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In this episode, we perceive a lady’s wondering question about the man, as portrayed in Sangam Literary work, Kurunthogai 190, penned by Poothampullanaar. Set in the forest regions of ‘Mullai’, the verse speaks in the voice of lady to her confidante, expressing her state of mind as she’s parted away from the man.
நெறி இருங்கதுப்பொடு பெருந்தோள் நீவிச்
செறி வளை நெகிழச் செய் பொருட்கு அகன்றோர்,
அறிவர் கொல், வாழி தோழி, பொறி வரி
வெஞ்சின அரவின் பைந்தலை துமிய
உரவுரும் உரறும் அரை இருள் நடுநாள்,
நல் ஏறு இயங்குதொறு இயம்பும்
பல் ஆன் தொழுவத்து ஒரு மணிக் குரலே.
‘Won’t he know’ is the core question here! In the opening words ‘stroking my thick, dark, wavy hair and wide shoulders’, we glimpse at the physical attributes of a lady. The phrase ‘செறி வளை நெகிழ’ meaning ‘making tight bangles slip away’ proclaims it’s a case of Sangam pining. Thereafter, in ‘பொறி வரி வெஞ்சின அரவு’, ‘a spotted and striped fearsome snake’ raises its hood. Time of the day is evident in ‘அரை இருள் நடுநாள்’ meaning ‘the dark midnight hour’. Following that mention of a snake, there’s description of ‘நல் ஏறு’ meaning ‘fine bull’. Ending with the words ‘ஒரு மணிக் குரலே’ meaning ‘the sound of a single bell’, the verse intrigues our curiosity.
Spotted snakes and slipping bangles – what an odd combination! The context reveals that the man and lady were leading a married life, when the man parted away to gather wealth. One day, after time had passed, the lady says to her confidante, “Caressing my dark, wavy hair and wide shoulders, he parted to gather wealth making my tight-set bangles slip away. Does he know, my friend? May you live long! Striking the green heads of striped and spotted fierce snakes, powerful thunder roars in the darkness of midnight. Just then, as a good bull moves amidst the barn, filled with many cows, the note of a single bell rises!” With these words, the lady asks a pointed question about the man, who continues to remain parted away.
What is that question throbbing in the lady’s heart? Let’s listen to her words closely to find out. The lady starts by recollecting the moment of parting by the man. Before he left, he seems to have been thoughtful enough to express his affection by caressing the lady’s hair and gently touching her shoulders. Even the sweetest of farewells must end in pain, the lady implies by talking about how later her tight bangles started slipping away, affected by the man’s separation. Then she asks the question ‘does he know?’. What exactly, she gives no further explanation, but instead starts to talk about the striped and spotted snake that’s attacked by thunder. That scene depicting the Sangam belief that thunder was ruinous to snakes is described to give indication about the time of the day, which happens to be midnight. At this time, a fine stud bull is roaming in the cow barn and as it moves about, the sound of a single bell soars and reaches her ears, the lady concludes.
Even amidst the roar of thunder, that tiny tinkling of a bell falls on the lady’s ears. This tell us that she’s sleepless, tossing and turning in her bed and as that bell sound reaches her, her loneliness reaches a peak, for this bell rings from the neck of a bull, signifying its togetherness with a cow, and this seems to sharply remind the lady of the man’s absence. Now we understand that the question the lady asks her confidante is, ‘won’t my man realise the suffering I go through as I listen to the laughter of the bull’s bell in this midnight hour?’ Hoping that the expression of her angst brings relief to the lady, let’s turn our attention to that tinkling bell. That it’s a single bell sound tells us that it was only the bull that was adorned with bells and not the cows. Perhaps, the bell was a helping hand rendered by humans to the bull in its mating pursuits. A peacock has its brilliant plume, a male deer has its antlers. Could it be that humans decided to do their bit for stud bulls they rear by tying bells to entice cows? As we mull on these facets of life, we come to realise that even though so many verses dwell on the same theme of the separated lady and her suffering, if we look carefully enough, we can find things to fascinate us. Isn’t it much like day to day life, wherein although scenes may remain the same, the seeing need not!
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