Natrinai 319 – Sleep like a fish

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ஓதமும் ஒலி ஓவின்றே; ஊதையும்
தாது உளர் கானல் தவ்வென்றன்றே;
மணல் மலி மூதூர் அகல் நெடுந் தெருவில்,
கூகைச் சேவல் குராலோடு ஏறி,
ஆர் இருஞ் சதுக்கத்து அஞ்சுவரக் குழறும்,
அணங்கு கால் கிளரும், மயங்கு இருள் நடு நாள்;
பாவை அன்ன பலர் ஆய் வனப்பின்,
தட மென் பணைத் தோள், மடம் மிகு குறுமகள்
சுணங்கு அணி வன முலை முயங்கல் உள்ளி,
மீன் கண் துஞ்சும் பொழுதும்,
யான் கண் துஞ்சேன்; யாதுகொல் நிலையே?

The verse opens with the words ‘ஓதமும் ஒலி ஓவின்றே’ meaning ‘the tides have turned silent’, and resounds with an angst-filled ‘Oh!’ sound. ‘ஊதையும் தாது உளர்’ describes how ‘a cold wind has coveted the buds of pollen’ and informs us of weather conditions just then. The phrase ‘மணல் மலி மூதூர்’ talks about ‘an ancient town filled with sands’, in other words, a renowned beach town that is considered ‘ancient’ by these ancients! We see ‘a male owl’ in ‘கூகைச் சேவல்’ and hear the ‘scary sound’ it makes in ‘அஞ்சுவரக் குழறும்’. It’s not only winged creatures that are on and about, but also ‘spirits that roam’ as reflected by ‘அணங்கு கால் கிளரும்’. The core of the verse hides within ‘மீன் கண் துஞ்சும் பொழுதும்’, which means ‘the time when fish sleep’, about which we’ll delve into shortly. Ending with ‘யாதுகொல் நிலையே’ meaning ‘what a state this is!’, the words sing of a soaring pain within!

The man and lady had been leading a love relationship and the man had been trysting with the lady by day and night. Hearing rumours of the man’s relationship with the lady, the lady’s mother has confined the lady to the house and placed her under guard. One night, when the man realises that he will not be able to see the lady, he says,”The seas have fallen silent; As cold winds have scattered the pollen, the groves look listless too. In the wide and long street of this ancient town, filled with abundant sands, the male owl climbs high atop the town junction with its mate and hoots aloud, spreading fear all around; Demon spirits have taken to roaming too; Such is the confusing darkness of the mid night hour! The lady, whose beauty has been celebrated by many, glows akin to the ‘Kolli’ goddess. She is one with curved, gentle, bamboo-like shoulders; A young girl filled with innocence! I yearn to embrace her painted bosom, decked with beauty spots many, and mulling over that, I am unable to sleep at this time when even the fish have gone to sleep. What a ruinous state I am in!” With these words, the man gives word to the dejection and restlessness in his mind, unable to delight in the company of the lady.

Time to delve into the nuances! The man seems to make a movie on his surroundings and first, points to us how there’s hardly any sound from the ceaseless seas. Then, he makes us feel a cold wind swirl all around and in its path, this wind carries the pollen away from the trees. When such a wind blows, it’s not just the pollen that will fall but also the flowers and this makes the grove lose its blooming beauty, the man says. From the seas and the breeze, he turns to a well-known creature of the night, the owl, and takes us to the very spot, where this said owl is seen in the company of its mate. It’s the junction of a four-way street and perhaps there stands a tall tree right at the spot and it’s here our owl and its mate have climbed atop. The owl then starts announcing its presence with its characteristic hoot, which apparently sent shivers down the spines of people then. The owl is not the only thing doing that, for the man adds that some spirits are roving about too. With these descriptions, the man has carved that midnight hour in minute detail on our minds.

Then, the man turns his attention to what’s foremost in his mind – his lady, of course! He describes how she glows with a beauty that many have talked about, like that of the renowned statue of the ‘Kolli’ goddess. He further describes her features with multi-layered adjectives calling her shoulders curved, delicate and also akin to bamboos, which is a reference to her slender arms, no doubt. Innocence is a prized attribute in Sangam women apparently, for the man calls her a ‘naive, young girl’. Finally, he laments about his pitiable state just then as thoughts of embracing his girl’s beautiful bosom keeps him awake when even the fish have gone to sleep! This ancient verse makes a casual remark about a fish’s sleep but this is a research topic that has fascinated scientists for a long time, as evident from the numerous journal articles and even books on this topic. Fish don’t have eyelids and so how can anyone know if it’s asleep or awake? Apparently, there are other indicators like response time, slow movements and so on, that lets us know that fish do sleep. However, there are plenty of exceptions as in when fish migrate, when fish parent and so on. Also, I read that fish, especially ones in the polar regions, can change from being nocturnal to diurnal as seasons change. Modern science apart, our age-old poets seem to have already observed the lack of activity at a late hour after midnight and have concluded that fish sleep at that time and so we see, the man exclaiming how sleep fails him when even the fish have found theirs!

Another curious aspect of this verse is how after reading about numerous verses outlining only the woman’s anguish at missing her man, here we find a man speaking about his angst at not being able to meet with the lady. Heartening to see the other side of the story, which echoes for eons, the sanction to experience and most importantly, express emotion, no matter the gender!