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In this episode, we perceive joyful scenes of homecoming, as depicted in Sangam Literary work, Ainkurunooru 391-400, situated in the ‘Paalai’ or ‘Drylands landscape’ and penned by the poet Othalaanthaiyaar.
Thus spreads the Fortieth Ten of Ainkurunooru: Return of the Daughter
391 A feast for crows
மறு இல் தூவிச் சிறு கருங் காக்கை!
அன்புடை மரபின் நின் கிளையோடு ஆரப்
பச்சூன் பெய்த பைந் நிண வல்சி
பொலம் புனை கலத்தில் தருகுவென் மாதோ;
வெஞ்சின விறல் வேல் காளையொடு
அம்சில் ஓதியை வரக் கரைந்தீமே.
O little black crow with flawless feathers! With much affection, I shall give the food of fresh meat with plenty of fat, in a well-etched, golden bowl, for you to eat with your kin, if you will caw aloud and make that maiden with beautiful, soft hair come here, along with that furious, bull-like young man, with a conquering spear!
392 No place for sorrow
வேய் வனப்பு இழந்த தோளும், வெயில் தெற
ஆய்கவின் தொலைந்த நுதலும், நோக்கிப்
பரியல் வாழி, தோழி! பரியின்,
எல்லை இல் இடும்பை தரூஉம்
நல் வரை நாடனொடு வந்தமாறே.
Looking at my arms that have lost their beauty of being bamboo-like, and my forehead that has lost its exquisite glow because of the scorching heat, do not feel sorrowful, my friend! If you feel sad, that will render endless suffering in this time of my return with the lord of the fine mountain country!
393 Is she back?
துறந்ததற் கொண்டு துயர் அடச் சாஅய்,
அறம் புலந்து பழிக்கும் அளைகணாட்டி!
எவ்வ நெஞ்சிற்கு ஏமம் ஆக
வந்தனளோ நின் மட மகள்
வெந்திறல் வெள் வேல் விடலை முந்துறவே?
As she left you, losing your health because of the great sorrow, you used to rebuke those who spoke of its justice, O woman with eyes brimming with tears! As comfort for that suffering heart, did she come back, that naive daughter of yours, following the young man with the victorious, white spear, ahead of her?
394 She is back
மாண்பு இல் கொள்கையொடு மயங்கு துயர் செய்த
அன்பு இல் அறனும் அருளிற்று மன்ற;
வெஞ் சுரம் இறந்த அம் சில் ஓதி,
பெரு மட மான் பிணை அலைத்த
சிறு நுதல் குறுமகள் காட்டிய வம்மே.
Owing to our principle lacking esteem, rendering crippling sorrow, the act of justice without love happened; But that act has rendered its grace to me today, for the maiden with beautiful, soft hair, who left to the hot drylands, the one who can put a huge, naive female deer to shame, that young maiden with a small forehead, has returned.
395 Crossing the drylands
முளி வயிர்ப் பிறந்த, வளி வளர் கூர் எரிச்
சுடர் விடு நெடுங் கொடி விடர் முகை முழங்கும்
இன்னா அருஞ் சுரம் தீர்ந்தனம்; மென்மெல
ஏகுமதி வாழியோ, குறுமகள்! போது கலந்து
கறங்கு இசை அருவி வீழும்,
பிறங்கு இருஞ் சோலை, நம் மலை கெழு நாட்டே.
Sharp and glowing flames born amidst the dried-up bamboo and kindled by the wind, spread like a tall vine, amidst the caves and clefts of the harsh and imposing drylands, and we have crossed it; Walk on slowly, O young maiden, may you live long! For we have arrived here, where mixed with flowers, resounding with music, cascades fall in our fine mountain country, filled with huge and prosperous groves.
396 Reaching the town
புலிப் பொறி வேங்கைப் பொன் இணர் கொய்து நின்
கதுப்பு அயல் அணியும் அளவை, பைபயச்
சுரத்திடை அயர்ச்சியை ஆறுகம் மடந்தை!
