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In this episode, we perceive how a simile from a farming field prints tracks of the heart, as portrayed in Sangam Literary work, Kurunthogai 131, penned by Or Er Uzhavanaar. Set in the drylands of ‘Paalai’, the verse speaks in the voice of the man to his heart, as his mission ends and his promised season of return approaches.
ஆடு அமை புரையும் வனப்பின் பணைத் தோள்
பேர் அமர்க் கண்ணி இருந்த ஊரே
நெடுஞ் சேண் ஆர் இடையதுவே; நெஞ்சே,
ஈரம் பட்ட செவ்விப் பைம் புனத்து
ஓர் ஏர் உழவன் போல,
பெரு விதுப்பு உற்றன்றால்; நோகோ யானே
‘So little time and so much to do’ is the central thought here. In the opening words ‘ஆடு அமை’, the oft-sought simile of ‘swaying bamboos’ is summoned. As expected, we can see ‘வனப்பின் பணைத் தோள்’ following the bamboos, and this means ‘beautiful, thick arms’. From a person’s beauty, the focus turns to a place in ‘நெடுஞ் சேண் ஆர் இடையதுவே’ meaning ‘at a great distance and inaccessible’. The phrase ‘ஈரம் பட்ட செவ்விப் பைம் புனத்து’ meaning ‘the fresh field, filled with moisture and in the right texture’ paints a word portrait of a field in that perfect state to be sown. Following this appears, ‘ஓர் ஏர் உழவன்’ meaning ‘a farmer with a single plough’, striking words which have gone on to render the name of this song’s poet, whose real name is lost in time. Ending with the words ‘நோகோ யானே’ meaning ‘I suffer’, the verse invites us to listen with empathy.
A lady with rich bamboo arms and a farmer with a single plough – The contrast of abundance and scarcity can be glimpsed in this one! The context reveals that the man and lady were leading a love relationship when the man parted with the lady to gather wealth for their wedding. Before he leaves his lady, he promises to return by a specific season. He completes his work and at that time realises that his promised season of return was nearing. So, the man turns to his heart and says, “Akin to swaying bamboos are those beautiful, slender arms in the lady, who has huge, serene eyes. The town she lives is at a great distance and is difficult to reach. But, akin to a farmer with a single plough on a field with the right moisture and texture to be sown, my heart is filled with much haste, and so I suffer.” With these words, the man characterises the state of his heart, filled with worry at making it back to his lady in time.
How can I be with the lady right this instant is the question that throbs in the man’s mind! First, the man reflects on the lady’s beauty by talking about her bamboo-like arms and then her beautiful and peaceful eyes. After mentioning the lady with these glowing words, the man turns to talk about where she lives and unlike the lady, the place has the negative qualities of being far away and hard to reach. Just then, the image of a field that is all ready to be ploughed and sown, with the right amount of moisture, appears before the man’s mind. Then, he points to the owner of this field, a farmer who has just one plough to finish the time-bound task before him. If he had multiple ploughs, the farmer could hire other workers and finish his task with time to spare. However, this farmer has but one plough and that’s exactly how his heart feels, the man explains to us, as it rushes with mad fury to reach the lady in time, leaving him in much suffering.
An acute understanding of the inner workings of a mind as it contemplates a promise given, the anxiety to fulfil it and the scarcity of time and resources that stand in the way. When we reflect, it’s that simile that shows the emotion in the man’s mind by bringing to fore, the same emotion in another person in another situation. Even if it is like a single plough in a vast field, such insightfulness about one’s heart is all that’s needed to face challenges in one’s path!
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