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In this episode, we hear the voice of seasons in the changing scenes in nature, as portrayed in Sangam Literary work, Kurunthogai 35, penned by Kalaarkeeran Eyitriyaar. Set in the farmlands of ‘Marutham’, the verse speaks in the voice of the lady to the confidante, conveying the reason for her misery.
நாண் இல மன்ற, எம் கண்ணே-நாள் நேர்பு,
சினைப் பசும்பாம்பின் சூல் முதிர்ப்பன்ன
கனைத்த கரும்பின் கூம்பு பொதி அவிழ
நுண் உறை அழிதுளி தலைஇய
தண் வரல் வாடையும், பிரிந்திசினோர்க்கு அழலே.
Tears and rain seem to fall on this one! Opening with the words ‘நாண் இல மன்ற, எம் கண்ணே’ meaning ‘shameless are my eyes’, the verse establishes the central theme right away. Next, we get a rare glimpse of ‘சினைப் பசும்பாம்பு’ in ‘pregnant green snake’. The animal reference is complemented by a plant reference in ‘கனைத்த கரும்பு’. Rains and winds make their presence felt in ‘நுண் உறை அழிதுளி’ meaning ‘fine drops of rain’ and ‘தண் வரல் வாடை’ meaning ‘cool and moist northern winds’. Ending with ‘பிரிந்திசினோர்க்கு அழலே’ meaning ‘tears for the parted’, the verse throbs with emotion and invites our empathy.
Snakes, sugarcane and shameless eyes – What are these distinct elements doing together? The context reveals that the man had parted with the lady on a mission. After a while, the lady seems to be in much suffering and when the confidante asks her the reason for it, the lady replies, “Shameless are my eyes, indeed! Accepting on the day he parted away, now as fine raindrops fall down, and the thick sugarcane opens out its buds, akin to a pregnant green snake maturing, as the moist, northern winds blow, they seem to shed tears, for he who has parted away.” With these words, the lady conveys the deep pain she feels now that the cold and rainy season had arrived, making her miss the man more than ever!
Time to explore the nuances! The lady starts by calling her eyes shameless and when we probe about the reason why, she starts by saying the day the man left her, they seemed to have accepted it and sent him his way. Pointing to the sugarcane opening out its bushy flowers, she tells us how this sight is similar to a green snake bulging with its young within. What an exquisite plant-animal connection that the Sangam folks are adept at! These changes in nature are the result of fine drops of rain falling and cold winds from the north blowing, she tells us. While that may be opportune for the plant awaiting it, these elements of nature attack her, making her pine for the man. And, she finishes saying that’s why her eyes are shameless, while accepting his parting away then, now they cry for him, as the seasons change!
Isn’t it astonishing how the poem delivers a lesson in biology and climatology, without appearing so? How well the ancients have connected the falling rain and the blowing wind to the blooming of the sugarcane flowers! It shows an acute observation of the world around, that one could say, is scientific in its approach. When we turn to look at the lady’s situation, it’s something that we may have experienced often. In the beginning, we may accept something, but as days pass by, that burden becomes too heavy to bear. It’s that moment the lady is capturing with this expression of angst. Like noticing the blooming sugarcane flowers and the bulging green snake, the ancients show how they are also experts at perceiving the changes in the heart and as any modern psychologist would accept, there’s no better way to heal oneself!
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