Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music | Android | iHeartRadio | Email | TuneIn | RSS | More
In this episode, we perceive a lady’s immense loneliness, as portrayed in Sangam Literary work, Kurunthogai 310, penned by Perunkannanaar. Set in the coastal regions of ‘Neythal’, the verse speaks in the voice of the lady to the confidante, in response to the confidante’s words that the lady should bear better with the man’s parting.
புள்ளும் புலம்பின; பூவும் கூம்பின;
கானலும் புலம்பு நனி உடைத்தே; வானமும்,
நம்மே போலும் மம்மர்த்து ஆகி,
எல்லை கழியப் புல்லென்றன்றே;
இன்னும் உளெனே-தோழி!-இந் நிலை
தண்ணிய கமழும் ஞாழல்
தண்ணம் துறைவற்கு உரைக்குநர்ப் பெறினே.
‘Loneliness crowds around me’ declares this verse. In the opening words ‘புள்ளும் புலம்பின’ meaning ‘the birds call out from their nests, all alone’ mentions the first element that echoes the core emotion; That the time of the day is evening becomes evident in ‘பூவும் கூம்பின’ meaning ‘buds close’. Learnt a new word for ‘being confused’ in ‘மம்மர்த்து ஆகி’. The phrase ‘எல்லை கழியப் புல்லென்றன்றே’ meaning ‘as the sun sets, it becomes listless’ talks about that sinking feeling sensed at dusk by those separated in love. Ending with the words ‘உரைக்குநர்ப் பெறினே’ meaning ‘if I were to get someone to say this’, the verse invites us to know more.
What should be said and to whom? The context reveals that the man and lady were leading a love relationship when the man parted away to gather wealth for their wedding. Seeing the lady losing her health in pining, her confidante admonishes her and says she must bear better with the man’s parting. To the confidante, the lady says, “Birds call out in lament; Blooms close their buds; The seashore grove becomes filled with loneliness too; The skies, like us, seem confused and they turn listless as the sun slowly dissolves; I will live, my friend, if I find someone, who will speak of my state to the lord of the cool shores, where grows the moist and fragrant ‘gnazal’ trees!”. With these words, the lady conveys to the confidante how the world around her seems to accentuate her loneliness and that the confidante should do something about her state rather than scolding her.
Sounds like the lady has a specific wish! Let’s explore what that is by listening to her words closely. The lady points out to the sound of birds calling, and she says like her, they are calling in lament; Next, she turns her attention to the sight of flowers closing their buds, another element indicating an absence of light and joy. Speaking of light, the lady next talks about how the sky is in that ‘cat on the wall’ stage between darkness and light, as the sun decides to exit the stage for the day, saying that’s exactly how she feels too. The lady concludes with the words that the only way she’s going to go on living is if someone takes the message of how she was feeling then, to the lord of the cool shores, filled with ‘senna sophera’ trees!
When we are feeling sad and lonely, our minds seem to have two ways of looking at the world outside. Either everyone else seem to be joyous and having a delightful time or sorrowful elements in the world outside expand one’s own sadness exponentially. The lady in this verse belongs to the latter category. The birds, buds and skies all seem to begin a multi pronged attack on her! And so, she declares, unless someone lets the man know how she’s feeling, there’s no hope for her. Hope the confidante can do what she asks or provide her with the right perspective to bear that moment with grace! This verse makes me zoom on to that evening hour, that of dusk, the duet between darkness and light, and wonder, if this time is one coated with a tinge of sadness in all cultures? From another angle, this same lady, who laments about the sunset, would be a different person if the man were to be beside her. So, could it be that there’s nothing out there in the world to delight or sadden but only what we bring in our own hearts?
Share your thoughts...