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In this episode, we perceive the reflections in a man’s mind about his lady’s changing demeanour, as depicted in Sangam Literary work, Kurunthogai 312, penned by Kabilar. The verse is situated in the mountains of ‘Kurinji’ and speaks in the voice of the man to himself, as he makes an important decision regarding his love life.
இரண்டு அறி கள்வி நம் காதலோளே:
முரண் கொள் துப்பின் செவ் வேல் மலையன்
முள்ளூர்க் கானம் நாற வந்து,
நள்ளென் கங்குல் நம் ஓரன்னள்;
கூந்தல் வேய்ந்த விரவுமலர் உதிர்த்து,
சாந்து உளர் நறுங் கதுப்பு எண்ணெய் நீவி,
அமரா முகத்தள் ஆகித்
தமர் ஓரன்னள், வைகறையானே.
‘She has two faces’ declares a voice in this verse! In the opening words ‘இரண்டு அறி கள்வி நம் காதலோளே’ meaning ‘showing two natures, she’s a cunning one, my lover’, we perceive a judgement by the man about his lady’s nature. From a lady close to his heart, the man turns to talk about a great man – ‘செவ் வேல் மலையன்’, the king we have seen referred to, in many Sangam poems as ‘Malaiyamaan Kaari’. Time of the day makes an appearance in ‘நள்ளென் கங்குல்’ meaning ‘in the dark hour of midnight’. The phrase ‘நறுங் கதுப்பு எண்ணெய் நீவி’ meaning ‘rubbing oil on the fragrant tresses’ indicates an essential beauty regimen of a Sangam lady. Even today, in rural Tamilnadu, you will find some old women raising their eyebrows if your hair is not well-oiled. A portrait of a face is rendered in ‘அமரா முகத்தள்’ meaning ‘a face that doesn’t care’. Ending with the words ‘வைகறையானே’ meaning ‘at the break of dawn’, the verse welcomes us to explore the timeless thought within.
What differentiates the midnight hour and the break of dawn to the man and lady? 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, when the man leaves after his tryst, he says to himself, “Being able to behave in two different ways, my lover is an artful one indeed; He, who faces his enemies with strength, is the red-speared ‘Malaiyan’. With the fragrance, akin to that wafting from the forests of Malaiyan’s ‘Mulloor’, she comes near me at the midnight hour and becomes one with me; When dawn arrives, after shedding the different flowers tied on her fragrant tresses, she coats it with sandalwood paste and oil, and then, with a face that shows no interest in me, she stands as one with her kith and kin!”. With these words, the man is deciding that it was imperative that he seek the lady’s hand in marriage soon.
From thinking about her differing behaviour, how does the man come to this conclusion? Let’s explore by listening to his words closely. The first observation the man makes is how the lady was capable of acting in two different ways. Then, he goes on to elaborate what those two different ways are. Before that, he mentions the red-speared King Malaiyan and his beautiful town of ‘Mulloor’. This seems to be a town surrounded by forests and he talks about the fragrance emanating from there, to place it in parallel to the lady’s tresses. He then talks about how she comes near him, at the midnight hour, to be one with him. This, he contrasts to what happens to the lady, the moment dawn arrives. At this time, the lady becomes a different person, for she sheds the beautiful flowers the man has brought to her and adorned her hair with, at night. Then, the lady coats her hair with sandalwood paste, and applies oil to it, and removes all traces of her tryst with the man. The highpoint of this change occurs when the man visits the lady’s home later in the day, pretending to be a guest at their open table. At this time, in the presence of her family, the lady looks at the man, as if she doesn’t know him or care for him.
There’s so much love in private and apathy towards me in public, the man implies. He understands the lady is forced to be that way to prevent slander about their relationship. Even though it must be hurtful to see his love look at him with blank eyes, the man soars above and sees the true purpose of that act. Not wanting to subject the lady to this troubling state any more, he decides to seek her hand in marriage. To me, the verse seems to say it’s very easy to observe a person’s outward behaviour and make judgements about that but what brings us closer to truth and meaning, is to look within and understand why they do what they do!
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