. ‘பூ மலி பெருந் துறை’ brings before our eyes, ‘a harbour blessed by nature, showered with flowers on its shore’. The simile ‘நிலவுக் குவித்தன்ன’ talks about the sands shining white like ‘mounds of the moon’. So pure that it boggles the imagination! The line ‘மெல்ல வளி சீத்து வரித்த புன்னை முன்றில்’ deserves accolades many for it paints the wind as an artist, ‘decorating the front yard of their seaside homes with patterns of ‘punnai’ or ‘laurel wood’ flowers.’ ‘கொழு மீன் ஆர்கை’ talks about ‘eating fatty fish’, which would make many a modern-day nutritionist nod with approval. The phrase ‘உடைதிரை ஒலியின் துஞ்சும்’ talks about ‘sleeping in the sound of smashing waves’, a soothing memory to those who have had the experience of sleeping by a shore. Teased by the sights and sounds, let’s venture within to get the full picture!

The man and woman have been in a love relationship and unlike other landscapes, in this coastal region, they have been trysting by the day. One day, when the man is about to leave the shore after his tryst with the lady, the confidante tells him, “In the hue of a faultless sapphire, spreads this wide, dark sea, filled with rippling waves on this flower-strewn, huge harbour. There’s the shore’s sand looking as if mounds of the moon have been heaped therein. On a sliding slope of a sand mound, we spend the daytime counting rows of flocking seabirds, that look like a bunch of seashells clustered together. Realising it’s time to leave to our mansion, whose backyard is decorated with ‘punnai’ flowers by the hands of a gentle breeze, so as to relish fatty fish for dinner, I turn to the lady and bid her to ‘rise’. But, she refuses to do so. I too, cannot say ‘remain’ and leave her there. So, my lord, why don’t you come by to our little village by the sea that sleeps to the sound of shattering waves to be welcomed with uproar, and stay there, with the chariot you ride!” With these words, the confidante describes the lady’s love for the man that makes her pine for him in his absence and also hints that the man should make haste and seek the blessings of the lady’s kith and kin.

Reflections reveal what mere viewing will not! The confidante first establishes the scene of the happenings and takes us on a guided tour of that shore. First, she points to the colour of the sea expanding before the eyes. There, as if tonnes of a fluid, faultless sapphire is floating to infinity, the sea expands dark and wide. As you gaze, you cannot miss those expansive waves within. From the waters, moving to the sands, it seems to be a shore filled with exquisite flowers many. Taking a step behind, the confidante then talks about mounds of sand heaped on the shore, that make you wonder, is it mere sand or the moon that has been powdered and heaped there! After setting the parameters of space, the confidante turns her attention to time. She says all through the day, the confidante and the playmates would spend time by counting rows of birds, which look as if each one is a cluster of seashells woven together. If a current day ornithologist could time travel to meet one of these Sangam girls by the shore, imagine the statistics the bird expert would collect! After the day ends, the confidante says she would go to the girl and say, ‘Let’s go home. It’s time to eat fresh-caught fish for dinner’. Before we take in the reply of the lady, we have to look in the direction of the lady’s home, not a hut by the sea, but a mansion surrounded by ‘punnai’ trees. Here, a gentle breeze blowing through those parts gets creative with those hanging flowers and nudges them to fall on the front yard of the house, weaving decorative ‘kolams’ that serve to welcome the visitor.

After having seen the lady’s house, we return back to the lady sitting on the shore and wait for her reply. Not tempted even by that delicious, fatty fish cooking at home, the lady refuses to move. The confidante, being almost a caretaker of the lady, says to the man, she cannot abandon her there too. So, she concludes the only solution is for the man to come riding his chariot, and be welcomed by those rugged sea folk, who sleep to the lullaby of waves, to stay there in their little village, that night. Hearing this, the man would understand that the only way he’s going to be welcomed there is if he seeks the lady’s hand in marriage. Let us part, soaking in the scenes of this seaside dip and wish for a soothing sleep tonight amidst the din of this modern world, like those fisherfolk, who sleep to the sound of smashing waves by the shore!

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Copyright © 2019 Nandini Karky