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In this episode, we explore the natural wealth of a mountainous region and perceive the wealth of emotion within, as portrayed in Sangam Literary work, Natrinai 292, penned by Nalvettanaar. Set in the hill country of ‘Kurinji’, the verse speaks in the voice of the confidante, assuming the lady’s voice, to persuade the man to seek the lady’s hand in marriage.
நெடுங்கண் ஆரத்து அலங்கு சினை வலந்த
பசுங் கேழ் இலைய நறுங் கொடித் தமாலம்
தீம் தேன் கொள்பவர் வாங்குபு பரியும்,
யாணர் வைப்பின், கானம் என்னாய்;
களிறு பொரக் கரைந்த கயவாய்க் குண்டு கரை
ஒளிறு வான் பளிங்கொடு செம் பொன் மின்னும்
கருங் கற் கான்யாற்று அருஞ் சுழி வழங்கும்
கராஅம் பேணாய்; இரவரின்,
வாழேன்-ஐய!-மை கூர் பனியே!
The verse opens with ‘நெடுங்கண் ஆரத்து’ referring to a ‘tall sandalwood tree with many nodes’ and thus, starts off on a sensually delightful note. This is followed by mention of ‘நறுங் கொடித் தமாலம்’ talking about ‘a fragrant creeper’ and possibly refers to the ‘midnapore creeper’, known for its medicinal value. Following this, we encounter a description of ‘தீம் தேன்’ meaning ‘sweet honey’. In many Natrinai poems, we have seen how sandalwood trees and honeycombs go hand in hand, as if the plant and animal world have joined hands to produce this ecstatic combination that delights the senses of taste and smell. The rich hill country is also seen dotted with animals like ‘களிறு’ or ‘elephants’ and ‘கராஅம்’ or ‘crocodiles. However, the special addition to this verse is the description of ‘ஒளிறு வான் பளிங்கொடு’ meaning ‘shining white marble’ and ‘செம் பொன்’ meaning ‘red gold’, which we will delve into detail shortly. Ending with ‘வாழேன்-ஐய!-மை கூர் பனியே’ meaning ‘I shall live not, O lord, in this dark cold season’, the verse invites us to trek into the heart of the poem!
The man and lady had been leading a love relationship and the man had been trysting with the lady by night. The lady suffers when the man parts away to his village and the confidante decides it’s time to persuade the man to take the right action. One night, when the man arrives to tryst with the lady, the confidante says to him, “On a swaying branch of a tall sandalwood tree, dotted with nodes, tightens around the green-hued leaves of a fragrant ‘thamaalam’ creeper. Those who desire to take the sweet honey atop, will bend and break this creeper. Such is the novelty-filled forest you cross and you do not think carefully about it! As elephants trod, the wide-mouthed river shore dislodges, leaving behind marble stones that shine along with red gold therein. In that wild river flowing with black rocks, swirls many form and within those swirls, crocodiles swim too! You fear none of this and come here in the nights of this darkness filled cold season. I warn you, sire, I shan’t live, if this were to continue!” With these words, the confidante speaks in the voice of the lady, to refuse the nightly tryst revealing the dangers in the man’s path and also, to subtly induce him to formalise his union with the lady.
Now, let’s explore this treasure trove! The confidante opens her conversation by taking us to the foot of a looming sandalwood tree. As we observe the tree, she calls our attention to a green-leaved creeper that seems to tighten around the tree’s trunk. Then, next minute, the confidante points to a branch of this tree, dancing in the wind, and lo, what do we find there? It’s a honeycomb, no doubt filled with the tastiest of nectar! As if a tour guide would explain, the confidante says, those who scale that sandalwood tree to take that honey would first chop away the creepers that surround the tree. This detailed description is offered by the confidante to illustrate the fertile forest the man crosses but it strongly wafts with the scent of a metaphor. Let’s hold on to that gut feeling and turn our attention to the other things that follow!
After that tour of the sandalwood tree, the confidante turns to the man and says he doesn’t seem to think at all, especially of the dangers in the mountain forest he crosses. There, she brings forth the scene of how elephants walk about on the river shores, and their heavy feet break away the mud, which falls into the river. She points to the place where the soil once stood and you see marble and gold deposits gleaming therein. Although these celebrated minerals beckon our attention, let’s remain steadfast and continue with the rest of the song. The confidante elaborates on how there are not only elephants that rove this land, but also crocodiles that swim in the swirls of the wild river filled with huge boulders. The confidante finishes by saying the man seems to not fear any of this and keeps arriving there in the middle of the night when the darkness is accentuated by the cold season. Finally, the confidante concludes that the lady will not live if the man were to persist in his thoughtless actions. Earlier in the metaphor of the sandalwood tree, the confidante is hinting to the man that he must destroy the suffering in the lady, akin to honey-collectors chopping away the creepers, if he truly desires to savour the sweet honey of a relationship with the lady.
Now, free to meander! With the cue about gold deposits, I decide to go on a treasure hunt with the poem’s words as clues. First, I wanted to find where gold was found in South India. Checking a mineral map of India, I found the legend for this element glowing at one spot in the state of Kerala, on the Western ghats, close to the current border of Tamilnadu. On researching more about this, a news article published this year, talks about how new gold mining regions have been found in the Mallapuram district and Attapadi of the Palakkad region in Kerala. What a coincidence! I decided to explore the geography of these places and found that all the elements mentioned in this poem such as forested hills and flowing water bodies abound in these regions. Elephants, no problem! Even today, an image of the state of Kerala is incomplete without its elephants. What about crocodiles then? There are no known records of wild crocodiles in Kerala’s backwaters today but perhaps it was not the same story two thousand years ago. So, there is a high probability that this poem is geographically located in this state. And to me, this illuminates the shared history of the sister states of Kerala and Tamilnadu, where ‘God’s own country’ as Kerala is called today, was then the ‘Kurinji’ region, the ancient poems about which, delight us to this day!
அருமை அக்கா…