Natrinai 258 – The feasting crow

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பல் பூங்கானல் பகற்குறி மரீஇச்
செல்வல் கொண்க! செறித்தனள் யாயே,
கதிர் கால் வெம்பக் கல் காய் ஞாயிற்றுத்
திருவுடை வியல் நகர் வருவிருந்து அயர்மார்,
பொற்றொடி மகளிர் புறங்கடை உகுத்த
கொக்கு உகிர் நிமிரல் மாந்தி எல் பட,
அகல் அங்காடி அசை நிழல் குவித்த
பச்சிறாக் கவர்ந்த பசுங்கண் காக்கை
தூங்கல் வங்கத்துக் கூம்பில் சேக்கும்
மருங்கூர்ப்பட்டினத்து அன்ன இவள்
நெருங்கு ஏர் எல் வளை ஓடுவ கண்டே.

Opening with ‘பல் பூங்கானல் பகற்குறி’, the verse takes us to the ‘day-time trysting spot, which is a many-flowered orchard’. And, this tells us that flowering groves near the seashore was a common sight then, unlike now. ‘செறித்தனள் யாயே’ conveys the core message of the verse meaning ‘mother has confined her’! The phrase ‘திருவுடை வியல் நகர்’ talks about the luxuriance of houses, meaning ‘an imposing, wide mansion’ and ‘வருவிருந்து அயர்மார்’ elaborates on the hospitality of the denizens meaning ‘the feast provided to assuage the travellers’. ‘கொக்கு உகிர் நிமிரல்’ talks about ‘rice that looks like a stork’s nails’. What an interesting simile! The ancient word for a ‘market’ that is in use even today in the rural districts of Tamilnadu, makes an appearance in this verse in ‘அகல் அங்காடி’ meaning ‘wide marketplace’. We glimpse at a ‘fresh-eyed crow’ in ‘பசுங்கண் காக்கை’. The word ‘வங்கம்’ in the phrase ‘தூங்கல் வங்கத்து’ meaning ‘a swaying ship’ is the fountainhead of many geographic indicators, for instance, the sea that borders the eastern coast of India – the Bay of Bengal, and the region of Bengal, land of Tamil’s literary siblings. Then, we get a glimpse of the seaport in ‘மருங்கூர்ப்பட்டினம்’ referring to the coastal town of ‘Marungur’, which we will explore further in a short while. The verse ends with ‘எல் வளை ஓடுவ கண்டே’ meaning ‘seeing her radiant bangles slip away’ and paints the poem with the hues of pining. Let’s walk on this shore and learn more.

The man and lady had been leading a love relationship and had been trysting together for a while. One day, when the man arrives and waits for the lady, the confidante comes there alone. Seeing the surprised gaze of the man, the confidante replies, “O lord of the shore, I have come here to the many-flowered grove, your trysting spot by day, to tell you something. Mother has confined her to the house! As the sun’s rays scorch the stones on their path, travellers with burning feet, are welcomed at mid-day into the magnificent, wide mansion by hospitable women wearing gold bangles. From the meal prepared for these guests, these women take a handful of rice, akin to a stork’s nails, and offer it to the crow that flits about in their backyard. After eating this ball of rice, as the evening sets, the crow flies to the wide marketplace, where raw shrimp are heaped under the moving shade. Pecking away at the shrimp, the crow then flies away to rest on the mast of the swaying ship near ’Marungur’. The lady’s beauty is akin to this seaside town of ‘Marungur’. Seeing her closely-fitted, shining bangles slip away, mother has done this!” With these words, the confidante conveys to the man that the lady has been confined to the house and subtly hints that he must turn his attention from temporary trysting to seeking a formal union so as to relish the company of the lady forever.

Now, for the wealth of knowledge buried in this shore! The confidante starts her conversation with the man by acknowledging the question in the man’s eyes about the lady. She tells him that indeed she has come to the grove where the man and lady tryst and she comes to the point immediately, clarifying that it’s because the lady was not free to come, her freedom to leave the house taken away by the lady’s mother, who has ruled that the lady should be confined to the house. After saying this, she talks about how the raging sun scorches the stones on the path, making travellers seek refuge. They find their refuge in tall and wide mansions in the town, where well-to-do women wearing golden bangles prepare a sumptuous meal, expecting guests, a glowing tribute to the hospitality of Tamil homes. And the even nobler thing that these women do, is to take a handful of rice and make an offering to the birds in their backyard. An instance that goes to show all life was valued then. It brings to mind news articles I read about people preparing and serving food for stray animals in these times of the lockdown – stories that highlight the best of humanity. Returning to the verse, we see that this offering of rice, which looks like a stork’s nails, is devoured by a crow. The confidante then makes us follow the trail of this crow, in our minds!

After the rice feast in the mansion’s backyard, as the sun sets, the crow swiftly flies to the shade in the marketplace, where an abundance of fresh-caught shrimp are heaped. The crow, then finishes its dinner there and then takes off. Once again, we follow the crow to find it resting on the mast of ships near the shore. The confidante turns to us and says this is the seaside town of ‘Marungur pattinam’. Researching about this Sangam town, this seems to have been a seaport in the Ramanathapuram region of Tamilnadu, where ships that plied in the Bay of Bengal came to rest. Roman ships are known to have passed this town too. The confidante then explains the reason for talking about this town. She says the lady’s beauty is like the town of Marungur and herein once again, we see the favourite poetic device of comparing a city to a woman’s beauty. Imagine walking through one such city! As we get ready to start a mind trip, the confidante pulls us back into the verse and reveals that because mother saw the beautiful lady’s bangles slip away, worried for the lady’s health, mother has confined her to the house!

Thus, from the layout of the city, the landscape of the heart, is revealed to the man. In that metaphor of the crow feasting on rice and shrimp and retiring to the ship’s mast, the confidante hints that the man has been intent only on trysting day and night with the lady and returning to his hamlet. She, thus, subtly directs him to focus instead on seeking the lady’s hand in marriage. In the flight of a crow, the spread of the shore and the thread of love is sketched in this song of the sea!