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In this episode, we listen to a lady’s distress and her hidden hope, as depicted in Sangam Literary work, Kurunthogai 316, penned by Thumpiser Keeranaar. 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 asking her to bear with the man’s parting.
ஆய் வளை ஞெகிழவும், அயர்வு மெய் நிறுப்பவும்,
நோய் மலி வருத்தம் அன்னை அறியின்,
உளெனோ வாழி-தோழி!-விளியாது,
உரவுக் கடல் பொருத விரவு மணல் அடைகரை
ஓரை மகளிர் ஓராங்கு ஆட்ட,
ஆய்ந்த அலவன் துன்புறு துனைபரி
ஓங்கு வரல் விரிதிரை களையும்
துறைவன் சொல்லோ பிற ஆயினவே?
‘If mother knows, I cannot go on’ is the cry in this verse. In the opening words ‘ஆய் வளை ஞெகிழவும்’ meaning ‘as beautiful bangles slip away’, we glimpse at a symptom of pining. The core theme is revealed in ‘அன்னை அறியின்’ meaning ‘if mother were to know’. ‘Cheerful maiden playing ‘Orai’ games’ on the shore flit before our eyes in ‘ஓரை மகளிர்’. We see wildlife projected with human emotions in ‘ஆய்ந்த அலவன் துன்புறு துனைபரி’ meaning ‘the tired crab’s sorrow-filled dash’. Ending with the words ‘துறைவன் சொல்லோ பிற ஆயினவே’ meaning ‘the lord’s word has become something else’, the verse invites us to know more.
Mother’s ire and maiden’s play seem to be the two significant threads in this verse. The context reveals that the man and lady were leading a love relationship when the man parted away to gather wealth for their wedding. The lady languishes in his absence and the confidante asks her to bear better with the man’s separation. To the confidante, the lady says, “My beautiful bangles slip away and fatigue fills my form. If mother were to know of this angst rising due to my love affliction, how can I live, my friend. May you live long! In the spreading sands, decked near the strong seas, as maiden, indulging in ‘Orai’ games, chase it on one side, a tired crab runs terrified, and its suffering-filled struggle is ended only by the soaring waves that rush to the shores of the lord. His words have become untrue!” With these words, the lady expresses that the only way to get over her state of suffering was for the man to return and claim her hand.
Time to explore the nuances. The lady starts by talking about the symptoms of love pining in her, that being bangles slipping away from her hands and weariness flooding her form. As if these physical ailments were not bothersome enough, the worry about mother noticing these symptoms makes the lady go into a meta-level suffering. Then, to describe the man’s shores, she mentions maiden chasing a crab, The poor animal seems to be tired out and cornered, until a huge wave rises and ends its suffering. After that description, the lady concludes that the man’s words were not what they seemed like, in the beginning.
By that statement, the lady means that the man had not kept his promise of returning to her soon. In the scene of the fleeing crab, the lady places a metaphor for her own situation, as she tries to hide from the eyes of her friends so as to avoid the slander spreading in town and reaching the ears of mother. In the rising wave that envelops the crab and takes it to safety, the lady places a hope that the man too would return thus and snatch her away from this sorrow-filled situation to the safety of a happy married life. The lady has done all she could to face this situation, by first, expressing exactly how she feels, and then, sending out a hope-filled message to be saved from that situation. Sometimes, hope is all there is, and life often shows, that it will do!
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