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In this episode, we perceive the power of similes and metaphors in describing a personality, as portrayed in Sangam Literary work, Kurunthogai 265, penned by Karuvoor Kathapillai. Set in the mountains of ‘Kurinji’, the verse speaks in the voice of the confidante to the lady, allaying the lady’s worry that the man parted away without seeking her hand in marriage.
காந்தள்அம் கொழு முகை, காவல்செல்லாது,
வண்டு வாய் திறக்கும் பொழுதில், பண்டும்
தாம் அறி செம்மைச் சான்றோர்க் கண்ட
கடன் அறி மாக்கள் போல, இடன் விட்டு,
இதழ் தளை அவிழ்ந்த ஏகல் வெற்பன்
நன்னர் நெஞ்சத்தன்-தோழி!-நின் நிலை
யான் தனக்கு உரைத்தனென் ஆக,
தான் நாணினன், இஃது ஆகாவாறே.
‘A gracious and thoughtful person, he is’, says a voice in this verse. The opening words ‘காந்தள்அம் கொழு முகை’ meaning ‘thick clusters of the flame-lily’, conjure that unique and striking flower of the Western Ghats. In ‘வண்டு வாய் திறக்கும் பொழுதில்’ meaning ‘at the time when bees open the buds’, we can hear loud buzzing around a blossom. A simile involving an abstract event makes an appearance in ‘செம்மைச் சான்றோர்க் கண்ட கடன் அறி மாக்கள் போல’ meaning ‘akin to responsible people who see the most noble’. Warm words of a commendation can be heard in ‘நன்னர் நெஞ்சத்தன்’ meaning ‘a man with a good heart’. Ending with the words ‘தான் நாணினன், இஃது ஆகாவாறே’ meaning ‘he felt shame that this shouldn’t be so’, the verse intrigues our curiosity.
Buzzing bees, blossoming buds and a blameless beau stride through this one! The context reveals that the man and lady were leading a love relationship and the man was trysting with the lady for a while. One day, the lady hears the news that the man has parted away and she worries that he has forsaken her and left without seeking her hand in marriage. Understanding the lady’s anxiety, the confidante says to her, “Instead of waiting for the fleshy buds of the flame lily to bloom, when bees pierce open the blossoms, akin to how people, who know their duties, would respond when they see the noble, whom they have known for long, the petals give way and open out in the soaring mountains of the lord. He has a good heart, my friend! When he heard me relate your state to him, he was overcome with shame, and declared, ‘this will not continue anymore’!” With these words, the confidante assures the lady that the man has left only to gather wealth for his wedding with the lady and that he would return soon to claim the lady’s hand.
All we heard of was a scene in nature and another abstract event involving the noble, and how does the confidante render her message with clarity and conviction? Let’s explore by listening to her words closely. The confidante starts by zooming on to a flame-lily that seems to be in a closed state, with its curvy petals locked with each other. Then, she points to how the bees around seem to be in a state of impatience, for they are seen poking open those closed clusters of the flame-lily. Pressing the ‘pause’ button on this scene, the confidante transports us to a home, where people, who are virtuous and have a sense of duty, live. When these people see the approach of some learned and noble persons of their acquaintance, they welcome them with much respect, even if the visit was unexpected. Now, turning to press ‘play’ on that scene in nature, the confidante explains like how the duty-minded welcome the noble, the petals too give way to the bees and open out their buds. Ending this scene as if only to describe the man’s mountains, where such scenes unfold, the confidante then goes on to talk about how the man was one with a kind heart and narrates how when she told him of the lady’s state, he felt shame and declared, ‘no more’!
Why does the man feel shame? What exactly did the confidante tell him? To understand deeply, we need to take another look at the scene of the flame-lily opening its buds to the bees. Although the flame lily was not yet ready to blossom, understanding the need of the bees, the petals opened out. That is a metaphor for how although he was not yet thinking of seeking the lady’s hand, when like the bees, the confidante told him about the lady’s languishing state when he left after his tryst and how this could lead to slander and gossip, the man immediately decided to seek the lady’s hand in marriage, akin to those gracious petals of the flame-lily opening out. And with that vivid image, the confidante totally slays all doubt and anxiety in the lady’s mind and fills the lady’s heart with a compassionate portrait of the man, who couldn’t bear to be the reason that his beloved was in a state of worry. The lady is lucky indeed to have the confidante as the voice of reason when depressing doubts crossed her mind. With effort, we can nurture that confidante within our minds so that when angst and suffering block our path, we will know how to sprout wings to soar above!
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