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In this episode, we perceive the novel technique of combining consolation and persuasion, as portrayed in Sangam Literary work, Natrinai 372, penned by Ulochanaar. The verse is situated in the coastal regions of ‘Neythal’ and speaks in the voice of the confidante to the lady, conveying assuring words to her, and passing on a hidden message to the man, listening nearby.
அழிதக்கன்றே-தோழி!-கழி சேர்பு
கானற் பெண்ணைத் தேனுடை அழி பழம்,
வள் இதழ் நெய்தல் வருந்த, மூக்கு இறுபு,
அள்ளல் இருஞ் சேற்று ஆழப் பட்டென,
கிளைக் குருகு இரியும் துறைவன் வளைக் கோட்டு
அன்ன வெண் மணற்று அகவயின், வேட்ட
அண்ணல் உள்ளமொடு அமர்ந்து, இனிது நோக்கி,
அன்னை தந்த அலங்கல் வான் கோடு
உலைந்தாங்கு நோதல் அஞ்சி, ”அடைந்ததற்கு
இனையல் என்னும்” என்ப-மனை இருந்து,
இருங் கழி துழவும் பனித் தலைப் பரதவர்
திண் திமில் விளக்கம் எண்ணும்
கண்டல் வேலிக் கழி நல் ஊரே.
Opening with ‘அழிதக்கன்றே-தோழி’ meaning ‘It’s not a matter of worry’, the verse instantly starts in a tone of calming someone. We meet a widespread tree on this landscape in ‘கானற் பெண்ணை’ or ‘palm tree in the seaside grove’. The flower that renders its name to this region greets us in ‘வள் இதழ் நெய்தல்’ meaning ‘blue lotus with rich leaves’. The phrase ‘அன்னை தந்த அலங்கல் வான் கோடு’ meaning ‘the long, swaying stick given by mother’ brings an object into the foreground, and we’ll delve into its purpose shortly. Another word of assurance appears in ‘இனையல்’ meaning ‘don’t worry about it’. ‘பனித் தலைப் பரதவர்’ is a quaint term to describe the ‘fisherfolk by referring to the moistness of their heads’, perhaps owing to the fact that they spend most of their time, drenched by the waves of the sea. ‘திண் திமில் விளக்கம்’ meaning ‘lights on the strong boats’, sketches an image of bright dots twinkling in the dark. The verse ends with ‘கண்டல் வேலிக் கழி நல் ஊரே’ meaning ‘this fine town in the marshes fenced by mangroves’ and welcomes us to that ancient seaside town.
The man and lady had been leading a love relationship and had been trysting for a while. At this time, the lady starts to worry that slander is going to spread in town and reach mother’s ears, which would mean confinement at home. The confidante understands the worry in the lady’s heart and one day, when the man arrives by the trysting spot, pretending not to notice him, but making sure he’s listening, turns to the lady and says, “It’s not something for you to worry about, my friend! The sweet fruit of the ‘pennai’, which stands in the orchard by the backwaters, breaks from its stalk and falls, disturbing the luxuriant-leaved blue lotus beneath, and gets deeply buried in the murky, dark mud. Hearing the fall of this fruit, birds scatter away calling out aloud. Such is the shore of the lord. Your esteemed heart desires to unite with the lord on the spread of white sands, akin to curved conches. Our moist-headed fisherfolk leave their homes and search the dark seas and while they are at it, their womenfolk count lights glowing on their sturdy boats from this good town, fenced by mangroves. Those fine people of this town, thinking you are worried about the breaking of the tall stick given by mother, looking at you with kindness, say, ‘Don’t be sad about what happened’.” With these words, the confidante allays the fears in the mind of the lady, about being confined in the house and at the same time, hints to the man that he should take steps to seek the lady’s hand in marriage.
Now, for the nuances! The confidante comes straight to the point and says to the lady that it’s not something to be worried about. Then, without explaining what that is, the confidante describes a scene in the shore, where a ripened fruit from a palm tree falls into the backwaters beneath, shaking the blue lotus blooming therein and startling the birds there. She mentions this scene as if to describe the man’s domain, and then moves on to the thoughts in the lady’s mind. Revealing how the lady desired the company of the man in that shore, filled with white sands, which are placed in parallel to curved conch shells. Imagining stepping on those pristine sands makes my feet tingle in delight! From the lady’s mind, the confidante once again switches to the outer world and this time, talks about their town and their townsfolk. She details how the fisherfolk are always out in the dark seas, hunting for fish, whereas their womenfolk and children peer at them in the darkness and count the lights shining from the lamps on their boats. The confidante adds that these good people of the town would look with concern at the worried face of the lady, and think that she was worried about the broken stick that mother gave and console her, asking her not to be sad. With that glowing picture of their townsfolk, the confidante completes her words to the lady.
Another level needs to be explored to unearth the entire meaning. What is that stick that mother has given? This object is inferred to be a special stick that is used by young girls in the seashore to chase away birds that come to feed on their drying fish. Perhaps the townsfolk see the lady as a little girl, whose only worry would be about breaking the stick and inviting mother’s wrath. So, they console her kindly. These words are intended to present a compassionate portrait of the townsfolk as not the slanderous folks that they are always thought to be, but kind souls who care about the lady. At the same time, within the scene of the falling fruit into the blue-lotus-filled backwaters, the confidante conceals a metaphor for how the man’s seeking the lady’s hand would startle away the slanderous talk in town. With that hidden message, the confidante points the man in the permanent path to happiness. Thus, two varying messages are stitched together, one that calms an anxious heart and another, that persuades a person to choose the proper path, in this tapestry of nature and human nature!
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