Natrinai 373 – The foreteller and the fruit-eater

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முன்றிற் பலவின் படு சுளை மரீஇ,
புன் தலை மந்தி தூர்ப்ப, தந்தை
மை படு மால் வரை பாடினள் கொடிச்சி,
ஐவன வெண்ணெல் குறூஉம் நாடனொடு
சூருடைச் சிலம்பின் அருவி ஆடி,
கார் அரும்பு அவிழ்ந்த கணி வாய் வேங்கைப்
பா அமை இதணம் ஏறி, பாசினம்
வணர் குரற் சிறு தினை கடிய,
புணர்வதுகொல்லோ, நாளையும் நமக்கே?

The poem opens with the words ‘முன்றிற் பலவின் படு சுளை’ talking about ‘the thick fruit slices of the jackfruit tree that grows in the front porch’ and presents a view of an ancient home in the hill country through the branches of this tree. We smile at the oft-mentioned hero of these mountain adventures, when we glimpse at ‘புன் தலை மந்தி’ or ‘the soft-headed monkey’. ‘பாடினள் கொடிச்சி’, which means ‘the mountain girl sang’ brings to our ears, faint sounds of ancient folk songs that must have wafted in the air. A unique breed of ‘mountain rice’ called ‘ஐவனம்’ greets us from the fields! ‘அரும்பு அவிழ்ந்த கணி வாய் வேங்கை’ is a significant phrase, referring to ‘an Indian Kino tree, a foreteller, whose buds have burst open’, about which, we will explore in a short while. As we have seen in other poems, the ‘wide loft’ is a prominent feature of these mountain landscapes, aiding people there to drive away the ‘பாசினம்’ or ‘flocks of green parrots’ that arrive there to peck away at the ‘சிறு தினை’ or ‘tiny millets’. Ending with ‘புணர்வதுகொல்லோ, நாளையும் நமக்கே’ meaning ‘will that happen to us tomorrow too’, the verse hints of doubts and uncertainty in those minds!

The man and lady had been leading a love relationship and the man seemed to be intent on trysting with the lady. One day, seeing the man arrive there, pretending not to notice him, but making sure he’s listening, the confidante turns to the lady and says, “Searching for and plucking fleshy slices of jackfruit growing in the front yard, the soft-headed female monkey eats the fruit and sheds the rest below, while the mountain girl sings of her father’s huge hill, surrounded by clouds, and pounds mountain paddy in the lord’s country. With him, you played in the cascades, where fearsome spirits dwell. Then, with him, you climbed the wide loft perched on the dark-stemmed, bud-blooming ‘vengai’, the foreteller, and chased away green parrots that came to steal the ripe ears of those little millets. Will such things be granted to you tomorrow too?” With these words, the confidante conveys to the listening man that circumstances looked as if the lady was about to be confined to the house and to continue to enjoy her company, the man must seek the lady’s hand in marriage.

How does the confidante weave in these messages in these descriptions of nature? Let’s delve in deeper to find out! The first image the confidante sketches is that of a female monkey carefully looking through the slices of the ripe jackfruit and savouring the finest. Having had the fruit, the monkey drops the seed and other parts down below. Unaware that this is happening around her, a girl is seen pounding mountain paddy and singing songs of praise about her father’s cloud-capped mountains! What would the people of today give to hear those songs from the heart? Perhaps, future generations will find ways to excavate sound waves like how archaeologists today excavate physical artefacts from the past! Dreaming apart, there’s indeed something magnificent about mountains that make hearts sing and this mountain girl seemed to be giving voice to that evergreen emotion! The confidante has mentioned this delightful scene as if to describe the lord’s mountain country. 

From the man’s place of origin, the confidante turns to the lady’s surroundings and describes how the lady has been relishing the company of the man and only because he was around, she dared to go bathe in the cascades, where mountain spirits were said to roam. And then, she climbed the plank perched on the ‘vengai’ tree along with the man, to chase away parrots that were intent on stealing those full-grown millets. The confidante ends by wistfully wondering if such events would unfold in the lady’s life the next day too. That she’s wondering and not stating it as a matter of fact makes us infer that there was a doubt about that happening. Why the doubt? Now, we have to rewind a little and pause at the mention of the ‘vengai’ tree, which the confidante described as ‘a foreteller’. To understand the epithet for this tree, we need to reach out to the social customs then. When this tree bloomed, shortly thereafter the harvest season would commence and not only that, the blooming of its yellow flowers signified that the time of weddings was upon the people there. It’s for this reason the confidante considers the tree as a foreteller of the future, and specifically, the lady’s future. 

Taking another step backwards and looking at the scene of the monkey eating jackfruit slices, we learn that the confidante has placed a metaphor for the man relishing the lady’s company and leaving her to return to his village. This has caused changes in the lady’s appearance and like the mountain girl singing unaware, mother does not know the true reason for the changes in her daughter and was instead arranging for ‘Velan’s ritual’ to appease god in this regard. These messages are supposed to convey the precarious situation the lady finds herself in, thus propelling the man to seek the permanent path to happiness. Reading this verse made me muse about how the listening man must be a ‘Sherlock Holmes’ so as to understand these hidden clues and infer the meaning within. When even words are vanishing now, eclipsed by emojis, fascinating to delve into the past, when people had the time to peer beyond words to touch the meaning at the core!