Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music | Android | iHeartRadio | Email | TuneIn | RSS | More
In this episode, we perceive scenes from a coastal land that sketch for us, the intricacies of inner life, as portrayed in Sangam literary work, Natrinai 175, written by an anonymous poet. The verse is set in the coastal regions of ‘Neythal’ and speaks in the voice of the confidante to the lady, nudging the man listening nearby, to seek the lady’s hand in marriage.
நெடுங் கடல் அலைத்த கொடுந் திமிற் பரதவர்
கொழு மீன் கொள்ளை அழி மணல் குவைஇ,
மீன் நெய் அட்டிக் கிளிஞ்சில் பொத்திய
சிறு தீ விளக்கில் துஞ்சும், நறு மலர்ப்
புன்னை ஓங்கிய, துறைவனொடு அன்னை
தான் அறிந்தன்றோ இலளே; பானாள்
சேரிஅம் பெண்டிர் சிறு சொல் நம்பி,
சுடுவான் போல நோக்கும்,
அடு பால் அன்ன என் பசலை மெய்யே.
Opening rhythmically with ‘நெடுங் கடல்’ and ‘கொடுந் திமில்’, the poem seems to sing in a fisherman’s cheery tune. The phrase ‘கொடுந் திமில்’ brings before our eyes, the fishermen’s ‘curvy boats’. Echoing with melody, appears ‘கொழு மீன் கொள்ளை’ meaning ‘a heap of fleshy fish’. Somehow, the word ‘கொள்ளை’ has come to be associated with ‘robbery’ in current-day lingo. It tells something about man’s trust in nature to provide abundantly. As the centuries rolled, showing that we have turned away from nature’s plenty, this word has come to mean that a ‘heap’ is to be had, only by ‘stealing’ from another! Returning to the poem, we see the curious phrase ‘மீன் நெய்’. Now, ‘மீன்’ refers to ‘fish’, and ‘நெய்’ refers to ‘ghee’ in today’s terminology. A gourmet will wonder if the poem is talking about ‘fish fried in ghee’. Turns out ‘மீன் நெய்’ refers to ‘fish oil’ and from this, it becomes clear that Sangam folks used ‘நெய்’ to mean any ‘viscous liquid’. ‘சிறு தீ’ meaning ‘a small fire’ and ‘சிறு சொல்’ meaning ‘a small word’ beckons us, with a hint that these little things hold within, great meanings. Speaking of which, let’s navigate the waves of these words and fish for the meaning.
The man and lady have been in love and enjoy each other’s company by trysting at day and night. One day, the man arrives to the lady’s home and waits for the right opportunity to enter. Seeing him standing there, the confidante, as if talking to the lady, says, “Troubling the deep seas with their curved boats, fisherfolk catch loads of fatty fish, and they heap that catch on those abundant sands. Then, pouring fish oil into a shell, they light lamps and fall asleep near the glow of that small flame. Such is the land of the lord, whose shore is filled with fragrant-flowered ‘punnai’ trees. Mother knows nothing of my relationship with the lord. But, believing the slanderous words of the womenfolk, who gather at night, she comes home and looks with fire in her eyes, at my form coated with the pallor of pining, akin to a boiling pot of milk!” A word of warning to ask you not to be alarmed by these words of the confidante, who talks about ‘her’ pining form. As we have seen in other instances, the confidante assumes the voice of the lady to convey a pointed message to the man. With these words, she subtly urges the man listening nearby to seek a formal union with the lady, informing him that mother is aware of his relationship with the lady, and there’s a possibility of the lady being confined to the house.
Time for a deeper dive into these seas to gather what treasures we can. Fascinating is the way the confidante opens the scene, with fishermen on their curved boats (sound marine technology, I’m sure), adding that they trouble the seas to catch their fish. The word ‘அலைத்த’ made me wonder whether these fishermen are ‘troubling’ or ‘muddling’ or ‘disturbing’ those seas. In any case, their fish hunt is successful for they bring heaps of fatty fish to the shore. They scrape some fat off these fish, pour it as oil into a shell and then sleep in the glow of this tiny flame. The confidante says these words as if to describe the land of the lord but we know that there’s more hidden. Before we explore the metaphor, let’s take a moment to appreciate this curious use for fish oil. Fish oil, which is said to provide healthy fats to the human body, has been used to light a lamp, according to this verse. I wonder how that fragrance will be, and I’m making a mental note to ask the next fisherman I meet on Chennai’s shores whether they can recollect the echoes of this ancient practice.
In the light of that burning fish oil, we turn our attention to mother who seems to be listening to the conversation of the townswomen, on the topic of her daughter. Those women have gathered together to gossip about the lady and these words fall on mother’s ears. Again, a moment to appreciate the fine choice of words here. Words of slander are called as ‘சிறு சொல்’ or ‘small words’, illustrating to us that the ancients thought there was nothing great about belittling another! Turning to the mother’s reaction, till then, she knew nothing of the lady’s relationship with the man, but now, she believes the words of those outsiders. So, she walks home and looks at the lady with burning eyes. The poor girl is already boiling like a pot of milk, with the thick shade of pining, rising up on her skin, akin to the skin of that boiling milk. What an exquisite simile! Reflecting on poetic devices, we have left one in the lurch. The one about the spread of the man’s land with fisherfolk gathering fish from the seas, heaping them in front of their homes and resting by the glow of the fish oil lamp. This is a metaphor for how the man must gather wealth and place it before the lady’s family, so as to light the lamp of marriage and ensure that serene sleep of togetherness for the man and the lady. Like the richness of that fatty fish, the poem holds within so many images and meanings, to fill us to the full with life on that ancient coast!
Share your thoughts...