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In this episode, we perceive the projection of human emotions on wild life, as portrayed in Sangam Literary work, Kurunthogai 307, penned by Kadampanoor Saandiliyanaar. The verse is situated in the drylands of ‘Paalai’ and speaks in the voice of the lady to the confidante, in response to the confidante’s words, chiding the lady to bear with the man’s parting.
வளை உடைத்தனையது ஆகி, பலர் தொழ,
செவ் வாய் வானத்து ஐயெனத் தோன்றி,
இன்னம் பிறந்தன்று, பிறையே; அன்னோ,
மறந்தனர்கொல்லோ தாமே-களிறு தன்
உயங்குநடை மடப்பிடி வருத்தம் நோனாது,
நிலை உயர் யாஅம் தொலையக் குத்தி,
வெண் நார் கொண்டு, கை சுவைத்து, அண்ணாந்து,
அழுங்கல் நெஞ்சமொடு முழங்கும்
அத்த நீள் இடை அழப் பிரிந்தோரே?
‘Won’t he hear my anguish?’ cries a voice in this verse. The opening words ‘வளை உடைத்தனையது ஆகி’ meaning ‘taking the shape of a broken bangle’ brings before us, a dynamic simile. In ‘இன்னம் பிறந்தன்று பிறையே’, we learn of the object being compared, for it means ‘in this manner, the crescent moon is born’. All the angst within rings aloud in ‘மறந்தனர்கொல்லோ’ meaning ‘did he forget?’. Next, we are presented with the appearance of wildlife in ‘களிறு’ meaning ‘male elephant’ and ‘மடப்பிடி’ meaning ‘naive female elephant’. Following fauna appears flora in ‘நிலை உயர் யாஅம்’ meaning ‘the tall ‘ya’ tree’, the old name for this tree found in dry river basins of South India, called as ‘aacha’ in contemporary Tamil and Malayalam. The verse throbs with pain in the words ‘அழுங்கல் நெஞ்சமொடு முழங்கும்’ meaning ‘roars with a heavy heart’. Ending with the words ‘அழப் பிரிந்தோரே’ meaning ‘he, who went away, leaving me in tears’, the verse evokes our empathy.
Anxiety, sadness, worry and tears seem to overflow in this one! The context reveals that the man and lady were leading a love relationship when the man parted away to gather wealth for their wedding. In his absence, the lady languishes and the confidante scolds her saying she must bear better with the man’s parting, so as not to invite slander. To the confidante, the lady says, “Becoming like a broken bangle, for many to worship, the crescent moon appears on the red skies suddenly. Alas, he has forgotten me, hasn’t he? Unable to bear the sorrow of its young mate with a worried gait, the male elephant pierces the soaring ‘ya’ tree and peels the white bark, then tasting it, it looks up and with a miserable heart trumpets aloud in the long paths of the drylands, where the man, who made me shed tears, left to!” With these words, the lady explains how it seems impossible for her to bear with the man’s parting.
What does this poem have to say about the oft-repeated sadness of separation? Let’s find out by listening to the lady’s words closely. She starts by talking about something in the shape of a broken conch bangle. Then she continues saying that this something appears suddenly on the evening skies and is worshipped by many. Revealing this thing in the red skies to be a crescent moon, the lady then asks whether the man has forgotten about her. Then, she describes where he is by bringing before our eyes a much anxious male elephant. According to the lady, the male elephant is anxious because of the pain and sorrow in its female and wanting to allay its hunger, it pierces the trunk of a ‘ya’ tree and peels the bark to see if there are juicy fibres within. Disappointed, it drops the bark and raising its trunk up above, it trumpets aloud, making that drylands path on which the man’s walking, quake with its emotion.
The question in the lady’s mind is, even after hearing such a pitiful cry from the elephant, won’t the man think of her and return. In the mention of the crescent moon, the lady implies that the night is upon them and the man is nowhere to be seen still, perhaps also thinking about how he parted on a crescent moon night, some time ago. What I see as a highlight of this verse, is the way human emotions of worrying about one’s mate and wanting to provide for them, are transferred to wild life. Seeing these beings as not different from humans is a much needed quality in these times of rampant development at the cost of protecting wild life. Although the Sangam folks would not have written from such an ecological perspective, we can choose to see, accept and uphold the oneness of all life in these ancient words!
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