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In this episode, we perceive the glory of an ancient seaside town, as depicted in Sangam Literary work, Ainkurunooru 171-180, situated in the ‘Neythal’ or ‘Coastal landscape’ and penned by the poet Ammoovanaar.
Thus flows the Eighteenth Ten of Ainkurunooru: Ticket to Thondi
171 Stolen Heart
திரை இமிழ் இன் இசை அளைஇ, அயலது
முழவு இமிழ் இன் இசை மறுகுதொறு இசைக்கும்
தொண்டி அன்ன பணைத் தோள்,
ஒண் தொடி அரிவை என் நெஞ்சு கொண்டோளே!
Fusing with the sweet music of the roaring waves, the sweet music of thundering drums nearby resounds in all the streets of Thondi. Akin to this town, are the bamboo-like arms of the young maiden, wearing glowing bangles- The one who has stolen my heart!
172 Sleepless Eyes
ஒண் தொடி அரிவை கொண்டனள், நெஞ்சே!
வண்டு இமிர் பனித் துறைத் தொண்டி ஆங்கண்
உரவுக் கடல் ஒலித் திரை போல,
இரவினானும் துயில் அறியேனே!
My heart has been stolen by the young maiden wearing glowing bangles! In the bee-buzzing, cool shores of Thondi, roars the resounding waves of the vast ocean. Akin to that, even at night, I sleep not!
173 Astounding beauty
இரவினானும் இன் துயில் அறியாது
அரவு உறு துயரம் எய்துப தொண்டித்
தண் நறு நெய்தல் நாறும்
பின் இருங் கூந்தல் அணங்குற்றோரே.
Sleeping not, even at night, they attain the sorrow of a snake. They are those who have seen the one with long, dark tresses, wafting with the scent of the cool and fragrant blue lotus in the town of Thondi, and are astounded by her.
174 Resolving yearning
அணங்குடைப் பனித் துறைத் தொண்டி அன்ன
மணம் கமழ் பொழில் குறி நல்கினள் நுணங்குஇழை
பொங்கு அரி பரந்த உண்கண்,
அம் கலிழ் மேனி அசைஇய எமக்கே.
Like the astounding cool shores of Thondi, was the fragrant grove, where she rendered her grace in a tryst. She, the one wearing delicate jewels, and having kohl-streaked eyes, filled with lines, as well as an alluring, beautiful form, resolved the yearning in me!
175 Walk with a friend
எமக்கு நயந்து அருளினைஆயின், பணைத் தோள்
நல் நுதல் அரிவையொடு மென்மெல இயலி,
வந்திசின் வாழியோ, மடந்தை!
தொண்டி அன்ன நின் பண்பு பல கொண்டே.
To me, you have rendered your grace. And so, along with the young maiden, with the bamboo-like arms and fine forehead, gently walk and come thither! May you live long, O maiden, who, akin to Thondi, has many admirable qualities!
176 Tell me my fault
பண்பும் பாயலும் கொண்டனள் தொண்டித்
தண் கமழ் புது மலர் நாறும் ஒண் தொடி,
ஐது அமைந்து அகன்ற அல்குல்,
கொய் தளிர் மேனி! கூறுமதி தவறே.
My admirable qualities and my deep sleep, she took away, the one who has the cool fragrance of a new flower in Thondi, the one wearing shining bangles, and having well-structured, wide loins, and a form akin to a tender mango shoot! Please tell me, what my fault is!
177 State of the fallen
தவறு இலராயினும், பனிப்ப மன்ற
இவறு திரை திளைக்கும் இடு மணல் நெடுங் கோட்டு
முண்டக நறு மலர் கமழும்
தொண்டி அன்னோள் தோள் உற்றோரே.
Even though it’s no fault of theirs, they will indeed quiver. Filled with dancing waves, soaring sands along its spreading shore, wafting with the fragrance of the water-thorn flowers, remains Thondi. Akin to the town, is she, and that’s the state of those, who have fallen for her shoulders!
178 Confidante’s grace
தோளும் கூந்தலும் பல பாராட்டி,
வாழ்தல் ஒல்லுமோ மற்றே செங்கோல்
குட்டுவன் தொண்டி அன்ன
எற் கண்டு நயந்து நீ நல்காக்காலே?
Upon her shoulders and tresses, showering praises many, how can I live a happy life, if, unto me, akin to Thondi, ruled by Kuttuvan with a righteous sceptre, you do not render your grace?
179 Man’s grace
நல்குமதி, வாழியோ! நளி நீர்ச் சேர்ப்ப!
அலவன் தாக்கத் துறை இறாப் பிறழும்
இன் ஒலித் தொண்டி அற்றே,
நின் அலது இல்லா இவள் சிறு நுதலே.
Render your grace! May you live long, O lord of the shore with brimming seas. Akin to the sweet-sounding Thondi, where attacked by a crab, a shrimp twists and twirls, is she, and without you nearby, fades the beauty of her little forehead!
180 Sooner than later
சிறு நணி வரைந்தனை கொண்மோ பெருநீர்
வலைவர் தந்த கொழுமீன் வல்சிப்
பறை தபு முது குருகு இருக்கும்
துறை கெழு தொண்டி அன்ன இவள் நலனே.
Little should be the time you take to seek her hand and part away with her beauty, akin to the shore-filled Thondi, wherein a flightless, old seabird waits for the catch of fat fish, reeled in by the fishermen, from the huge seas!
