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In this episode, we listen to the ecstatic words of a returning man, as depicted in Sangam Literary work, Kurunthogai 270, penned by Paandiyan Pannaadu Thanthaan. Set in the forests of ‘Mullai’, the verse speaks in the voice of the man to the rainclouds, conveying his contentment at being back in the company of the lady.
தாழ்இருள் துமிய மின்னி, தண்ணென
வீழ் உறை இனிய சிதறி, ஊழின்
கடிப்பு இகு முரசின் முழங்கி, இடித்து இடித்துப்
பெய்க, இனி; வாழியோ, பெரு வான்!-யாமே,
செய்வினை முடித்த செம்மல் உள்ளமொடு
இவளின் மேவினம் ஆகி, குவளைக்
குறுந் தாள் நாள்மலர் நாறும்
நறு மென் கூந்தல் மெல் அணையேமே.
‘Pour away to your heart’s content’ is the core theme here. In the opening words ‘தாழ்இருள் துமிய மின்னி’ meaning ‘flashing so as to ruin the resident darkness’, the verse talks about the visual drama enacted by a raincloud. Next, it’s a tactile message in ‘தண்ணென வீழ் உறை இனிய சிதறி’ meaning ‘huge water drops falling sweetly with coolness’. Having talked about the senses of sight and touch, now, it’s the turn of sound in ‘கடிப்பு இகு முரசின் முழங்கி’ meaning ‘resounding with the beat of sticks on drums’. The sound quality of this song soars in the words ‘இடித்து இடித்துப் பெய்க’ meaning ‘Thunder, thunder and pour’. In this alliteratively beautiful line ‘செய்வினை முடித்த செம்மல் உள்ளமொடு’ meaning ‘with a towering heart that has completed its duty’, we sense the deep satisfaction that comes when a task in the mind becomes a reality. The sense of smell, not wanting to be left out, smiles at us in ‘குவளைக் குறுந் தாள் நாள்மலர் நாறும்’ meaning ‘with the smell of a short-stemmed lily that has bloomed just today’. Ending with the words ‘மெல் அணையேமே’ meaning ‘lying on this soft bed’, the verse welcomes us to listen closely to this expression of delight.
A sensorial treat indeed! The context reveals that the man and lady were leading a happy, married life when the man had to part with her to gather wealth. A long time afterwards, the man returns home. Turning to the rainclouds looming in the skies, he says, “Flashing to bring death to darkness, showering coolness as those huge drops fall so sweetly, roaring like drums struck with small sticks per tradition, thunder away and pour down now! May you live long, O great skies! As for me, with the content heart of having completed my task, I’m back with her, lying on the gentle bed of her soft, fragrant tresses, wafting with the scent of the just-bloomed, short-stalked lilies!” With these words, the man pours out the exuberance in his heart even as he celebrates the rain for pouring at the right moment!
Any way you look at it, it’s a downpour and of the welcome kind! The man starts by narrating one after the other, the events of a shower. First, it’s the visually stunning lightning flashing its sword of death on the darkness all around. Next, it’s the cool and sweet drops of rain that fall from above. This is followed by the roar of thunder, which the man likens to the sound of sticks throbbing on drums. In this manner, ‘Pour away’, the man says to the raincloud, with a blessing, even as he begins his own pouring out of the heart. He mentions how his heart seems to be soaring as high as the clouds because he has accomplished what he set out to do and now, he’s back with his lady. To detail his happy state, the man describes how he’s lying on the bed of the lady’s soft tresses, which seem to have the fragrance of a lily that bloomed right then. Sounds like the man is in a heaven of delight right here on earth!
The highlight of this verse is that delicious feeling of satisfaction, which arises when you do the thing you set out to do. In another Sangam verse, Natrinai 3 to be exact, there’s a favourite expression of mine ‘உள்ளிய வினை முடித்தன்ன இனியோள்’ meaning ‘a woman as sweet as the feeling of completing an intended task’. And these verses showcase how much the Sangam folks valued the fulfilment of a plan. This results in a feeling, which is a nuanced mixture of victory, gratefulness and awe, and no wonder, the man is relishing the rains with such evident joy… for when the heart is singing of a song, doesn’t the world around seem to join along?
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