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In this episode, we perceive a unique technique of persuasion, as portrayed in Sangam Literary work, Kurunthogai 176, penned by Varumulaiyaarithiyaar. Set in the mountains of ‘Kurinji’, the verse speaks in the voice of the confidante to the lady, conveying the worry in her heart and concealing a hidden message about the lady’s path forward.
ஒரு நாள் வாரலன்; இரு நாள் வாரலன்;
பல் நாள் வந்து, பணிமொழி பயிற்றி, என்
நன்னர் நெஞ்சம் நெகிழ்த்த பின்றை,
வரை முதிர் தேனின் போகியோனே-
ஆசு ஆகு எந்தை-யாண்டு உளன்கொல்லோ?
வேறு புலன் நல் நாட்டுப் பெய்த
ஏறுடை மழையின் கலிழும், என் நெஞ்சே.
‘He is the right one’ is the thought at the core of this verse. The opening words ‘ஒரு நாள் வாரலன் இரு நாள் வாரலன் பல் நாள் வந்து’ meaning ‘he came not for one day or two days but for many days’ talk about the perseverance in that man’s efforts. The alliterative phrase ‘பணிமொழி பயிற்றி’ meaning ‘speaking soft and polite words’ paints a portrait of a person’s humble nature. And, the consequence of interacting with this person is represented by another alliterative phrase ‘நெஞ்சம் நெகிழ்த்த’ meaning ‘melting the heart’. ‘வரை முதிர் தேன்’ meaning ‘mature mountain honey’ throws light on this oft-mentioned delicacy in the hills and tickles the listener’s taste buds. Ending with the words ‘ஏறுடை மழையின் கலிழும் என் நெஞ்சே’ meaning ‘akin to the thunder-resounding rain waters, muddled is my heart’, the verse welcomes us to listen with empathy.
At first, there’s clarity in the portrait of gentleness and preciousness, and towards the end, there’s confusion. The context reveals that the man had met the lady and fallen in love with her. As custom dictated, the man approaches the lady’s confidante to further his relationship with the lady. One day, long after their interactions, the confidante comes to the lady and says, “He did not come for a day or two. But, he came for many days, and spoke humble words, which made my good heart soften. After that, akin to a mature mountain honey drop, he vanished. That protective, father-like man – wonder where he is now? Akin to the rushing stream on which, accompanied with thunder, rain has poured in a different land, muddied is my mind!” With these words, the confidante sketches the portrait of the kind man who was interested in the lady and nudges her friend to accept his love proposal.
Honey drops and rain drops fall in this one! The confidante starts by narrating the recent actions of the man. To talk about his persistence, she says he approached the confidante not just for a single day or a couple of days and gave up. She says he came to her many, many days and every time, spoke kind and gentle words. Narrating how the man’s actions melted her heart, the confidante says he disappeared like a drop of mountain honey that brims over and falls away. After this, the confidante calls the man, someone to lean on, a person to be respected and valued like the lady’s father, in other words, a leader. Wondering where he was just then, the confidante talks about a river in a faraway country on which falls a heavy downpour, accompanied by lightning and thunder, and just like how muddy that river would be, her own heart was muddled, she concludes.
Let’s reverse for a moment to the context. A few songs ago, we saw how the man was frustrated by the confidante’s lack of acceptance and was speaking of riding the palmyra horse. This verse seems to appear before such a drastic statement by the man. With his determination and humility, the man seems to have won the confidante’s confidence. Now, she brings that message to the lady and props up the good qualities of the man. Concealing a subtle metaphor in the scene of the falling mountain honey, the confidante hopes her own words will not fall to waste akin to that sweet honey drop. By talking about how worried her heart was about the man, placing it in parallel to a muddy river in the rain, the confidante narrates how worthy the man is. Hearing these words, the lady would no doubt convey her acceptance of the man’s proposal and this good news would be relayed to the waiting man. A little deception on the part of the confidante to understand and to reach through to her friend’s heart. Amidst all this courtship drama, we are left with the taste of that drop of mountain honey that tells so much about the flavours of love and life in this ancient land.
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