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In this episode, we perceive the intricate way of conveying intention by concealing it in an image from nature, as portrayed in Sangam Literary work, Natrinai 182, penned by an anonymous poet. Set in the ‘Kurinji’ landscape of mountain country, the verse speaks in the voice of the confidante to the lady, conveying a pointed message to the man, listening nearby.
நிலவும் மறைந்தன்று; இருளும் பட்டன்று;
ஓவத்து அன்ன இடனுடை வரைப்பின்,
பாவை அன்ன நிற் புறங்காக்கும்
சிறந்த செல்வத்து அன்னையும் துஞ்சினள்;
கெடுத்துப்படு நன் கலம் எடுத்துக் கொண்டாங்கு,
நன் மார்பு அடைய முயங்கி, மென்மெல,
கண்டனம் வருகம் சென்மோ?-தோழி!-
கீழும் மேலும் காப்போர் நீத்த
வறுந் தலைப் பெருங் களிறு போல,
தமியன் வந்தோன், பனியலை நிலையே!
The poem paints for us, a dark night with the words ‘நிலவும் மறைந்தன்று’ meaning ‘the moon has disappeared’, adding ‘இருளும் பட்டன்று’ meaning ‘the darkness has come to stay’. Talking of painting, we meet the word ‘ஓவம்’ which means exactly that. ‘ஓவம்’ sounds like the mother-word of ‘ஓவியம்’, the contemporary Tamil word for ‘painting’. Mother gets a curious epithet as in ‘சிறந்த செல்வத்து அன்னை’ meaning ‘rich and affluent mother’, hinting at the economic status of these characters. Before the verse ends, we glance at ‘பெருங் களிறு’, ‘a huge elephant’ that waits to convey something deep.
The man and lady have been in a love relationship and the man has been trysting with her, by night. Perceiving the changes in the lady, her mother confines her to the house. The man, not knowing this, arrives one night, to the lady’s house. Pretending not to see him, but making sure he’s within earshot, the confidante turns to the lady and says, “The moon has vanished; The dark has spread; In this painting-like house, filled with wide spaces, the one who confines and protects you as if you were a doll, that wealthy mother of ours, she has slept too; To savour the feeling akin to finding and holding close a precious jewel that was lost, won’t you leave gently from here to embrace his handsome chest and see him with your own eyes, O friend? He, who has come by, like a bare-headed elephant, bereft of its mahout and guard, all alone, in this pouring mist!” With these words, the confidante outlines all the conditions that must be in place for the man and lady to meet and in a subtle way, conveys the precariousness of the situation to the man, bidding him to seek the lady’s hand in marriage.
Now, to unravel the hidden metaphors and similes! The confidante opens the scene by pointing out that the moon seems to have vanished and there is a thick darkness all around. Then, she says, in their expansive house, akin to a painting, mother, who has been guarding the lady as if she were a doll, is asleep too. A moment to pause and see how this poem highlights the state of a woman, who cannot act on her own will. She is subject to the control of her parents and this is presented to us in that striking reference to a doll, that is played upon. While that maybe, the confidante says, the good news is that mother sleeps. And, why is that a good news? It’s because at the moment, the circumstances seem to be right, to do what the lady wishes. The confidante then asks the lady, shouldn’t she be leaving to meet with the man and embrace him, with the joy of one who had found the fine jewel they had lost. With this, she talks about the deep affection the lady has for the man. Then, she brings forth a powerful simile to describe the man saying, he comes alone in the pouring mist, like an elephant that arrives unaccompanied, without its mahout on top and guard on ground.
The reference to the unguarded elephant forms the essence of the message the confidante intends to convey. The elephant that comes without its guards is a reference to the man who continues to come alone to meet the lady. By saying what is not, the confidante hints at what should be. Instead of arriving like an elephant without its escorts, the man should have come with the support of elders at his home, to seek a formal union with the lady. How can he tarry forth like this? The confidante tries to say the moon will not remain hidden for long, neither will the dark aid him always, in his trysts. Most of all, mother is aware of their relationship and she too, will not be asleep for long. So, to relish the company of the lady, the man must give up his temporary pursuits and seek the lasting solution. The thing to marvel here is the angle with which another’s mind is approached. No commands, no criticism and nothing negative. With its positive positioning, the verse shows us the gentle way to guide another in the right path!
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