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In this episode, we observe a technique of persuasion, as portrayed in Sangam Literary work, Kurunthogai 55, penned by Neythal Kaarkiyaar, a female poet from the Sangam age, whose name, which means ‘rain cloud’, left me with a smile. Set in the coastal regions of ‘Neythal’, the verse speaks in the voice of the confidante to the lady, passing on a subtle message to the man, listening nearby.
மாக் கழி மணிப் பூக் கூம்பத் தூத்திரைப்
பொங்கு பிதிர்த் துவலையொடு மங்குல் தைஇ
கையற வந்த தைவரல் ஊதையொடு
இன்னா உறையுட்டு ஆகும்,
சில் நாட்டு அம்ம, இச் சிறு நல்லூரே.
Cloudy skies and splashing seas fill our vision in this one! The first few words ‘மாக் கழி மணிப் பூ’ meaning ‘sapphire-hued flowers in the huge backwaters’ may refer to either the water-thorn or the blue lilies of this land. ‘பொங்கு பிதிர்த் துவலை’ splashes ‘the spray of water droplets’, that joyous element, anyone who has played in a beach would have, doubtless, experienced. From the ground, the verse moves skyward and makes us glimpse ‘dark clouds that float’ in ‘மங்குல் தைஇ’. The phrase ‘கையற வந்த தைவரல் ஊதையொடு’ meaning ‘the cold, northern winds that arrive accompanied by helplessness’ reveals the pain this element causes in those separated in love. Ending with the words ‘சில் நாட்டு அம்ம, இச் சிறு நல்லூரே’ meaning ‘only a few days left for this good little hamlet’, the verse offers an ominous prediction and intrigues our curiosity!
What disaster awaits that little town? Let’s investigate by exploring the context, which reveals that the man and lady had been leading a love relationship and that the man had been trysting with the lady for a long while. Whenever he parted away, the lady languished in misery. Understanding her friend’s state, one day, when the man was listening nearby, the confidante says, as if to the lady, “In the huge backwaters, sapphire-hued flowers close their buds; white waves shower their copious droplets; dark clouds brush against the skies; cold, northern winds swirl around; All these cause helplessness and suffering in this abode of ours, this good little town, which has but, a few days left!” With these words, the confidante conveys the precarious state of the lady to the man and persuades him to seek the lady’s hand without any further delay.
Scenic elements of the sea seem to foretell something stark for the lady! The confidante first talks about the blue flowers in the huge backwaters and points to how these are closing their buds, making us realise the evening hour had risen in that land. The next element the confidante brings to our attention is the fine spray of the waves. From there, the cloudy skies beckon her attention and then from the seen, she turns to the unseen – the northern winds that make their presence felt. Saying that these elements bring utter despair, the confidante ends with the words that their seaside village has only a few days left!
To our modern ears, the verse may sound as if the confidante is predicting that an apocalypse was about to occur in their little hamlet. An approaching comet or a giant tsunami perhaps! However, the truth is that the confidante is simply projecting the lady’s state of mind on their village. The suffering caused by those exquisite elements of nature on the lady will not let her live for long, if the same state were to continue, the confidante warns the man, who is listening to this exchange. Understanding the lady’s state, the man would, no doubt, do what it takes to protect the life, health and happiness of his beloved! The aspect I wish to zoom on, in this verse, is how flowers in twilight, splashing of waves, and soothing winds, those elements that give so much joy to any traveller to the shores is depicted as the very elements that wreaks havoc on the lady’s mind! It makes me want to question, does the outside world matter at all or does everything depend only on how one’s mind sees it?
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