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In this episode, we perceive the power of projection in conveying an emotion, as portrayed in Sangam Literary work, Natrinai 318, penned by Paalai Paadiya Perunkadunko. The verse is set in the drylands of ‘Paalai’ and speaks in the voice of the confidante to the man, on hearing about his intention to part away.
நினைத்தலும் நினைதிரோ-ஐய! அன்று நாம்
பணைத் தாள் ஓமைப் படு சினை பயந்த
பொருந்தாப் புகர் நிழல் இருந்தனெமாக,
நடுக்கம் செய்யாது, நண்ணுவழித் தோன்றி,
ஒடித்து மிசைக் கொண்ட ஓங்கு மருப்பு யானை
பொறி படு தடக்கை சுருக்கி, பிறிது ஓர்
ஆறு இடையிட்ட அளவைக்கு, வேறு உணர்ந்து,
என்றூழ் விடர் அகம் சிலம்ப,
புன் தலை மடப் பிடி புலம்பிய குரலே?
Opening with the rhythmic phrase ‘நினைத்தலும் நினைதிரோ’ meaning ‘Did you ever think about it?’, the verse evokes a reflective mood. ‘பணைத் தாள் ஓமை’ describes the ‘thick trunk of a toothbrush tree’ and sketches for us, that stout tree known as ‘miswak’ in the Middle East and celebrated for its dental benefits. The floral reference is partnered with a member of the fauna, the ‘ஓங்கு மருப்பு யானை’ or ‘the elephant with raised tusks’. The phrase ‘என்றூழ் விடர் அகம்’ describes the surrounding regions for it means ‘the heat-soaked mountain ranges’. The verse ends with ‘ மடப் பிடி புலம்பிய குரலே’ meaning ‘the lamenting voice of the naive female elephant’ and beckons us to listen closely.
The man and lady had been leading a happy, married life when the man found himself compelled to part with her, in order to gather wealth. Knowing the lady would be shaken by this news, the man tries to take it to her gently through the confidante. On hearing about his intention, the confidante turns to him and says, “Don’t you remember it, the day we stayed in the scanty, dotted shade beneath the curved branch of the thick-trunked ‘omai’ tree? Just then, an elephant with uplifted tusks appeared where we were, and without causing us any trouble, it broke the leaves and twigs to throw it upon its head and then, curving its dotted trunk, it went on a different path. In that interval, wondering what had happened, making the hot mountain range echo aloud, its soft-headed, naive mate trumpeted aloud. Did you think about that lamenting voice, O sire?” I hear the question in your mind about the word ‘we’ connecting the confidante and the man in some past event! The answer to that is the curious custom of the confidante expressing the words of the lady, as if it were hers, to convey a deep message to the man. With these words, the confidante relays to the man that the lady would be unable to bear with his parting and that he must reconsider his decision.
Now, for the nuances! The confidante starts by kindling the man’s memory. No dates or years are mentioned though. All she talks about is a thick trunked toothbrush tree, by which he and the lady had stayed. The thick trunk of the tree is of no use in that searing heat and she recollects how the man and lady had huddled beneath the dotted shade of that tree, which had lost its lush leaves to summer’s lash. Now, a moment to reflect when this might be! The only time the man and lady could have been taking cover in the drylands would be during the time of their elopement. So, we understand the confidante is taking us back to the time when the man eloped with the lady and brought her to his village to marry her. Returning to the confidante’s words, we see that she then mentions how a male elephant came striding down that path and the gentle giant that it is, intended no harm to the man and the lady there. It plucked a few leaves and twigs to have a bite and some must have fallen on its head too. Then, it curled its trunk and left the spot. Seeing a branching path, it walked down that and disappeared. Suddenly, there was a resounding echo all around that hot mountain. It was the mate of the that male elephant, an innocent female that’s crying out for its mate, thinking the male has abandoned it. The confidante finishes by asking the man if he hears the angst-filled voice of that naive female elephant?
The confidante projects the lady’s pain on the voice of that female elephant and impresses upon the man that the lady cannot bear even a small separation from him. Hearing this, perhaps the man will reschedule or reconsider his decision to part away. The persistent question in my mind is this portrayal of a Sangam woman as a frail, naive person, who cannot bear a parting – where partings ridden with such danger? Or were the women emotionally immature to accept life as it were? Or is this simply a tool to convince men about the immense love in the hearts of their women? Whatever be the reason, the collateral benefit for us, the descendants, is the vivid, verbal window to the natural world then!
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