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In this episode, we perceive references to trees in two different geographical regions, as portrayed in Sangam Literary work, Kurunthogai 281, penned by Kudavaayil Keerathanaar. Set in the drylands of ‘Paalai’, the verse speaks in the voice of the lady to her confidante, expressing her inability to bear with the man’s parting.
வெண் மணற் பொதுளிய பைங் கால் கருக்கின்
கொம்மைப் போந்தைக் குடுமி வெண் தோட்டு,
அத்த வேம்பின் அமலை வான் பூச்
சுரி ஆர் உளைத் தலை பொலியச் சூடி,
குன்று தலைமணந்த கானம்
சென்றனர்கொல்லோ-சேயிழை!-நமரே?
‘Parted away, hasn’t he?’ sighs a voice in this verse. The opening words ‘வெண் மணற் பொதுளிய’ meaning ‘flourishing on white sands’ immediately brings before our eyes, a seashore. In ‘போந்தைக் குடுமி’, our eyes soar to the ‘peak of a palm tree’. Giving company to the palm tree, stands the ‘அத்த வேம்பின் அமலை வான் பூ’ meaning ‘the drylands’ neem tree’s dense white flowers’. The texture of a person’s hair is evident in ‘சுரி ஆர் உளைத் தலை’ meaning ‘the head covered thickly with curly hair’. Ending with the words ‘சென்றனர்கொல்லோ சேயிழை நமரே’ meaning ‘Didn’t he leave, my bejewelled friend?’, the verse welcomes us to know more.
A couple of trees seem to hold the hidden meaning in this verse. The context reveals that the man and the lady were leading a happy, married life when the man parted away to gather wealth. The lady languished in his absence and the confidante advises the lady to bear better with the man’s parting. To the confidante, the lady says, “Soaring on white sands, the green-trunked palm tree with thorny leaf sheaths flourishes with young white leaflets on its top. Interweaving one such tender palm leaf with the neem’s white flowers found aplenty in the drylands and adorning his curly hair with these flowers, he has parted away to the forests found in between the mountains, hasn’t he, O friend, decked with glowing red jewels?” With these words, the lady hints that the man has parted away at a time when it was impossible to bear that.
Time to explore the nuances. The lady talks about the white sands, no doubt of a land by the sea and points to a palm tree growing here. She mentions the different parts of the tree, first its green trunk, then the thorny sheaths where old leaves used to be, and finally soars to the very top of the tree to bring into our view, a tender white leaf. A point to be noted here is not that the leaf is white per se, but only appears so when compared to the other dark green, mature leaves of the tree. Then, she mentions how the man has taken this leaf only to use it as a wreath to tie the white flowers of the neem tree, that grows in the drylands, so as to wear the same on his head, filled with curly locks. Wearing that, the man walks in the jungles in between the peaks, so far away, the lady laments to her friend, bedecked with red gold jewels.
Here, the elements of importance are the palm tree growing in the coastal region and the neem tree flourishing with white flowers in the drylands. Mention of these two trees indicates a long journey where a leaf in a land and flower of another come together. This also signifies the distance between the man and the lady. Another element of importance is the season when the neem flowers. This happens to be early spring, a season unsuitable for lovers to be apart, according to Sangam thought. And that’s how, the lady conveys to her friend her difficulty in bearing with the man’s absence just then. A verse that makes me want to ask the contrary question, ‘Is it really impossible for love to find happiness when apart?’.
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