Thus concludes Ainkurunooru 171-180. These ten verses are a unique and striking section in this work for many reasons. First of all, all the verses here are set in the context of a man’s love relationship with a lady, prior to their marriage, and there is a synchronous flow of events from the first to the last. Usually, we see songs from both pre-marital and post-marital contexts and even if it’s one of the two, there is no rhyme or reason in the flow of the consecutive verses. This is the first one in which I have seen a coherent flow, which we shall delve into shortly. Not only are the events in sync, the structure of each of these verses is designed in an ‘Anthaathi’ format, wherein the thought or word with which one verse finishes happens to be the thought or word with which the next verse begins. It’s an exquisite string of verses, well-tied in form and content. Then, finally, the unifying theme of all these verses, is not an element of nature or a character speaking or spoken to, but the historic town of Thondi, an ancient Chera seaport and city from the Sangam times, mentioned as Tyndis in Graeco-Roman Literature and described extensively as a trading port of the western world with the ancient Indians.
Before we head into the flow of the verses, let’s understand how Thondi finds a presence in these different verses. In one, the pleasant sounds of waves and drums roar together in the streets of Thondi, which is placed in parallel to the bamboo-like arms of the lady. In another, bees buzz on the cool shores, no doubt owing to the lush and inviting flowers there, and here the unceasing waves that never sleep in the Thondi town are called in parallel to the man’s insomnia.
Flowers of this town find a specific mention, such a blue lotus in this town waving a fragrant ‘hello’ to us, and the cool fragrance of a freshly bloomed flower, placed in parallel to the lady. In another portrait, the cool shores here are called in parallel to a spot where lovers meet. Also, in one, the lady’s good qualities are equated to that of Thondi.
In another expansive description, we see swaying waves, tall mounds of sands and a vast shore, filled with the fragrance of water-thorn flowers, and here too, the town is called in parallel to the beauty of the lady. Not only does Thondi stand in parallel to the lady, but also, in one instance, to the man, and in this case, the beauty of the place is not talked about but rather how it was ruled righteously by the Chera King Kuttuvan. Thus, we see how in those times, one gender was seen with the lens of beauty and the other with justice and righteousness.
In the last two verses, two scenes depict the cool shores of sweet-sounding Thondi, and these are one, where a crab is seen chasing a shrimp and making it twirl, and another, where an old, flightless bird waits to take off with a fresh catch brought in by the fishermen, and in both these cases, it’s the beauty of the lady described with the beauty of Thondi. Thus, we see how Thondi is predominantly called to describe the beauty of a woman, in line with the Sangam tradition of equating places and a woman’s beauty. However, there are also rare similes that call in the town to describe a state of sleeplessness and the virtue of righteousness.
Having relished the delightful and sensual scenes in this Sangam town, let’s turn our attention to the flow of the verses. In the first, the man has caught sight of the lady and fallen in love with her, and he declares that she has stolen his heart. In the next, the man explains his state to his friend, who is worried about the changes in the man, saying, because his heart is so stolen, he is unable to get any sleep at night. Then the friend visits the lady and declares that it’s understandable that the man is not able to get any sleep for anyone who has seen her, will suffer so, like a snake that has lost its gem. This last line may be confusing but it arises out of a Sangam belief that a snake has a gem within, which is crucial to its wellbeing and if it were to lose it, it would writhe and suffer. Wonder where they got this belief from, but the essence to be gathered here is that the man’s friend understands the man’s love-lorn, sleepless state.
In the next, things have progressed and the man and lady have united together in a charming spot, which the man equates to the beauty of Thondi. At the end of this, the man turns to the lady, and in a protective tone, tells the lady that she must always come with her confidante thereafter. Listening to his words, the lady possibly brought her friend along the next time. For we see the man, making conversation with this confidante and talking about how the lady has taken away all his good qualities and his sleep. He queries what wrong did he do to suffer so. In reply to the man’s question, the confidante laughingly declares, ‘You have done nothing wrong. This is precisely the state of anyone who has fallen for my friend’. Next, the man seeks the confidante’s help in furthering his love relationship with the lady and declares that without the friend’s help, he cannot live a happy life with the lady.
Accepting the man’s requests, the confidante arranges trysts with the lady, and after this has gone on for long, the confidante opens the topic that the man should seek the lady’s hand because whenever he goes far, the lady’s forehead is clouded in pallor. Possibly, the man has taken her words too lightly, for in the final one, the confidante declares that the man should make haste and take steps towards marriage for strangers were approaching the lady’s parents for the lady’s hand. We cannot help but see the smooth and well-connected flow of events in this one section, from the man’s first sight of the lady to the confidante’s nudge to the man to take his secret love relationship towards marriage.
Turning to the metaphorical elements, there are two such in this section. In the one, where the crab chases the shrimp and makes it twist and turn, the confidante says that as a metaphor for how the slander spread by the townsfolk about the lady’s relationship with the man is tormenting the lady. Likewise in the one where an old seabird bides its time to snatch a fish from the catch brought in by the fishermen of those fertile seas, the confidante uses this scene to project the situation where strangers were waiting to snatch away the lady from the man’s hands. And so, by traversing through this section, we get to take a tour of that picturesque town of Thondi, and also, sail in the flow of that eternal emotion of love, in the sturdy ship of these Sangam songs!
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