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In this episode, we relish scenes from a rain-washed day and perceive the reflection of love in words, as depicted in Sangam Literary work, Natrinai 264, penned by Aavoor Kaavithikal Saathevanaar. Set in the drylands of ‘Paalai’, the verse speaks in the voice of the man to his lady, bidding her gently to hasten her walk towards their destination.
பாம்பு அளைச் செறிய முழங்கி, வலன் ஏர்பு
வான் தளி பொழிந்த காண்பின் காலை,
அணி கிளர் கலாவம் ஐது விரித்து இயலும்
மணி புரை எருத்தின் மஞ்ஞை போல, நின்
வீ பெய் கூந்தல் வீசு வளி உளர
ஏகுதி மடந்தை, எல்லின்று பொழுதே,
வேய் பயில் இறும்பில் கோவலர் யாத்த
ஆ பூண் தெண் மணி இயம்பும்,
உதுக்காண் தோன்றும், எம் சிறு நல் ஊரே.
Opening with ‘பாம்பு அளைச் செறிய முழங்கி’ meaning ‘roaring to make snakes hide in their holes’, the verse depicts the ancient belief that thunder destroyed snakes, a concept we have seen in many other Natrinai poems. Next, we see ‘வான் தளி’ or ‘rain clouds’ connected to the expression ‘வலன் ஏர்பு’, which means ‘rising from the right’. If we were to talk in terms of directions, considering a person is facing north, this term would mean ‘rising from east’. It seems as if the ancients believed that not only the sun, but clouds too, rose from the eastern direction. It would be true in the Tamil country, where the ocean, the maker of clouds, is to the east of the land. Returning from our wanderings, we glimpse at the expression ‘காண்பின் காலை’ which talks about ‘a season of pleasantness’ referring to this time of rains. One such pleasantness is immediately described in ‘அணி கிளர் கலாவம்’, an exquisite expression, which means, ‘the shining and beautiful tail of a peacock’. Note the word ‘கலாவம்’, which has transformed into ‘கலாபம்’ and found its way into the unforgettable phrase in a Tamil film song ‘கலாபக் காதலா’! Although this word is used to mean both the peacock’s tail and the peacock itself in recent times, in this verse, we learn a new word for a ‘peacock’ in ‘மஞ்ஞை’. Shortly thereafter, we glance at ‘flower-decked tresses’ in ‘வீ பெய் கூந்தல்’. While the initial lines spoke about the season, the time of the day is revealed in ‘எல்லின்று பொழுதே’ meaning ‘the time of twilight at sunset’. A tinkling sound falls on our ears in ‘ஆ பூண் தெண் மணி’ meaning ‘clear bells on cattle’. The verse ends with ‘எம் சிறு நல் ஊரே’ meaning ‘my fine, little village’, inviting us to venture forth!
The man and lady had been leading a love relationship and the man finds out that the circumstances were not conducive for his seeking the lady’s hand in marriage from her parents. So, the man and lady decide to elope together and get married in the man’s village to preserve the sanctity of their love relationship. After a long and tiring walk, when the lady unaccustomed to such hardships was slacking in her stride, the man turns to her and says, “Making snakes hide in the hollows, thunder roars. Rising from the right, clouds pour down rain. It’s a season rendering pleasing sights many to the eyes. Like the radiant and beautiful tail that a sapphire-throated peacock spreads, make your flower-adorned tresses dance in the wind and walk ahead, my naive maiden! It’s the time of the day when the sun is about to set. In the bamboo-filled little hill, the clear sounds of bells that have been tied by cowherds on their cattle, can be heard in the distance. And behold, there is my good, little hamlet!” With these words, the man is relieving the sad and tired feelings in the lady by saying positive words about her and by promising that they are nearing their journey’s end.
Now, for the exquisite emotions hidden in the verse! The man first talks about the season, in which they have taken this journey. It’s a time of rains, when the clouds that rise from the east shower down on the earth. Although they make snakes tremble in fear, the morning after, the rains wash the land and seem to present a glowing picture of the world. Herein, the man says the first positive thing to the lady. He beckons her to look at the world outside and take pleasure in its beauty. Perhaps, it’s his way of helping her out of the sadness in her heart that’s bound to be there, for she has left her home and family to be with the man. Then, the man evokes the image of a peacock, dancing with its tail open, and offers that as a bouquet of a simile to the lady, bidding her to likewise, spread her tresses in the breeze and walk ahead. He doesn’t use harsh words to ask her to walk fast. Instead, he does this by appreciating her beauty. And finally, he asks her to listen carefully to the sounds coming from the woods on a little hill, and says the tinkling sounds of bells are evident and this shows the cowherds are returning home, for dusk is spreading in the sky, stressing on why it’s important that the lady walks fast. To enthuse the lady further, he points to the distance and says, there, you can see my village, the place we are heading to, the place where we’ll be welcomed and thus, he renders the hope that their hardship-filled journey is about to end!
When the man describes the scene of snakes writhing in their holes and then moves to the season of pleasantness, he is telling the lady that they have left their fears behind and that a beautiful world beckons them now. Then, by celebrating her beauty by comparing it to a radiant thing in nature, the man expresses his appreciation for her. And finally, when he bids her to listen to the sounds of cow bells and peer ahead at his village, he offers her hope. In a nutshell, the verse epitomises the effective way of communicating a request to another, by adorning the flowers of appreciation, motivation and hope, and making those words waft in the breeze of a loving kindness!
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