Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music | Android | iHeartRadio | TuneIn | RSS | More
In this episode, we relish the storytelling power of a metaphor, as portrayed in Sangam Literary work, Natrinai 275, penned by Ammoovanaar. The verse is set in the coastal regions of ‘Neythal’ and speaks in the voice of the lady to her confidante, in response to her confidante’s words of consolation, as the man listens by.
செந்நெல் அரிநர் கூர் வாட் புண்ணுறக்
காணார் முதலொடு போந்தென பூவே
படையொடும் கதிரொடும் மயங்கிய படுக்கைத்
தன்னுறு விழுமம் அறியா, மென்மெல,
தெறு கதிர் இன் துயில் பசு வாய் திறக்கும்
பேதை நெய்தற் பெரு நீர்ச் சேர்ப்பற்கு
யான் நினைந்து இரங்கேனாக, நோய் இகந்து,
அறனிலாளன் புகழ, எற்
பெறினும், வல்லேன்மன்-தோழி!-யானே.
Opening with ‘செந்நெல் அரிநர் கூர் வாட் புண்ணுற’ meaning ‘hurt by the sharp sickle of those who shear red paddy’, the verse packs a punch in revealing action and setting. Words that make you see and hear those sickles chopping away mature red paddy in the fields. Something subtle seems to beckon us when the word ‘புண்ணுற’ meaning ‘wounded’ registers in our mind. What is that thing that seems to be hurt by this action of the sickles? We learn that this is a ‘flower that has been cut along with the crops’ when we glimpse at ‘முதலொடு போந்தென பூவே’. The phrase ‘தன்னுறு விழுமம் அறியா’ meaning ‘not realising the suffering that fell on it’ intrigues us, for what sort of meditative state can make a thing unaware of its own suffering? We feel the ‘fierce rays’ graze the skin in the phrase ‘தெறு கதிர்’. Then, we glance at an exquisite flower, adorned with an adjective in ‘பேதை நெய்தல்’ meaning ‘naive blue lotus’, a description that makes us smile, seeing the personification of this element in nature. ‘அறனிலாளன்’ appears as a strong-worded description of a man, for it means ‘he, who lacks justice’. The verse ends on a note of strength, with the Yoda-style words ‘ வல்லேன்மன்-தோழி!-யானே’ meaning ‘Capable, my friend, I am’. Time to explore more!
The man and lady had been leading a love relationship and the man had been trysting with the lady for a while. He then decides to stay away, owing to the slanderous talk in town, bidding his time to let the rumours subside. One day, after this hiatus, he arrives by, at the lady’s house. There, the confidante is offering words of solace to the lady as the man continues to stay away. To the words of the confidante, the lady replies, “Wounded by the sharp sickles of those who reap red paddy, unseen by the eyes of those who cut it, the flower bud goes along with its stalk, and lies down, mixed amidst those crop ears. Without realising the suffering it has borne, when it is touched by a fierce ray of the sun, the bud forsakes its sweet sleep and gently, opens its fresh petals. One of such naïveté is that ‘neythal’ flower in the land belonging to the lord of the seas! I will not think about my pain and suffering when the lord, who lacks justice, praises me. Whatever happens, I can bear it, my friend, with my will!” With these words, the lady expresses her undying love by illustrating the strength in her to bear whatever may come and the forgiveness in her heart for the man, who continues to delay seeking her hand in marriage.
Now, let’s delve in to relish the nuances in this verse! The lady starts by bringing before our eyes, an expansive field, where red rice has been sown and the paddy crop is now mature and ready for harvest. The farmers are fully equipped to reap the benefits of their labour and work away on that field, their sickles in smart and sharp action. As they clip away the paddy they have sown, they notice not blue lotus buds blooming amidst the thick spread of the crop. The buds too are cut away, along with the fruit of the field. The lady says those who cut the buds hardly notice it, for they throw the flower stalks and the crops all together and go on with their work. From the action of the farmers, the lady now turns to the victim of their action. She describes the blue lotus bud as wounded, as it lies mixed with the ripe paddy stalks. Then, the lady freezes on a moment when without minding the pain of the sickle slashing at their stalk, without realising the wound of their suffering, when this blue lotus bud feels the sun’s ray, it opens its petals and smiles with devotion. The lady concludes this description saying such is the innocent nature of the blue lotus flower that seems to bloom in the man’s country!
When the lady is empathising with the suffering of a blue lotus bud, we understand that the entire scene is a metaphor for her own life in the village. Words of the village-folk slash at her heart and make her suffer. The reason for the suffering too, is the man, who does not seem to act justly, for he is delaying formalising his union with the lady. And yet, like how that blue lotus flower forgets all its pain and buds open at the touch of the sun’s ray, the lady declares the moment the man returns, she too would forget her affliction of pining and celebrate his presence. Such is the strength of her love, that she can bear anything the townsfolk may throw at her, the lady assures her confidante. Hearing this, the man would be moved to do the just thing, seeing the sensitive and strong love in his lady. Let’s return to that moment in the verse which talks about how the lady forgets the pain and forgives the man when he appears again. A thing we may have experienced too! No matter what pain we have suffered, maybe even indirectly because of the one we love, when in the presence of that person, the heart seems to forget and welcomes that beloved, akin to that blue lotus smiling at the sun. Indeed, an irrepressible attribute of love that hopefully blooms upon the deserving!
Share your thoughts...