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In this episode, we relish the intricate use of poetic imagery, as portrayed in Sangam literary work, Natrinai 217, penned by Kabilar. Although the verse is set in the mountain country of ‘Kurinji’, it revolves around the theme of a love-quarrel, a theme more commonly found in the agricultural landscape. The poem speaks in the words of the lady to her confidante, conveying a refusal to the man’s request to seek entry to their house.
இசை பட வாழ்பவர் செல்வம் போலக்
காண் தொறும் பொலியும், கதழ் வாய் வேழம்,
இருங் கேழ் வயப் புலி வெரீஇ, அயலது
கருங் கால் வேங்கை ஊறுபட மறலி,
பெருஞ் சினம் தணியும் குன்றநாடன்
நனி பெரிது இனியனாயினும், துனி படர்ந்து
ஊடல் உறுவேன்-தோழி!-நீடு
புலம்பு சேண் அகல நீக்கி,
புலவி உணர்த்தல் வன்மையானே.
Opening with the words ‘இசை பட வாழ்பவர்’, the poem talks about ‘those who live with fame’. The phrase ‘காண் தொறும் பொலியும்’ meaning ‘shines with finesse whenever one gazes upon it’, made me wonder to what I would apply this phrase. The green leaves glowing in the sun, a beloved’s face looking on with love, perhaps! In this song, the phrase seems to be applied to a ‘வேழம்’ or ‘elephant’. We also get to meet its arch-rival, the tiger in ‘வயப் புலி’. Shortly thereafter, we meet the word ‘வேங்கை’, which is another word for a tiger and here, it conjures the image of an ‘Indian Kino tree’, with its bright yellow flowers in full bloom, reminding one of the very animal! While we have seen many Natrinai poems featuring the inner quality of a love-quarrel, called as ‘ஊடல்’, it’s here we hear the word used directly in ‘ஊடல் உறுவேன்’ meaning ‘I shall continue to be in this state of a quarrel’. The verse finishes with the word ‘வன்மையானே’ meaning ‘he’s one with the ability’. Able to do what, we shall explore shortly.
The man and lady had been leading a happy married life when the man took to keeping the company of a courtesan. The lady is angered by this action of the man. After a while, the man realises his mistake and wants to mitigate the lady’s fury. He seeks the help of the lady’s confidante to speak to the lady on his behalf and give him permission to enter their house. When the confidante takes this message to the lady, she turns to her and says, “Like the wealth of those who live with fame, the elephant shines with splendour whenever one looks at it. This fast-paced elephant, frightened upon seeing a dark-lined powerful tiger, runs away. Glimpsing a black-trunked ‘vengai’ tree nearby, the elephant dashes against it and fells it down, so as to alleviate its great fury. Such scenes are to be found in the mountain country of our lord. Even though he’s one filled with immense sweetness, I will continue to keep up my show of anger towards him, O friend. On sensing my displeasure, he will strive to drive the long-standing loneliness within me, far away!” With these words, the lady refuses entry for the man into their house at the moment and believes that by her continued stance of displeasure, the man will be propelled to take further action to abate her anger and unite with her.
Although it’s a tiny verse, it packs within it, a lot of contradictions. Let’s take the scene of the elephant and the tiger, for instance. The elephant, which has been described with the radiant simile of shining like the wealth of a famous person, is also called as a fleet-footed one. Then, we encounter a strong tiger with dark lines adorning its body. There are contradictory theories about whether the elephant has been scared by the tiger or whether the tiger has been scared by our swift elephant. Whichever may be the case, it’s clear that the elephant is the one that rushes to the Kino tree nearby to quell its anger by breaking it down. What is not clear is the reason for the elephant’s anger – Is it because the tiger did not stand there to face it or because it was scared by the tiger? This turns out to be a scene in the mountain country of the lord but a metaphor is surely hiding within.
Before we discuss the metaphor, let’s proceed with the rest of the verse and here, the lady concedes that her man is a sweet person indeed. And yet, she says she’s not going to forgive him instantly and allow him into the house. She’s going to keep up her act of anger by refusing entry. It’s only then the man will realise how much suffering his actions have caused the lady and thereby, take all possible steps to calm her ire. And the lady believes only this can drive away the loneliness in her heart far away and create long-lasting happiness in their married life.
Returning to that metaphor in the elephant-tiger scene, again there are multiple ways of interpreting this. One, the man instead of facing the real thing, the lady in his case, has chosen to express his love to the courtesan, akin to the elephant taking out its anger on the ‘vengai’ tree instead of the tiger. Another interpretation is, the man is scared of the lady, the metaphorical equivalent of the tiger, and seeks the help of her confidante, akin to the elephant relieving its fury on the Kino tree. Seeing these multiple interpretations, I’m reminded of how at times, in our communication with others, we do not know what the other person means and how our interpretation actually tells us about what’s going on in our minds rather than theirs. Instead of giving clear-cut answers, this is a verse that makes us mull over multiple possibilities in interpreting intentions that exist then and now!
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