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In this episode, we dwell on the exquisite feeling of kinship extended to a tree, as portrayed in Sangam literary work, Natrinai 172, penned by an anonymous poet. Set in the coastal regions of ‘Neythal’, the verse speaks in the voice of the confidante to the man, refusing him a tryst by day with the lady and nudging him to seek the lady’s hand in marriage.
விளையாடு ஆயமொடு வெண் மணல் அழுத்தி,
மறந்தனம் துறந்த காழ் முளை அகைய,
நெய் பெய் தீம் பால் பெய்து இனிது வளர்ப்ப;
நும்மினும் சிறந்தது; நுவ்வை ஆகும் என்று,
அன்னை கூறினள், புன்னையது சிறப்பே-
அம்ம! நாணுதும், நும்மொடு நகையே;
விருந்தின் பாணர் விளர் இசை கடுப்ப,
வலம்புரி வான் கோடு நரலும் இலங்கு நீர்த்
துறை கெழு கொண்க!-நீ நல்கின்,
இறைபடு நீழல் பிறவுமார் உளவே.
Opening with ‘விளையாடு ஆயமொடு’, the poem brings before our eyes, young girls playing together. As we begin to wonder where, the next couple of words ‘வெண் மணல்’ meaning ‘white sands’ tell us that it’s on a shore. The verse thus paints an atmosphere without a shred of worry, when all the work to be done was just to play! Such was the life of the young then. Speaking of young, learnt a new word for ‘seed’ in ‘காழ்’. Another word that appears here, ‘நுவ்வை’, has been subject to debate, with one group of scholars saying it is ‘younger sister’ and another, ‘elder sister’. The rhythmic line, ‘அன்னை கூறினள் புன்னையது சிறப்பே’ meaning ‘Mother said so, of the ‘punnai’ tree’s eminence’, shines like the crown-jewel of this verse! Lest you have forgotten, ‘புன்னை’ is the ‘mastwood tree’, that’s often referred to, in Sangam poems from the coastal lands. The verse ends with ‘இறைபடு நீழல்’ meaning ‘the right kind of shade to live under’! To know where that is, let’s step into the verse.
The man and lady have been in a love relationship, and the man has been trysting with her by day. One day, when he arrives to meet with the lady near the trysting spot of a ‘punnai’ tree, the confidante says to him, “Mother reminisced about the greatness of this ‘punnai’ tree saying, ‘Long ago, when I was playing on the white sands with my playmates, I pressed a seed in the sand and then forgot all about it. That forgotten seed sprouted. Seeing this, I watered it lovingly, with honey-infused, sweet milk. To me, the tree is dearer than you. She is your sister!’ Listen, O lord of the shining seas and resplendent shores that resound with the delicate music arising from the conch shells of new bards, the lady is embarrassed to laugh and frolic with you near this ‘punnai’ tree! If you so grant with grace, there are other places that have plentiful shade, more apt to live under.” With these words, the confidante hints to the man that the tryst during day was fraught with the danger of discovery and conveys to him in a hidden manner, that he must move towards a formal union with the lady.
Now, to relish that glorious feeling hiding within the verse. The confidante narrates the history of the ‘punnai’ tree, which happens to be the trysting spot of the man and lady. She informs the man that mother had pressed a seed, when playing as a child with her friends and did not think any more of it. But one day, she found that the seed had sprouted and was shooting up. Mother, filled with love, started nurturing the plant, not just with water but with honey-infused milk that she was supposed to drink. Such was the bond between the tree and mother that she now declares to her daughter that the tree is closer to her heart than even her human child. To crown it all, she has pointed to the tree and called it, a sister to the lady. The confidante further explains that the lady feels shy to be in the man’s company in the presence of this tree sister. With this curious story, the confidante lets the man know that the tree being close to mother, there was danger of being discovered there. Then, subtly reminding the man of his home, the confidante addresses him as the lord of the shores with the delicate music of conch shells. She then adds that if he so grants, there would be other places, more suitable for their meeting together. Through this, the confidante is hinting that the most appropriate place for them to enjoy each other’s company would be under the protective shade of the man’s home and thus, guides the man to think about a wedded union with the lady.
Hidden messages apart, the poem is a stunning illustration of the bond those ancient people had with nature. Unlike children of today who play on shores with their plastic beach sets, here was a little girl playing with seeds on the beach. If you leave that plastic spade behind, it will remain like that, for another thousand years, a dead thing! But the seed that this girl pressed into the sand sprouts up, the promise of bliss forever! This evokes such a feeling of love in that child that she nurtures it like her own child. It’s that little sprout of a plant that evoked the feeling of motherliness for the first time and that is why, the mother declares the tree is closer to her heart than even her daughter who came later. I’m sure if everyone thought of trees as one’s own kith and kin, the world would indeed be a much happier place! A moment to thank this poem for revealing to us, the inviolable truth that nature and humankind are not unrelated entities but that we both belong to the same family called life!
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