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In this episode, we observe the plight of a lady at a midnight hour, as portrayed in Sangam Literary work, Kurunthogai 244, penned by Kannanaar. The verse is situated in the hills of ‘Kurinji’ and speaks in the voice of the confidante to the man, passing on a hidden message asking him to seek the lady’s hand in marriage.
பல்லோர் துஞ்சும் நள்ளென் யாமத்து,
உரவுக் களிறுபோல் வந்து, இரவுக் கதவு முயறல்
கேளேம் அல்லேம்; கேட்டனெம்-பெரும!-
ஓரி முருங்கப் பீலி சாய
நல் மயில் வலைப் பட்டாங்கு, யாம்
உயங்குதொறும் முயங்கும், அறன் இல் யாயே.
‘Not in a position to respond’ says this verse! The opening words ‘பல்லோர் துஞ்சும் நள்ளென் யாமத்து’ narrates the time of the incident for it means ‘a time when many sleep – the pitch dark hour of midnight’. In ‘உரவுக் களிறுபோல்’ meaning ‘in the manner of a powerful male elephant’, we see a majestic simile revealing the actions of the protagonist. Following the animal, it’s the turn of a bird to appear in ‘நல் மயில் வலைப் பட்டாங்கு’ meaning ‘akin to a fine peacock caught in a net’. Ending with the words ‘அறன் இல் யாயே’ meaning ‘mother who lacks justice’, the verse intrigues our curiosity.
Sounds as if mother is putting the brakes on something the girls want! The context reveals that the man and lady were leading a love relationship and the man was trysting with the lady by night for a while. One night, he is unable to meet the lady and when he next sees the confidante, the man asks her the reason for it. To the man, the confidante says, “At the midnight hour when many are deep asleep, akin to a strong elephant, you came and tried to open the night door. It’s not that we didn’t hear the sound. We did, indeed, O lord! With its crest crushed and feathers ruined, a fine peacock gets caught in a net. Akin to that bird, when we shuddered, our unjust mother embraced us!” With these words, the confidante indirectly tells the man that the only way for him to enjoy the lady’s company would be to seek a permanent union with her.
‘Marry her, marry her’ says the lady’s best friend! She starts by referring to the man’s arrival the previous night. It was pitch dark all around, a time when when many are sleep that the man arrived like a sturdy male elephant, the confidante describes. Note how the confidante pays subtle compliments to the strength and charm of the man by equating him to an elephant. Then, she goes on to talk about how he tried to open the night door. The man can’t have made too loud a noise for it would have woken up the entire house. Even that gentle sound fell on their ears, the confidante confirms. At that moment, the lady seems to have shivered like a peafowl caught in a net, its crest shaking and feathers trembling. Mother who happened to be sleeping next to the lady, seems to have thought her poor daughter was frightened about something and she kindly hugged the lady tightly. However, the confidante concludes her words with an epithet calling mother, ‘a person of injustice’!
When someone stops you from doing something you want, they do seem so unfair, don’t they? It’s this very sentiment that the confidante feels about the mother. But beyond what happened, what the confidante means is that the lady is caught like that helpless peafowl, in the protection of mother. Their home has turned a cage for the lady and now is the time for the man to stand up tall like that strapping elephant and do what it takes to marry the lady and enjoy lasting happiness, the confidante implies. In the personalities of animals and birds, the verse projects the present situation and the future course of action in a lucid manner. Wildlife for life lessons seems to be the motto of Sangam poets!
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