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In this episode, we perceive the art of gentle persuasion in influencing another, as portrayed in Sangam Literary work, Natrinai 222, penned by Kabilar. Set in the mountain country of ‘Kurinji’, the verse speaks in the voice of the confidante to the lady, conveying a hidden message to the man, listening nearby.
கருங் கால் வேங்கைச் செவ் வீவாங்கு சினை
வடுக் கொளப் பிணித்த விடுபுரி முரற்சிக்
கை புனை சிறு நெறி வாங்கி, பையென,
விசும்பு ஆடு ஆய் மயில் கடுப்ப, யான் இன்று,
பசுங் காழ் அல்குல் பற்றுவனன் ஊக்கிச்
செலவுடன் விடுகோ-தோழி!-பலவுடன்
வாழை ஓங்கிய வழை அமை சிலம்பில்,
துஞ்சு பிடி மருங்கின் மஞ்சு பட, காணாது,
பெருங் களிறு பிளிறும் சோலை அவர்
சேண் நெடுங் குன்றம் காணிய நீயே?
The ‘black-trunked Indian Kino tree’ welcomes us to the hills in the phrase ‘கருங் கால் வேங்கை’. Then, we glance at the word ‘முரற்சி’ and learn that it means ‘a rope’. The phrase ‘கை புனை’ evokes the sense of touch when it talks about ‘weaving with one’s hands’ and ‘விசும்பு ஆடு ஆய் மயில்’ conjures up the sight of ‘a beautiful peacock spreading its feathers and dancing in the breeze’. We encounter a new tree in ‘வழை’ which is called as ‘சுரப்புன்னை’ in contemporary Tamil, referring to the tree with the common name ‘Surangi’ and such trees are said to abound in the Western Ghats region of India. With a delicious rhythm, flows the line ‘துஞ்சு பிடி மருங்கின் மஞ்சு பட’ meaning ‘a cloud covers a sleeping female elephant’. ‘களிறு பிளிறும்’ makes the ‘trumpeting sound of a male elephant’ dash against our eardrums. The verse ends with the words ‘காணிய நீயே’ meaning ‘won’t you see?’ And, this is a cue for us to see more than these glimpses!
The man and lady have been in a love relationship for a while and consequently, changes appear on the lady’s form. Perceiving this, the lady’s parents decide to confine her to the house. Not knowing this, the man arrives by the lady’s house one day. Seeing him there, pretending not to notice him but ensuring he can listen to her words, the confidante says to the lady, “Behold the curved rope tied so tight that it leaves a wound on the red-flower-filled curved branch of the black-trunked ‘vengai’ tree! As you sit on this little hand-woven swing, shall I catch hold of the gem-filled cloth around your waist and give you a push so that you can gently sway like the dance of a peacock in the breeze, O friend? In the mountain slopes densely covered with ’surangi’ trees, amidst the jackfruit and plantain growing there, a female elephant slumbers. As a cloud covers this sleeping elephant, unable to see its mate, the great male elephant trumpets in agony, in the orchard on the mountain top belonging to your lord. Shall I help you sway high on the swing so that you can glimpse that faraway peak in his land?” With these words, the confidante is informing the man that the lady has been confined to the house and that he should seek the lady’s hand in marriage to bring lasting happiness to them both.
All we could make out from the translation was a lady on a swing trying to see a faraway peak. How is this supposed to convey the message to the man? Patience and perception is needed to unravel the hidden details. The confidante first talks about the ‘vengai’ tree and how a tight rope has been tied around it, making a mark on its branch. This rope turns out to be a hand-woven swing. Then, the confidante expresses her intention to help the lady sway on this swing. This seems to be a simple conversation between two girls about playing on a swing. What could be serious in that? The confidante goes on to talk about a scene in the mountain country where a female elephant is seen to be sleeping amidst the lush jackfruit and plantain trees in the orchard. As this is happening high up on the mountains, clouds would tend to pass by and one such cloud hides this sleeping elephant from view. The male elephant, arriving there, unable to see its mate, cries out aloud, the confidante says. She adds such scenes are transpiring in the mountain country of the lord and asks if the lady wants to at least glimpse that faraway peak, as she sways higher and higher on her swing.
The male elephant’s agony in not seeing its mate is a metaphor for how the lady has come under the cloud of confinement within her house. Although it seems so complicated to us, the man would apparently get this deep, metaphorical reference. The confidante, at the same time, reveals the love in the lady’s heart by talking about how she yearns to see the man and when that’s not possible, at least a glance at the peak he comes from. Hearing these words, the man would realise the path to go would be to seek the lady’s hand in marriage without further delay. The poem brings to fore the nuanced detail of how the mind delights in dwelling on places and things associated with a beloved, when away from the presence of that beloved!
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