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In this episode, we listen to the wondering words of a lady, as portrayed in Sangam Literary work, Kurunthogai 299, penned by Venmanipoothiyaar. The verse is situated in the coastal regions of ‘Neythal’ and speaks in the voice of the lady to the confidante, passing on a hidden message to the man, listening nearby.
இது மற்று எவனோ-தோழி! முது நீர்ப்
புணரி திளைக்கும் புள் இமிழ் கானல்,
இணர் வீழ் புன்னை எக்கர் நீழல்,
புணர்குறி வாய்த்த ஞான்றைக் கொண்கற்
கண்டனமன், எம் கண்ணே; அவன் சொல்
கேட்டனமன் எம் செவியே; மற்று-அவன்
மணப்பின் மாண்நலம் எய்தி,
தணப்பின் ஞெகிழ்ப, எம் தட மென் தோளே?
‘What to make of this?’ seems to be the puzzled question here. The verse opens with the words ‘இது மற்று எவனோ’ meaning ‘How strange is this?’ echoing that core theme. In the term ‘முது நீர்’, which translates as ‘ancient waters’, we see a unique description for the oceans. It’s my understanding that this term talks not only about how old the oceans are, but also contrasts it to other forms of water like rain or rivers that are comparatively recent, when placed side by side with the perennial seas. Next, from an element of land, we turn to element of nature in ‘இணர் வீழ் புன்னை’ meaning ‘laurel wood trees, whose fully bloomed flowers are falling’. This is followed by mention of sensory organs in ‘கண்டனமன் எம் கண்ணே’ meaning ‘those which saw are my eyes’ and ‘கேட்டனமன் எம் செவியே’ meaning ‘those which heard are my ears’. Ending with the words ‘எம் தட மென் தோளே’ meaning ‘my curved and gentle arms’, the verse welcomes us to know more.
Seas and trees on one side and eyes, ears and arms on the other – A curious combination indeed! 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, seeing the man arrive near her home, pretending not to notice him, but making sure he’s in earshot, the lady says to the confidante, “What a wonder this is, my friend? In the groves, where calls of seabirds resound and waves of ancient waters dash against and play, under the ‘punnai’ trees, whose blossomed flowers and plentiful shade fall on the sand dune beneath, whenever I get to meet with him, what sees the lord are my eyes and what hears his words are my ears. Still, when I embrace him, they attain health and fine beauty, and when I part from him, they thin and fade away – those curving, soft arms of mine!” With these words, the lady conveys to the listening man how she languishes in his absence and subtly persuades him to seek her hand in marriage.
How is the ‘marry me’ message concealed in this verbal cookie? Let’s listen to the lady’s words to find out. The lady starts off with an amazed question to her friend in the lines of how could this be possible. Before she clarifies what she’s talking about, she takes us near the waves of the sea and points out how these seem to be indulging in their timeless play with the shore, where stands a grove of ‘punnai trees’, home to many flocks of birds, which send out their songs to the skies. In this orchard, the lady zooms on to a particular ‘punnai’ tree, whose glowing white flowers are falling along with the shade of the tree on a sand dune nearby. We understand this fragrant, soft and idyllic spot is the rendezvous of the lady and the man. Here, the lady continues, whenever she has the blessing of meeting with the man, her eyes get to see the man and her ears get to hear his words. Then, she turns her attention to her arms and says, whenever she embraces him, her arms seem to gain health and beauty and the moment he parts away, those very arms waste away and lose their shine.
The question that’s throbbing in the lady’s mind is when it’s the eyes and ears that see and hear the man, why are the arms being subject to happiness and sorrow in togetherness and parting successively? This is to tell the listening man that although joy abounds when he’s around, the moment he leaves, suffering climbs on her shoulders. Being the decent chap that he is, the man will no doubt take all steps to slay his damsel’s distress. As for us, let us leave these young people in love and take a walk on that ancient shore, and listen to the waves as they resound without the hum of the world’s digital noise, step on white sands that know no pollution, breathe in the fragrance of the punnai tree’s flowers that fall with carefree abandon and the satisfaction of spreading its progeny far and wide, and sing along with the birds nesting in the tress with nothing to fear as they call out with love to their beloved!
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