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In this episode, we observe the protectiveness of a lady towards her man, as depicted in Sangam Literary work, Kurunthogai 245, penned by Maalaimaaranaar. Set in the coastal regions of ‘Neythal’, the verse speaks in the voice of the lady to the confidante, in response to the confidante’s words asking the lady to bear with the man’s parting.
கடல் அம் கானல் ஆயம் ஆய்ந்த என்
நலம் இழந்ததனினும், நனி இன்னாதே-
வாள் போல் வாய கொழு மடல் தாழை
மாலை வேல் நாட்டு வேலி ஆகும்
மெல்லம் புலம்பன் கொடுமை
பல்லோர் அறியப் பரந்து வெளிப்படினே.
‘This is the more important thing’, the verse declares in a decisive voice. The opening words ‘கடல் அம் கானல்’ meaning ‘the alluring grove beside the shore’ situates the song in this coastal landscape. In ‘நலம் இழந்ததனினும், நனி இன்னாதே’ meaning ‘even more than losing beauty, that is terrible’, we see a weighing in of two abstract events. From abstractions, the verse turns to reality in ‘கொழு மடல் தாழை’ meaning ‘the fleshy leaves of the pandanus’, the fragrant tree belonging to this region. ‘மாலை வேல் நாட்டு வேலி’ meaning ‘a fence made with a row of spears’ endow a sense of guarding something. Ending with the words ‘பரந்து வெளிப்படினே’ meaning ‘if it were to spread and become known’, the verse talks about an inherent fear and evokes our empathy.
Fading beauty and a fence that protects are interwoven here! The context reveals that the man and lady were leading a love relationship when the man parted away from her to gather wealth. At this time, the lady languishes and starts losing her health. Seeing this, the confidante advises her to bear better with the man’s parting. To the confidante, the lady says, “Even more than losing my beauty that my playmates in the beautiful seaside orchards have lauded before, this is worse. The fleshy leaves of the ‘thazhai’, with sword-like edges, stand like a row of spears, and seem like a built fence around the gentle shores of the lord. What would be worse is if his cruelty were to be revealed for many to know!” With these words, the lady conveys to her confidante that she understands the importance of not revealing her sadness about the man’s parting to those around her.
Time to explore the nuances. The lady starts by talking about her celebrated beauty that was praised by her playmates in the seashore and mentions that something was worse than losing that beauty. Without directly revealing what that is, she launches into a description about the man’s land, where lines of pandanus trees stand like a well-built fence around his gentle shores. After the description, she connects to what is worse and mentions this to be the man’s cruelty becoming common knowledge!
Cruelty does sound like a harsh word to be applied by the lady on her beloved, but what she is referring to, is the hard heart it took for the man to part away from her, knowing that she couldn’t even bear a moment’s separation from him. In that image of a fence of pandanus trees naturally protecting the man’s shore, the lady places a metaphor for how she has the instincts to protect her man’s good name. Through that, she promises the confidante that she would do what it takes to conceal her emotions and guard her health so that others around do not discover the reason for her sorrow and blame the man. A verse that throws the spotlight on that persevering feeling to protect a beloved even when hurt by their actions!
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