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In this episode, we perceive a unique method of making an announcement, as portrayed in Sangam Literary work, Kurunthogai 379, penned by an anonymous poet. The verse is situated in the mountains of ‘Kurinji’ and speaks in the voice of the confidante to the lady, passing on a pointed message to the lady’s kith and kin, listening nearby.
இன்று யாண்டையனோ-தோழி!-குன்றத்துப்
பழங் குழி அகழ்ந்த கானவன் கிழங்கினொடு,
கண் அகன் தூ மணி, பெறூஉம் நாடன்,
”அறிவு காழ்க்கொள்ளும் அளவை, செறிதொடி!
எம்மில் வருகுவை நீ” எனப்
பொம்மல் ஓதி நீவியோனே?
‘Wonder where he is, now?’ is the central question in this verse, as reflected in the opening words ‘இன்று யாண்டையனோ’! The phrase ‘பழங் குழி அகழ்ந்த’ which means ‘digging up an old pit’ is striking because it uses the word ‘அகழ்ந்த’ to denote digging up, one, which in contemporary Tamil is used in the meaning of ‘excavate’, as in the midst of an archaeological site. More on that shortly! Something precious catches our eyes in ‘கண் அகன் தூ மணி’ meaning ‘huge, pristine gems’. Ending with the words ‘பொம்மல் ஓதி நீவியோனே’ meaning ‘the man who caressed those luxuriant tresses’, the verse holds tenderness within and welcomes us to explore more.
Old pits and precious gems do command our attention. The context reveals that the man and lady were leading a love relationship when the man parted away to gather wealth for their wedding. At this time, the confidante finds out that strangers are approaching the lady’s kith and kin seeking the lady’s hand. One day, when the lady’s family is listening nearby, the confidante says to the lady, “Where could he be, my friend? He, in whose mountains, a hunter digs up an ancient pit and finds along with the tubers he seeks, large and pure gems. He, who said, ‘when your mind matures, O bangle-clad girl, you shall come to my abode’, as he stroked your thick tresses!” With these words, the confidante announces to the listening kin that they must give up the idea of offering the lady in marriage to a stranger for she was already in a love relationship with the man.
Time to explore the nuances in this tiny verse. The confidante asks a simple question about the man’s whereabouts. Then, she describes his land as one, wherein a hunter, who on the lookout for something to eat, digs up a hole, and finds not only what he sought in the form of tubers but also, something more, in the form of precious gems. What a land of riches it must be! Saying that this land belongs to the man, the confidante goes on to talk about that moment, when standing near the lady, and touching her hair gently, he told her that one day, in the near future, when the lady’s mind had reached maturity, he would take her away to his home!
From these words about the lady’s mind reaching maturity, we understand that although we may use the word ‘lady’ to denote this character, she is but a young girl, who has not yet bloomed into a woman. Stepping away from the curious courtship practices of this time, we take in the man’s rich land. Consider how the hunter wasn’t even looking to find anything extraordinary, just some simple food. But gleaming, serendipitously, before him, were precious gems, amidst the tubers he sought. In that image, lies a metaphor for how the man, who came about his task of hunting, found in addition to the game, the precious gift of the lady’s heart. And so, this pristine gem, you are not to give away to anyone as you please, the confidante says indirectly to the lady’s family to stop them from accepting the offer of marriage from a stranger. Leaving this wise friend to take care of the lady’s life, let’s turn out attention to the fact the hunter unearths precious gems in an ancient pit. Could this person be in the midst of a site of habitation, ancient to this ancient period, and could he be doing the work of an archaeologist, finding traces of people, who lived before, even without knowing the meaning of that? Mind-boggling to reflect on the meta-level of antiquity unearthed in this perspective!
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