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In this episode, we observe the elements and emotions in an ancient hill country, as depicted in Sangam Literary work, Ainkurunooru 211-220, situated in the ‘Kurinji’ or ‘Mountain landscape’ and penned by the poet Kabilar.
Thus soars the Twenty-Second Ten of Ainkurunooru: Words to a mountain woman
211 Accept the Attire
நெய்யொடு மயக்கிய உழுந்து நூற்றன்ன
வயலைஅம் சிலம்பின் தலையது
செயலைஅம் பகைத் தழை வாடும் அன்னாய்!
Appearing like ghee mixed black gram that’s laid out, the purslane creeper spreads on the mountain cleft, where grows an ‘Ashoka tree’. This attire made with differing leaves of that tree is about to fade, O mother!
212 Together fragrance
சாந்த மரத்த பூழில் எழு புகை
கூட்டு விரை கமழும் நாடன்
அறவற்கு எவனோ, நாம் அகல்வு? அன்னாய்!
From the sandalwood and agarwood, rises smoke and spreads a together fragrance in the lord’s country. He is a righteous man. Why did we say no to him, O mother?
213 Severed green mango
நறு வடி மாஅத்து மூக்கு இறுபு உதிர்ந்த
ஈர்ந் தண் பெரு வடு, பாலையில், குறவர்,
உறை வீழ் ஆலியின், தொகுக்கும் சாரல்
மீமிசை நல் நாட்டவர் வரின்,
யான் உயிர் வாழ்தல் கூடும் அன்னாய்!
The fragrant, unripe fruit of the mango is severed from the stems and these moist and cool huge green mangoes fall down, and are collected by mountain dwellers, akin to how those who live in the drylands collect hailstones that fall in the rain. Such is the mountain slopes of the lord of the fine country above. If he comes, then living my life will become possible, O mother!
214 Falling fruit and scattering honey
சாரல் பலவின் கொழுந் துணர் நறும் பழம்
இருங் கல் விடர் அளை வீழ்ந்தென, வெற்பில்
பெருந்தேன் இறாஅல் சிதறும் நாடன்,
பேர் அமர் மழைக் கண் கலிழ, தன்
சீருடை நல் நாட்டுச் செல்லும் அன்னாய்!
The fragrant fruit of the jackfruit tree hanging in huge clusters in the slopes, falls down on the huge cleft, and shatters the huge honeycomb in the mountains of the lord. Making your huge, beautiful, rain-like eyes shed tears, he will now leave to his fine and prosperous country, O mother!
215 More cruel than an evening
கட்டளை அன்ன மணி நிறத் தும்பி,
இட்டிய குயின்ற துளைவயின் செலீஇயர்
தட்டைத் தண்ணுமைப் பின்னர் இயவர்
தீம் குழல் ஆம்பலின், இனிய இமிரும்
புதல் மலர் மாலையும் பிரிவோர்
அதனினும் கொடிய செய்குவர் அன்னாய்!
In the evening, around a flower bush, a sapphire-hued bee, appearing like a touchstone, resounds sweeter than the pleasant-tuned, lily-shaped flutes, played by those, who follow the players of rattling drums, as they traverse narrow and small mountain passes. At this time, he parts away and acts more cruel than an evening, O mother!
216 Quivering calf, Hiding tiger
குறுங் கை இரும் புலிக் கோள் வல் ஏற்றை,
நெடும் புதல் கானத்து மடப் பிடி ஈன்ற
நடுங்கு நடைக் குழவி கொளீஇய, பலவின்
பழம் தூங்கு கொழு நிழல் ஒளிக்கும் நாடற்கு,
கொய்தரு தளிரின் வாடி, நின்
மெய் பிறிதாதல் எவன்கொல்? அன்னாய்!
The huge and powerful male tiger with short legs, wanting to prey on the calf with a trembling gait, birthed by a naive female elephant in the bushy forest, hides in the thick shade of the jackfruit tree, filled with hanging fruit clusters in the lord’s country. Thinking of him, akin to a plucked shoot, you wither and your form becomes different. Why is this so, O mother?
217 Flower-grazing deers
பெரு வரை வேங்கைப் பொன் மருள் நறு வீ
மான் இனப் பெருங் கிளை மேயல் ஆரும்
கானக நாடன் வரவும், இவண்
மேனி பசப்பது எவன்கொல்? அன்னாய்!
The gold-like, fragrant flowers of the ‘Indian Kino tree’ in the huge mountains are grazed upon by huge herds of deer in the forest country of the lord. Even though he has come, why does your form spread with pallor, O mother?
218 Good tidings for the tiger
நுண் ஏர் புருவத்த கண்ணும் ஆடும்;
மயிர் வார் முன்கை வளையும் செறூஉம்;
களிறு கோள் பிழைத்த கதம் சிறந்து எழு புலி
எழுதரு மழையின் குழுமும்
பெருங் கல் நாடன் வரும்கொல்? அன்னாய்!
My eyes with graceful, rising brows twitches; On my forearms with fine hair, bangles tighten; A tiger, which let an elephant escape rises with fury and roars, akin to a soaring raincloud, in the huge mountains of the lord. Don’t you think this is because he is about to arrive, O mother?
219 The shower of pallor
கருங் கால் வேங்கை மாத் தகட்டு ஒள் வீ
இருங் கல் வியல் அறை வரிப்பத் தாஅம்
நல் மலை நாடன் பிரிந்தென,
ஒள் நுதல் பசப்பது எவன்கொல்? அன்னாய்!
