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In this episode, we perceive how elements in nature paint the angst in a heart, as depicted in Sangam Literary work, Kurunthogai 24, penned by Paranar. The verse is situated in the forest regions of ‘Mullai’ and speaks in the voice of the lady to her confidante, as the man’s promised season of return arrives.
கருங்கால் வேம்பின் ஒண் பூ யாணர்
என்னை இன்றியுங் கழிவதுகொல்லோ
ஆற்றயல் எழுந்த வெண்கோட்டு அதவத்து
எழு குளிறு மிதித்த ஒருபழம் போலக்
குழையக் கொடியோர் நாவே
காதலர் அகலக் கல்லென்றவ்வே.
A sense of something beautiful, ignored or hurt, arises from this verse. First, we glimpse at, ‘the shining flowers of the black-trunked neem tree’ in ‘கருங்கால் வேம்பின் ஒண் பூ’. The word ‘என்னை’ in contemporary language would appear related to the pronoun ‘me’, whereas in this ancient usage, it is to be split as ‘என் ஐ’, meaning ‘my leader’. In addition to the healing neem we saw in the beginning, we also get to see ‘வெண்கோட்டு அதவம்’ meaning ‘white-branched fig tree’. A new word for ‘crab’ beckons us in this curious expression ‘எழு குளிறு’, which although literally means ‘seven crabs’, it’s used in a way to indicate ‘many’. For instance, in contemporary Tamil, when they say ‘நாலு பேர்’, it does not mean the literary equivalent of ‘four persons’ but, actually means ‘many’ or ‘the world’ even. Next, we see ‘கொடியோர் நாவே’ meaning ‘the tongue of the cruel’ and understand that slanderous talk is afoot in the town. These are confirmed by the final words ‘காதலர் அகலக் கல்லென்றவ்வே’ meaning ‘as my love parted away, they are echoing noisily’. Let’s delve into the context to find out more!
A neem tree, a fig tree, seven crabs and wagging tongues – a sure source of intrigue! The man and lady had been leading a love relationship when the man had to part away to gather wealth towards their wedding. Before he leaves, he promises the lady he would be back by a particular season. The lady languishes in his absence and more so, as that season arrives. She turns to her confidante and says, “On the dark-trunked neem, new, luminescent flowers that are blooming abundantly are about to fade away, without the presence of my lord! Near the river, grows a fig tree with white branches and akin to its single fruit, stomped by seven crabs, I have been smashed to a pulp by cruel tongues, which have been resounding ever since my love parted away!” With these words, the lady expresses the deep sorrow in her heart at the man’s delay in returning, even as she’s attacked by the words of the townsfolk.
A tale of disappointment and despair, it sounds like! The lady first points to the white flowers bursting forth on the neem tree and says possibly with a sigh, how they are passing away, without her man. From this, we infer that the man had promised to return by the season of spring. However, there was no sign of him whereas nature, waiting for no one, has put out its signals in the air! Living in a place surrounded by neem trees, over the past few months, I have noticed how the leaves start recovering at the end of the rainy season and then, once they densely cover all the black branches, the tiny white flowers open their buds around March or April and then, the journey continues with the flowers turning to fruits and then, the leaves falling prey to the next rains and so on. The lady too has been observing the changes in the world around her and gets her cue about time from it. The trees and flowers seem to have been the smartphone calendars of the Sangam era!
From the neem tree, the lady’s attention turns to a fig tree growing near a river and she points to a single fruit that has fallen down from this tree. She takes us closer to this fruit and shows how it has suffered under the claws of many a crab. Turning to us, she tells us that she feels exactly like that battered fruit, as she’s attacked by the slanderous talk of the cruel townsfolk, whose tongues have not ceased wagging since the man left the lady. We understand that the only way the townsfolk would come to their conclusions about the lady’s love life is by observing her and noticing the changes in her. However their reactions might have affect the lady, we must give credit to them for deeply observing a person. Living in a busy world such as ours, when sometimes it may feel as if no one cares, this does seem like a lot of concern for another and shows that it was a close-knit society. Hopefully, the lady found some relief by expressing exactly how she felt and through that, perhaps the strength too, to wait patiently for the man’s return!
Pleasant 😍❤️