கல் கெழு சிறப்பின் நம் ஊர்
எல் விருந்து ஆகிப் புகுகம், நாமே.
Akin to the spots of the tiger are the golden flower clusters of the ‘Kino tree’. Plucking this, I shall adorn your swaying dark tresses. Slowly let go of the fatigue of crossing the drylands, O naive maiden! For we will soon enter our town, known for its mountains, and savour the midday feast.
397 A message for the companions
‘கவிழ் மயிர் எருத்தின் செந்நாய் ஏற்றை
குருளைப் பன்றி கொள்ளாது கழியும்
சுரம் நனி வாராநின்றனள்’ என்பது
முன்னுற விரைந்த நீர் மின்
இன் நகை முறுவல் என் ஆயத்தோர்க்கே.
Hurrying forward, please say to my sweet and smiling companions in town, ‘She’s crossing the drylands, where the male red dog with hanging hair on its neck lets the pregnant pig go free without killing it!’
398 The town’s lament
‘புள்ளும் அறியாப் பல் பழம் பழுனி,
மட மான் அறியாத் தட நீர் நிலைஇ,
சுரம் நனி இனிய ஆகுக!’ என்று
நினைத்தொறும் கலிழும் என்னினும்
மிகப் பெரிது புலம்பின்று தோழி! நம் ஊரே.
Even more than me, who shed tears every time I thought of you, this town of ours lamented tremendously, my friend, wishing, ‘May it fruit with many ripe fruits that birds know not about, and may there be plenty of waterholes that naive deer know not about, and let the drylands become pleasant’!
399 Demand for a wedding
‘நும் மனைச் சிலம்பு கழீஇ அயரினும்,
எம் மனை வதுவை நல் மணம் கழிக’ எனச்
சொல்லின் எவனோ மற்றே வென் வேல்,
மை அற விளங்கிய கழல்அடி,
பொய் வல் காளையை ஈன்ற தாய்க்கே?
Shall we say, ‘Even if you have performed the ceremony of removing the anklets in your home, let the good marriage ceremony happen in our home!’, to the mother of that bull-like young man, skilled in lies, wearing flawless, glowing anklets on his feet, the one with the victorious spear?
400 Season of spring
மள்ளர் அன்ன மரவம் தழீஇ,
மகளிர் அன்ன ஆடுகொடி நுடங்கும்
அரும் பதம் கொண்ட பெரும் பத வேனில்,
‘காதல் புணர்ந்தனள் ஆகி, ஆய் கழல்
வெஞ் சின விறல் வேல் காளையொடு
இன்று புகுதரும்’ என வந்தன்று, தூதே.
The rare quality of having a vine, akin to a gentle maiden, wrapping around a burflower tree, akin to a strong young man, and swaying with joy, happens in the perfect season of spring. Saying, ‘She, who united with love with that young and furious, bull-like man, wearing well-etched anklets and holding a victorious spear, will come home today’, a messenger has come here!
So concludes Ainkurunooru 391-400. All the verses are set in the context of a post-marital situation. The unifying theme of all the verses is that they happen in the situation when the lady who had eloped away with her man, returns after marriage to her natal home. The words are uttered by various actors within the bounds of this background.
Here’s another section whose focus is on the emotions of the subjects. This set of verses is the finale in this trilogy of tens, with the first part, verses 371-380, dwelling on the mother’s sorrow because of the lady’s eloping away, and the second part, verses 381-390, rendering the reflections of those who met this eloping couple in the drylands. The journey of love comes a full circle in this section with the lady returning home, happily married to her beloved. Let’s turn to the intent of the speakers in each of these verses.
