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In this episode, we delight in an expression about love that transcends space, as depicted in Sangam Literary work, Kurunthogai 228, penned by Seythi Valluvar Perunchaathanaar. Set in the coastal regions of ‘Neythal’, the verse speaks in the voice of the lady to the confidante, in response to the friend’s appreciation about the lady bearing well with the man’s parting.
வீழ் தாழ் தாழை ஊழுறு கொழு முகை,
குருகு உளர் இறகின், விரிபு தோடு அவிழும்
கானல் நண்ணிய சிறுகுடி முன்றில்,
திரை வந்து பெயரும் என்ப-நத் துறந்து
நெடுஞ் சேண் நாட்டார் ஆயினும்,
நெஞ்சிற்கு அணியரோ, தண் கடல் நாட்டே.
‘He may be far, but he is close to me’ whispers a voice in this verse. The opening words ‘வீழ் தாழ் தாழை’ meaning ‘hanging flower bunches of the pandanus tree’ brings before our eyes, the fragrant tree, which we relished a couple of songs ago. In ‘குருகு உளர் இறகின்’, we glance at the dynamic image of ‘a seabird drying its feathers after a dip’. ‘திரை வந்து பெயரும் என்ப’ meaning ‘the waves come and go’ talk about the trance-like event happening on a seashore from yore. The phrase ‘நெடுஞ் சேண் நாட்டார்’ meaning ‘living in a faraway country’ hints at the core theme mentioned earlier. Ending with the words ‘நெஞ்சிற்கு அணியரோ தண் கடல் நாட்டே’ meaning ‘close to the heart in that land of cool seas’, the verse welcomes us with a bright smile.
In the sands of that shore, there seems to be written an everlasting song! The context reveals that the man and lady were recently married and the confidante happened to visit the lady in her marital home. Seeing her friend, the confidante recollects how strongly the lady bore with the man’s parting before their marriage and appreciates her. To the confidante, the lady says, “The hanging clusters of the thazhai’s mature, fleshy buds, opens out its outer petals, looking like a seabird that’s drying its feathers, in the grove of the little hamlet, near whose shores, waves come and go from the cold seas of his country. Although he parted and went far away, he remained close within my heart!” With these words, the lady attributes her ability to bear with the man’s parting to his unshakeable presence in her heart.
Time for a deep dive! The lady starts by talking about the blossomed flower clusters of the pandanus tree and how it appears as if a seabird is craning its neck and pruning its feathers so as to dry it out. Having relished this plant-animal connection recently, we move on to the other words the lady utters. She goes on to talk about how near that pandanus tree-filled grove, in the shore of their little village, waves frolic to and fro, and she adds that these waves were said to come from the shores of the land, to where the man had parted away. And so, even though he was so far, she felt him so close in her heart!
A friend listening to words of this nature today would go ‘aww… that’s so beautiful’! Don’t know what that friend from the ancient past replied to the lady, but we can be sure she would be delighted seeing this bond between the man and lady. Through this, we see that the lady takes no credit for bearing with the man’s parting and instead transfers it to the man and to the waves from his country, which she says came to her shores to give her strength. A classic case of refusing appreciation and perhaps, a sign of modesty! But, beyond this, what shines in this verse is the timeless thought that in love, distance does not matter. Be it through the waves, as felt by this lady from an ancient shore, or the breeze, or the skies that wrap this world, and perhaps, someday, even farther out in space, love indeed has the power to leap from far to feel so near to a heart that holds it dear!
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