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In this episode, we relish a blissful scene from a house sparrow’s life, as portrayed in Sangam Literary work, Kurunthogai 85, penned by Vadama Vannakkan Thamotharanaar. Set in the farmlands of ‘Marutham’, the verse speaks in the voice of the confidante to the singer, who has been sent as a messenger by the man to plead his cause at the lady’s house.
யாரினும் இனியன்; பேர் அன்பினனே-
உள்ளூர்க் குரீஇத் துள்ளுநடைச் சேவல்
சூல் முதிர் பேடைக்கு ஈனில் இழைஇயர்,
தேம் பொதிக் கொண்ட தீம் கழைக் கரும்பின்
நாறா வெண் பூ கொழுதும்
யாணர் ஊரன் பாணன் வாயே.
‘I will reveal the truth about praises’ claims this verse! In the opening phrases ‘யாரினும் இனியன்’ meaning ‘more pleasing than anyone’ and ‘பேர் அன்பினனே’ meaning ‘he, who is filled with immense love’, the said praises are outlined. From these abstractions, the verse turns to focus on a truly delightful little thing – ‘a house sparrow’ in ‘உள்ளூர்க் குரீஇ’. It makes me happy to report that I saw three of these birds this very morning, outside my window, hopping and chasing each other, making my eyes dance as I followed their moves! Returning to their ancient ancestors in this verse, we meet with a ‘துள்ளுநடைச் சேவல்’ meaning ‘a male that hops spiritedly’. A point to note is how the word ‘சேவல்’ has come to mean ‘a rooster’ in contemporary Tamil, whereas in Sangam times, it seems to have been used to refer to the ‘male of any bird species’. Differentiating the state of the female from the male, appears the phrase ‘சூல் முதிர் பேடை’ meaning ‘a pregnant mate’. In addition to these adorable birds, we also get to meet ‘a sweet rod-like sugarcane’ in ‘தீம் கழைக் கரும்பு’ and its ‘white flowers, which lack fragrance’ in ‘நாறா வெண் பூ’. Ending with the words ‘பாணன் வாயே’ meaning ‘in the words of the bard’, the verse invites us to unravel the hidden story.
What do petite birds have got to say about the pleasantest of men? The context reveals that the man and lady had been leading a happy, married life, when the man took to keeping the company of courtesans. This causes the lady to be filled with anger. Realising the mistake in his ways and wanting to return home, the man sends the bard as his messenger to the lady’s house. After listening to the bard’s plea, the confidante says to him, “‘He is sweeter than anyone else and one, filled with great love’ – But, only in the words of the bard as he describes the man of the prosperous town, wherein a male house sparrow with a bounce in its step, intending to craft a nest for its pregnant mate to lay its eggs, flies towards the honey-filled, sweet rod-like sugarcane and plucks the odourless, white flowers!”. With these words, the confidante is refusing to accept the words of the bard, and thereby, conveying that the lady’s ire is, in no way, diminished.
Now, for the nuances! The confidante starts by repeating the words of the singer, who seems to have talked about what a sweet person the man is, and how filled with goodness and love, he is. After mentioning these words, she sketches the twin portraits of a male house sparrow, happily hopping about, and that of its mate, fully pregnant, and no doubt, slow in its stride. Then, she turns the focus on the male, which rushes towards the sugarcane plants, bursting with honey, and chooses the plant’s pale, odourless flowers, so as to make a nest for its mate to lay its eggs. What a considerate male bird! Mentioning this scene as if only to outline the fertile nature of the man’s town, the confidante finishes by connecting back to the singer’s words of praise about the man.
In a nutshell, the confidante tells the singer, ‘Only in your words, the man seems so upright’, implying that in real, the man did not live up to that good image. Even as she describes the actions of the male sparrow, the confidante places a metaphor for how the man seemed to ignore his sweet and good wife, like the sparrow, which ignores the sweet sugarcane stems, and instead, he focusses on the transient pleasures of the characterless courtesans, bridging it to the odourless, colourless sugarcane flowers that the sparrow plucks. While presenting the thoughtfulness of this male sparrow in tending to its mate, the confidante also contrasts how the man did not even have the concern and care of a sparrow in his land and yet, the bard seemed to be propping him up so. As for us, we can choose to set aside the beats of this domestic war and focus on the sweet melody of those serene sparrows, chirping in the air!
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