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In this episode, we perceive the fine art of consoling a friend in anguish, as depicted in Sangam Literary work, Natrinai 208, penned by Nochi Niyamankilaar. Set in the ‘Paalai’ landscape of drylands, the verse speaks in the voice of the confidante to the lady, allaying the agony that fills the lady’s heart when she hears news about the man’s parting away.
விறல் சால் விளங்கு இழை நெகிழ, விம்மி,
அறல் போல் தெள் மணி இடை முலை நனைப்ப,
விளிவு இல கலுழும் கண்ணொடு, பெரிது அழிந்து,
எவன் இனைபு வாடுதி?-சுடர் நுதற் குறுமகள்!-
செல்வார் அல்லர் நம் காதலர்; செலினும்,
நோன்மார் அல்லர், நோயே; மற்று அவர்
கொன்னும் நம்புங் குரையர் தாமே;
சிறந்த அன்பினர்; சாயலும் உரியர்;
பிரிந்த நம்மினும் இரங்கி, அரும் பொருள்
முடியாதுஆயினும் வருவர்; அதன்தலை,
இன் துணைப் பிரிந்தோர் நாடித்
தருவது போலும், இப் பெரு மழைக் குரலே?
The verse opens with the melodious words ‘விறல் சால் விளங்கு இழை’ meaning ‘esteemed, bright jewels’ and follows it rhythmically in the succeeding line with ‘அறல் போல் தெள் மணி’ meaning ‘a sapphire-hued clear stream’. The phrase ‘விளிவு இல கலுழும் கண்ணொடு’ paints the portrait of a girl ‘with eyes that cry without a break’. In the section that follows, there’s a repeated sense of ‘ஆயினும்’ referring to the ‘even if’ clause, which we can sense as statements meant to console the lady. Amidst these lines, there was a phrase that caught my attention – ‘சாயலும் உரியர்’. It was the word ‘சாயல்’ that beckoned me, for this means ‘resemblance’ in contemporary language. However, in this ancient reference, it means ‘tenderness’. Wonder who is being characterised thus? The verse ends with the words ‘பெரு மழைக் குரலே’ meaning ‘the voice of the rain cloud’. Let’s listen closely to decipher the message in this resounding voice!
The man and lady have been leading a happy, married life when the man decides to part away in search of wealth. Without telling the lady directly, through his actions, he reveals his intention in a hidden away. Understanding this, the lady is greatly pained at the impending departure and confides in her friend. The confidante turns to the lady and says, “Making your excellent, shining jewels slip and fall, you whimper and shed sapphire-like clear tear drops that flow like a stream, moistening your bosom. O young girl with a flame-like forehead, with eyes that cry ceaselessly, bringing great ruin upon you, why do you suffer so, losing your health? Your lover will not part away from you; Even if he does, he is not one who can bear the disease of separation; Also, he’s one who’s filled with immense love for you; He has compassion in him; He’s also a gentle-hearted person; Considering the pining in your heart, even if his difficult mission of gathering wealth is not complete, he will return to you; Above all else, the voice of this great rain cloud proclaims that it will bring back all those who have parted and will unite them with their sweet companions!” With these words, the confidante extols the virtues of the man and offers clear reasons why the lady must give up her anguish at the thought of the man’s parting away.
Now, a closer look at the nuances portrayed! The confidante addresses the lady as one with a flame-like forehead, perhaps she means the lady’s forehead was one that was aglow with beauty. Then, she sketches the state of the lady saying that endless tears pour from her eyes and her fine jewels keep slipping away from her form. All these are the characteristic symptoms of the disease of pining that seems to afflict the Sangam women as their men part away. The confidante puts forth the question, “Why all this?” Then, she gives the explanation for why she thinks all this pain in the lady’s mind is unnecessary. The confidante seems to be a modern-day girl in thought, as proved by her logical statements. No doubt she would be a master coder and debugger, if she had been alive in the twenty-first century! For, she says, first case, the man will not leave. Then, if he does, he is someone who cannot bear the pain of separation. To explain this statement, she lists the attributes of the man saying one, he desires the lady greatly, two, he is kind at heart and finally, he’s not the rough-and-tough apathetic kind but someone gentle-hearted, filled with tenderness. Even you will agree that such a man will not stay away for long, putting his lady in angst. He will indeed return in the promised time, even if his mission is not complete. The confidante thus builds a solid case, for extinguishing the torment in the lady’s heart.
The confidante, after basing all her arguments on the character of the man, turns to another quarter, for her final shot. And, this is the powerful hands of nature! She says, ‘even if the man forgets for a moment, the boom of the rain cloud would remind the man about his waiting love and bring him back to her, without fail.’ A poem which begins with the rain of the lady’s tears ends with the promise of the rain cloud to her, painting for us the trust the ancients placed in nature, whom they seem to have seen as the slayer of their sorrow!
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