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In this episode, we understand the dangers of nightly travel in the past, as depicted in Sangam Literary work, Kurunthogai 321, penned by an anonymous poet. Set in the mountains of ‘Kurinji’, the verse speaks in the voice of the confidante to the lady, expressing the need to reveal the lady’s relationship to her kith and kin.
மலைச் செஞ்சாந்தின் ஆர மார்பினன்,
சுனைப் பூங்குவளைச் சுரும்பு ஆர் கண்ணியன்,
நடுநாள் வந்து நம் மனைப் பெயரும்,
மடவரல் அரிவை, நின் மார்பு அமர் இன் துணை
மன்ற மரையா இரிய ஏறு அட்டுச்
செங்கண் இரும்புலி குழுமும் அதனால்
மறைத்தற் காலையோ அன்றே,
திறப்பல், வாழி வேண்டன்னை, நம் கதவே.
‘Not the time to hide’ is the core thought herein. In the opening words ‘மலைச் செஞ்சாந்தின் ஆர மார்பினன்’, we glimpse at ‘a man from the mountains, who has rubbed red sandalwood paste on his chest and wears a necklace’. Another accessory of his is revealed by ‘சுனைப் பூங்குவளைச் சுரும்பு ஆர் கண்ணியன்’ meaning ‘one, who wears a garland, made of blue-lilies, plucked from the springs, around which bees are swarming’. Picturesque elements reflect the sweet scent and pleasing sight. The phrase ‘நடுநாள் வந்து நம் மனைப் பெயரும்’ meaning ‘comes at midnight to our home and leaves’ reveals the time of the day. A dynamic wildlife scene comes to fore in ‘மன்ற மரையா இரிய ஏறு அட்டுச் செங்கண் இரும்புலி குழுமும் ‘ meaning ‘as the black buck cries in angst, the male is killed by a huge tiger with red eyes, which roars aloud’. Ending with the words ‘திறப்பல் வாழி வேண்டன்னை நம் கதவே’ meaning ‘it’s essential to open our doors, my friend’, the verse invites us to step in.
Deluding with an alluring first phase, the verse seems to step in a territory of danger later. The context reveals that the man and lady were leading a love relationship and the man was trysting with the lady by night. One day, the confidante comes to the lady and says, “With red sandalwood paste and a necklace dangling on his chest, wearing a head garland of blue-lilies, swarming with bees, he comes at midnight to our home and parts away, O young, naive maiden, after the sweet embrace of your fine bosom. At this time, as the female black buck in the town centre cries out, a red-eyed huge tiger kills the male and roars aloud. And so, this is not the time to hide it now. We need to open our doors, O friend, and you need to consent to this!” With these words, the confidante reveals that it’s high time that the lady’s kith and kin came to know of the lady’s relationship with the man, as they seemed to be taking steps to offer her in marriage to a stranger.
Let’s explore the persuasive way with which the confidante presents her point of view. She starts by zooming on to the man’s chest as he walks towards his tryst. The red sandalwood paste on his chest glows in the moonlight as does the necklace he wears around. From the chest, the confidante zooms up and points to the head garland of blue-lilies he wears, one that is swarming with bees. Then, she mentions how the man comes walking at midnight to the lady’s home and parts away after being her loveable companion. Now, the confidante starts to describe what happens after he leaves. Just then, in the town centre, while a female black buck watches, a male black buck is killed by a tiger, after which all the surrounding areas resound with the roar of that tiger. Mentioning this terrifying scene, the confidante says that’s why this was not the time for them to hide the lady’s relationship. And in a visual striking manner, she insists to the lady that they must open the door of their secrets to the lady’s family and pave the way for a permanent union with the man.
The point to zoom on to now, is ‘why is it time now to reveal?’ The confidante is talking about how the scents and sounds of the man’s tryst may be sensed by others in town. Likewise, not only is the tiger dangerous to the man, the sound of its attack on the black buck may rouse the town and they may end up spotting the man sneaking away, the confidante says. These are the reasons that evoke danger for the man from within and without. And so, let’s put an end to all this, the confidante persuades the lady and seeks her consent to reveal this relationship to the family. A verse that makes us take step after step in the dark hour of midnight in the wild mountainside, following the footsteps of a man, whose clothes and adornments are so different from those of the world today, and yet, he walks on the same, timeless path of love!
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