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In this episode, we relish references to nature stitched seamlessly into this song on relationships, as depicted in Sangam Literary work, Kurunthogai 138, penned by Kollan Azhisi. Set in the mountains of ‘Kurinji’, the verse speaks in the voice of the confidante to the lady, passing on a hidden message to the man, listening nearby.
கொன் ஊர் துஞ்சினும் யாம் துஞ்சலமே,
எம் இல் அயலது ஏழில் உம்பர்
மயில் அடி இலைய மா குரல் நொச்சி
அணி மிகு மென் கொம்பு ஊழ்த்த
மணி மருள் பூவின் பாடு, நனி கேட்டே
‘Sleepless, she is’ is the core thought here! Starting with the words ‘கொன் ஊர் துஞ்சினும்’ meaning ‘even if the fearsome town sleeps’, the verse makes us wonder how and why a town would kindle fear in someone. Next, we glimpse at ‘a mountain peak’ in ‘ஏழில் உம்பர்’, which refers to the ‘Ezhil Kundram in Nannan’s country’, celebrated for its immense wealth in Natrinai 391. Following this, another familiar face greets us in ‘மா குரல் நொச்சி’ talking about ‘a chaste tree with dark flowers’, which are again highlighted in ‘மணி மருள் பூ’ meaning ‘the sapphire-coloured flowers’. Ending with the words ‘நனி கேட்டே’ meaning ‘listened to it very well’, the verse invites us to do the same.
Sleeping town and sapphire flowers – Sounds like a blissful time but wonder what storms hide within. The context reveals that the man and lady had been leading a love relationship and that the man had been trysting with the lady for a while. One day, seeing the man near their house, pretending not to notice him, but making sure he’s in earshot, the confidante says to the lady, “Even if our fear-evoking town slept, we didn’t. Near our home, atop the ‘Ezhil’ peak, stands a ‘nochchi’ tree, with leaves akin to a peacock’s feet and dark clusters. As its beautiful, soft branches shed sapphire-hued flowers, we heard that sound very well, indeed!” With these words, the confidante informs the man how the lady had waited for him all night, only to be disappointed by his absence.
Time to relish the delicious details of this verse! The confidante opens with the statement that while their formidable town slept, they did not. Why is the town described as ‘formidable’ or ‘fearsome’? With that single adjective, the confidante is characterising the slanderous nature of their town, as they were indulging in gossiping about the lady’s relationship with the man all day. Tired from all their talk, it seems as if the town had slept through the night. While that may be, the lady caught no sleep at all, the confidante says. That’s the message she wants to convey to the listening man but if she had stopped with that, it would be a forgotten statement not a long-lasting poem!
To vividly capture that night of sleeplessness, the confidante points to the ‘Ezhil’ hill that was close to their home, adding that on the peak, grew ‘nochchi’ trees. She goes on to describe the leaves of this chaste tree by placing it in parallel to a peacock’s feet. An image search on these two terms will leave you wowed about the aptness in this instance of intricate connection between plants and animals, which Sangam folks were experts at identifying. From the leaves, the confidante turns to the dark clusters of flowers beautifying the branches and says that as those sapphire-coloured flowers fell, the lady was up, listening to that sound all night. Imagine the silence of the night if a lady in a home at some distance from the chaste trees on the hill’s peak could hear this subtle sound. The capture of that sleepless night long ago in the words and feelings of someone transports us back in time, and makes it possible, even for us, living amidst horns and drills, to listen to the music of falling flowers!
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