The huge-petaled, radiant flowers of the black-trunked Indian Kino tree falls upon the huge rocks and spreads in rows in the fine mountain country of the lord. Because he parted away, why does your glowing forehead spread with pallor, O mother?
220 Graced by the rainclouds
அலங்குமழை பொழிந்த அகன்கண் அருவி
ஆடுகழை அடுக்கத்து இழிதரு நாடன்
பெரு வரை அன்ன திரு விறல் வியல் மார்பு
முயங்காது கழிந்த நாள், இவள்
மயங்கு இதழ் மழைக்கண் கலிழும் அன்னாய்!
As the dancing rainclouds pour down, wide cascades in the bamboo-swaying ranges flow down in the lord’s country. Akin to a huge mountain is his esteemed, strong and wide chest. If a day passes without embracing it, her flower-like, rain-like eyes will shed tears, O mother!
So concludes Ainkurunooru 211-220. All the verses in this section are set in the context of a man’s love relationship with a lady, prior to marriage, and revolve around the themes of trysting, parting to earn wealth and revealing relationship to kin. The unifying theme in all these verses is that they end with the words ‘O mother’. As in the previous section, this word does not refer to mother per se, and are spoken either by the lady or her confidante and expressed to each other or the lady’s mother.
Let’s first look at the elements of the mountain country that we can extract from this section. In the first scene, we see purslane creeper spreading on a mountain cleft, and to describe this sight, a food simile is employed by the poet, as he calls ghee-mixed black gram in parallel. However, it’s not the purslane creeper that gets the spotlight but an Ashoka tree that grows in this place. Next, we inhale the combined fragrance of sandalwood and agarwood. A rich and delicious scent for sure! This is followed by the falling of green mangoes that are severed from the branches. As they rain down, these are collected with glee by mountain dwellers, much like how people in the drylands collect hailstones when it rains there. Placing in parallel the actions of people from two different regions is an interesting poetic technique!
Speaking of falling fruit, next it’s the turn of the plump and ripe jackfruit to fall from a tree on a honeycomb hanging in cleft and scattering the nectar all over the mountains. A sensual treat for the tastebuds indeed! Scent, Sight, Taste – All done! Will the poet let the sense of sound go unmentioned? And so, we hear the buzzing of bees, said to be sapphire hued with golden lines appearing like a goldsmith’s touchstone. To perfectly describe it to us, the poet calls the sound that arises from lily-shaped flutes played by those, who follow the drummers through narrow mountain passes. He says the sound of those bees is sweeter than these flutes!
We move on to witness a newly born elephant calf taking its wobbly first steps, even as a male tiger lies in wait in the shade of a jackfruit tree to prey upon it. After this dramatic scene, there’s also the serene sight of deers munching on the golden ‘Vengai’ flowers. Back to drama, we see a tiger that has let an elephant escape rise with fury, like a raincloud that too. In the next, we see how the ‘vengai’ tree decorates the rocks beneath with lines of its yellow flowers. In the final scene, we take in the sight of rainclouds pouring down, filling the cascades and making them gush with gusto in the lord’s country.
Moving on to the intentions of the speakers, in the first, the confidante presses the lady to accept the man’s gift of an attire made with many leaves of the Ashoka tree. In the second, the confidante questions the lady’s mother, asking when the man is so righteous, why was he refused the lady’s hand. Through this question, the confidante is revealing the lady’s love relationship with the man to the lady’s family. In the third, the lady tells the confidante that she can live only if the man arrives to seek her hand in marriage. In the fourth, the confidante tells the lady even as the man is in earshot that the man is about to leave to his country on some work, which is sure to make the lady shed tears. Maybe as a response, in the fifth, the lady says to the confidante, even as the man is again in earshot, saying that he parts away when it’s evening, and thus acts more cruel than the evening, which is known to wreak havoc in the minds of separated lovers.
The sixth sees the confidante asking the lady, as the man again listens, about why she fades like a plucked leaf for the sake of the man, in a situation when the man seems interested only in trysting and not seeking the lady’s hand, thereby nudging him in the right direction. In the seventh, the man’s return from his mission to earn wealth for his wedding is proclaimed by the confidante to the lady asking why does pallor still reside now that the man has returned. In the eighth, the confidante cheers the lady saying certain good omens like eye-twitching and bangles tightening were happening in her, and these are sure-fire signs for the man’s arrival. In the ninth, the confidante speaks consoling words to the lady when the man has parted away to earn wealth by bringing attention to the spreading pallor on the lady’s forehead. In the final one, the confidante speaks to the lady’s mother saying even if a day passes for the lady without embracing the man’s chest, then her eyes would shed teardrops many. She thus reveals the lady’s relationship with the man to the lady’s family.
Turning to metaphorical elements, the scene of smoke from sandalwood and agarwood rising together is a metaphor for the happy married life the man would lead with the lady. The depiction of jackfruit falling on a honeycomb is a metaphor for how the man’s parting would shatter the lady. In the scene of the tiger waiting to prey upon the wobbling calf, that’s a metaphor for the man wanting only to tryst and savour the lady’s company, without taking steps towards marriage. When the confidante talks about deer feeding on the golden flowers of the Kino tree, she implies their family will enjoy the wealth and fame of the man, who comes to marry the lady. In the one, where Kino flowers fall in rows on the rocks beneath, there’s a metaphor for how pallor spreads on the lady and reveals her relationship with the man to the town entire. In the final depiction of rainclouds pouring down and filling the cascades, the confidante places a metaphor for how the lady’s life flows, only because of the shower of the man’s love. Amidst a variety of emotional elements, in this section, the highlight lies in making us see, hear, smell, taste and even touch the striking facets of an ancient mountain land, wielding only words!
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