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In this episode, we empathise with a feeling of anxious anticipation, as depicted in Sangam Literary work, Kurunthogai 64, penned by Karuvoor Kathapillai. The verse is situated in the forest regions of ‘Mullai’ and speaks in the voice of the lady to her confidante, in response to her friend’s words of consolation about the man’s return.
பல் ஆ நெடு நெறிக்கு அகன்று வந்தென,
புன் தலை மன்றம் நோக்கி, மாலை
மடக் கண் குழவி அணவந்தன
நோயேம் ஆகுதல் அறிந்தும்,
சேயர்-தோழி!-சேய் நாட்டோரே.
A mixture of dejection and hope can be sensed in this one! With a rustic image of cows grazing, the verse opens with the words ‘பல் ஆ நெடு நெறிக்கு அகன்று வந்தென’ meaning ‘as many cows took to the long path’. Following the cows, we glimpse at their calf in ‘மடக் கண் குழவி’ meaning ‘young one with naive eyes’. The word ‘அணவந்தன’ is said to mean ‘look up eagerly’ and I wonder if the verb in this word ‘அணந்து’ is the origin of the contemporary Tamil word ‘அண்ணாந்து’, employed in the same meaning. ‘நோயேம் ஆகுதல்’ brings up the state of pining for it means ‘suffering with love affliction’. Ending with the words ‘சேய் நாட்டோரே’ meaning ‘the person in the distant lands’, the verse invites us to listen to the story within.
Eager-eyed calves seem to speak with their eyes! The context reveals that the man and lady had been leading a married life when the man left the lady to go in search of wealth. At this time, the lady languishes in his absence. Seeing her friend’s sorrowful state, the confidante tries to console the lady saying the man would return soon. To the confidante, the lady says, “As the cows had moved away towards the long path, in the evening, taking in the listless cowshed, the innocent-eyed calf looks up in expectation. Although he knows that we face the same affliction, he remains far away, my friend, the one who parted to those far-off lands!” With these words, the lady gives word to the anxious feelings in her heart as the man is delayed in his return.
Time to appreciate the nuances of the emotion expressed! To tell about what she’s feeling, the lady does not delve into her own mind but looks at the world outside and captures an image of cows leaving towards a long path, no doubt to find good food to graze. While cows seem to have been left to their own devices, the calves have been tied up, perhaps for their own protection. The whole day has gone by and when the signs of evening fill the skies, a little calf can be seen turning left and right and looking at the abandoned cowshed and lifting its head up at every little sound. After sketching this scene for us, the lady says that’s exactly the nature of her affliction too. Adding that although her man knows she would be feeling thus, he seemed to still remain in those faraway lands!
Instead of employing many, many words to express what she feels, the lady uses a single image of a calf, although dejected by the absence of its mother all day, looking up eagerly at the end of the day. Likewise, although she has been able to bear with the man’s absence for so long, now that the promised time of return was near, she couldn’t bear it anymore, the lady seems to say. The expression of these feelings will no doubt bring a subtle relief to the lady. To me, what shines through in this verse, is the ability to see that human emotion in an animal, which echoes aloud, the oneness of life!
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