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In this episode, we perceive the emotions in parting, as depicted in Sangam Literary work, Ainkurunooru 311-320, situated in the ‘Paalai’ or ‘Drylands landscape’ and penned by the poet Othalaanthaiyaar.
Thus spreads the Thirty Second Ten of Ainkurunooru: Journey of the Parted
311 Will he take long?
வேங்கை கொய்யுநர் பஞ்சுரம் விளிப்பினும்,
ஆர் இடைச் செல்வோர் ஆறு நனி வெரூஉம்
காடு இறந்தனரே காதலர்;
‘நீடுவர்கொல்’ என நினையும், என் நெஞ்சே!
When those who pluck ‘Kino’ flowers, sing the ‘panchuram’ hymn, those who are traversing the formidable drylands, would be much frightened. That drylands jungle, he has crossed, that lover of mine. ‘Will he take long to return?’, wonders my heart!
312 Long live the hill!
அறம் சாலியரோ! அறம் சாலியரோ!
வறன் உண்டாயினும், அறம் சாலியரோ!
வாள் வனப்பு உற்ற அருவிக்
கோள் வல் என்னையை மறைத்த குன்றே.
May goodness flourish! May goodness flourish! Even when dearth surrounds all around, may goodness flourish in that hill, which hid my lord, a man of principles behind its waterfall, shining with a radiant beauty!
313 She who left us in sorrow
தெறுவது அம்ம, நும் மகள் விருப்பே
உறு துயர் அவலமொடு உயிர் செலச் சாஅய்,
பாழ்படு நெஞ்சம் படர் அடக் கலங்க,
நாடு இடை விலங்கிய வைப்பின்
காடு இறந்தனள், நம் காதலோளே!
Tormenting is the love of your daughter! It has revealed our deep sorrow for all to see and made our lives almost part away, and this pitiable heart laments every time memories cross of that loving girl, who has parted away to the drylands, those widespread spaces in between the countries!
314 Terror-filled path
‘அவிர் தொடி கொட்ப, கழுது புகவு அயர,
கருங் கண் காக்கையொடு கழுகு விசும்பு அகவ,
சிறு கண் யானை ஆள் வீழ்த்துத் திரிதரும்
நீள் இடை அருஞ் சுரம்’ என்ப நம்
தோள் இடை முனிநர் சென்ற ஆறே.
‘Wearing shining bangles, ghosts desiring to feed whirl around, as dark-eyed crows and vultures spread with cries on the skies, and a small-eyed elephant, waiting to kill a person, roves in that long and winding path in the impassable drylands’, they say, about the path the one, who hates my arms, took!
315 Far away in the bamboo forest
பாயல் கொண்ட பனி மலர் நெடுங் கண்
பூசல் கேளார் சேயர் என்ப
இழை நெகிழ் செல்லல் உறீஇ,
கழை முதிர் சோலைக் காடு இறந்தோரே.
The pain in those huge eyes, akin to moist flowers, that have lost their sleep, he cannot hear for he is far away, they say about the one who made these ornaments slip away and fall, the one who has parted away to the drylands, filled with mature bamboo forests.
316 Where tigers roam
பொன் செய் பாண்டில் பொலங்கலம் நந்த,
தேர் அகல் அல்குல் அவ் வரி வாட,
இறந்தோர்மன்ற தாமே பிறங்கு மலைப்
புல் அரை ஓமை நீடிய
புலி வழங்கு அதர கானத்தானே.
Making the golden ‘paandil’ ornament slip away, and the fine lines on the wide, chariot-wheel-like waist fade away, he parted beyond the mountains, where spreads the dull-trunked ’toothbrush tree’ and the tiger roams in those scrub forests.
317 The heart’s delay
சூழ்கம் வம்மோ தோழி! பாழ்பட்டுப்
பைது அற வெந்த பாலை வெங் காட்டு
அருஞ் சுரம் இறந்தோர் தேஎத்துச்
சென்ற நெஞ்சம் நீடிய பொருளே!
Let’s think about this, come, my friend! Ruined and devoid of green is that hot jungle in the drylands, and he parted away thither. Let’s think about the reason for my heart, which went in search of him, delaying its return!
318 Fiery fire
ஆய் நலம் பசப்ப, அரும் படர் நலிய,
வேய் மருள் பணைத் தோள் வில் இழை நெகிழ,
நசை நனி கொன்றோர் மன்ற விசை நிமிர்ந்து
ஓடு எரி நடந்த வைப்பின்,
கோடு உயர் பிறங்கல், மலை இறந்தோரே.
Making pallor spread on fine beauty, a deep suffering envelop, radiant jewels on the bamboo-like arms slip away, the one who killed desire completely parted away to the spaces, where resounding aloud, fire spreads everywhere, on the other side of the peak-filled mountain!
319 Has he forgotten?
கண் பொர விளங்கிய கதிர் தெறு வைப்பின்,
மண் புரை பெருகிய மரம் முளி கானம்
இறந்தனரோ நம் காதலர்?
மறந்தனரோதில் மறவா நம்மே?
To that scorching space where the rays assail the eyes, and the earth is filled by dried and dead trees, has that lover of mine parted away? Has he forgotten me, the one who cannot forget him?
320 Falling flowers and soaring sorrow
முள் அரை இலவத்து ஒள் இணர் வான் பூ,
முழங்குஅழல் அசைவளி எடுப்ப, வானத்து
உருமுப் படு கனலின் இரு நிலத்து உறைக்கும்
கவலை அருஞ் சுரம் போயினர்
தவல் இல் அரு நோய் தலைத்தந்தோரே.
The shining, white flowers of the thorny-trunked silk cotton tree, as the roaring winds blow, akin to lightning that accompanies resounding thunder, falls upon the huge spaces in that path on the impassable drylands, and he left there, the one who gave me this terrible and unending affliction!
So concludes Ainkurunooru 311-320. The verses are set either in the situation of a man’s parting after marriage to earn wealth or in the situation of elopement of the man and lady prior to marriage. The unifying theme of all the songs is that these verses describe the path and journey of the one who has parted away. In short, if the previous section can be captioned ‘Don’t go’, this one would be ‘He’s gone!’. The words are rendered either by the lady or the confidante and in one instance, by the girl’s birth mother to her foster mother.
Let’s turn our attention to the portrait of the space, where the parted has gone to, in each of these verses. In one, we hear of how people travelling to the drylands are scared even when they hear a particular song called ‘Panchuram’ being sung by maiden plucking ‘Indian Kino tree’ flowers. To understand the meaning of this, we should know the fact that each region or landscape in Sangam times had different songs or tunes, and this ‘Panchuram’ tune apparently belonged to the ‘Paalai’ or ‘drylands’ region. If you notice, the maiden are still plucking ‘Kino’ flowers, which implies the mountains are still the dominant domain, but hearing this song, those travellers worry that they have already arrived at the drylands, so threatening it looms in their minds! In another one, a hill with a flowing waterfall is mentioned, implying that this is a mountain turned into a drylands scenario. In the horror genre is one depiction of the drylands talking about how ghosts with bangles dance around, flesh-eating birds fill the skies, and a murderous elephant awaits in the path. In another, there’s a rather subdued description of this space containing mature, bamboo forests. Danger enters again in the form of tigers roving around in those wide spaces filled with ‘Omai’ or ‘Toothbrush’ trees. Lacking green is another repeating definition of this space and no doubt due to all the dry vegetation, wild fires keep bursting here. As can be expected, the harsh rays of the sun torment the eyes in one and the earth seems to only have dried and dead trees. In the final one, the silk-cotton tree sheds its white flowers amidst the hot winds that lay siege around it. In essence, it’s a hot, dry, bleak landscape, filled with danger and horror!
Turning to the intent of the speakers, in the first, the lady laments to her confidante, worrying that the man is going to take too long to return. In the second, the lady recollects how a hill saved her man from being found by the lady’s relatives when they were eloping together. She offers a heartfelt blessing to this hill wishing that it may always remain green and lush no matter what drought spreads everywhere else. In the third, is the curious instance of a girl’s birth mother consoling the girl’s foster mother, when the girl had eloped away with the man, talking about how the situation has brought out a deep sorrow in them, made them almost lose their lives with all the pain that soars each time memories of their girl cross their mind. The pain in separation is etched in the words of this mother! Coming to the question of why there are two mothers to this lady, we have to understand that the lady’s foster mother is none other than the lady’s mother’s confidante, and also, the lady’s confidante’s mother. No, I’m not playing with words here. That’s the family set-up of these women, and in fact, this foster mother seems to be even more closer to the lady than the lady’s mother, if these poets are to be believed!
Returning, in the fourth, the lady thinks with worry about the terror-filled path the man travels. In the fifth, the confidante describes the pitiable state of the lady, after the man had parted away without having the courage to inform the lady. In the sixth, it’s the confidante again lamenting the state of the lady after the man had parted away. In all the rest of the verses, it’s the lady voice we hear, as she wonders in the seventh as to why her heart, which went in search of the man, has not returned; in the eighth, about the fiery, dangerous path the man has parted away to; in the ninth, about whether the man has totally forgotten her, she being unable to forget him even a little bit; and in the final one, again worrying about the harsh land the man now treads. Thus, we see how a separation is seen through different eyes in this section. The thing to appreciate in these ancient verses is the stress on expressing emotions, that one timeless cure for pain and distress in life!
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