In the first, the lady’s mother speaks to a little crow, promising a delicious feast of fatty meat, for the bird and its huge flock, if only the bird would caw aloud and make the man and lady return home. To understand this statement of the mother, we have to know that it was a superstitious belief that cawing of crows brought guests home. Even today, in many Tamil homes, people say, ‘The crow is cawing. Someone is going to come home’. Reflecting on how this belief would have come about, could it be because crows gather around whenever guests are home, as there would be plenty of food for them to peck on from the leftovers? Maybe somehow, this association of guests and cawing of crows would have later morphed, mistaking cause and consequence! Anyway, the thing to note here is the expectant heart of this mother, who hopes fervently that her daughter will come back home to her.
In the second verse, it’s the lady saying these words to her confidante, who is expressing sadness at how the lady looks tired and seemingly lacking in her beauty and glow. The lady says to her friend, ‘All this is just because I walked in the scorching heat of the drylands. Please do not make a huge issue of this temporary discomfort, because otherwise people home might think that I’m not happy with my man’. The confidante’s concern for her friend, the lady’s thinking about the perception of others and her protectiveness over the man are all subtle nuances depicted in this intricate scene.
In the third, people of the village gather at the lady’s home and talk to the lady’s mother saying how she had felt so heartbroken and in fact, scolded anyone who had dared to say that the lady had done the right thing. Now, they ask the mother whether the girl, who had left home, had come back with her young man, bringing the much-needed comfort to her mother. The close bond between the villagers and they way they take part in the joy and sorrow of each other’s families is evident from this narrative.
Perhaps as a reply to the third verse, in the fourth, the lady’s mother tells the villagers how the lady had done something just but that something had lacked in love towards her family, because they had forbade her wedding. But still, the lady had made amends by returning home with the young man and showered the mother with love and grace. In this verse, the mother talks about how the lady would put a deer to shame, a unique way of showcasing her daughter’s beauty and gentleness.
In the fifth, it’s the man’s voice we hear speaking to the lady. Both of them have started the journey from his home after marriage and are making their way to the lady’s home, crossing the inevitable drylands. The man informs the lady that they are done with the hardest part of their journey, the crossing of the scorching drylands, where wildfire spreads. Now they have entered the mountain country, where cascades gush with flowers many. He thus cheers the lady that their tiring journey is about to end and that the lady will be soon reunited with her parents. In the sixth too, the man speaks to the lady, asking her to wear Kino flowers and walk slowly, trying to let go of the fatigue of crossing the drylands, for they were about to enter the lady’s town for the midday feast. Perhaps he wants to make a good impression on the lady’s family and that’s why he asks the lady to fresh up with flowers and feel energetic as they head home.
In the seventh, the lady requests some travellers she meets in the drylands to rush home before her and inform her good friends that she has crossed the drylands and is returning home to be with them. The eighth sees the lady back home and when the lady asks her confidante how did she bear with the loss when the lady eloped away, the confidante says something beautiful about the people of the village. She says even more than her, who was crying every time thoughts of the lady crossed her mind, the village people felt even more worry on behalf of the lady. They prayed that the drylands would bloom with fruits that birds knew not about, and also, have plenty of waterholes that deer knew not about, so that their dear girl would have a pleasant journey even in that harsh landscape. It’s heartwarming to see the love they feel for a daughter of their village and how they wish well for her, wherever she is.
In the ninth, it’s the lady’s mother speaking. She is informed that the ceremony of removing the anklets, an important part of a woman’s wedding, and something usually done at the lady’s home, has happened at the man’s house. The mother says, ‘Even if that is over, at least let the man and lady have a wedding ceremony at their house’, and wishes for the messengers to put this request to the man’s mother. It’s curious how even today two ceremonies happen in many cases in inter-caste and inter-religious weddings in India, one for the bride’s family and other, for the groom’s!
In the final verse, it’s the lady’s mother who speaks again, talking about how it was the season of spring, when a vine, placed in parallel to a woman, wraps around a burflower tree, placed in parallel to a man. She has remarked about the season saying that is why their daughter too felt the gush of love for the man and eloped with him. She’s not to be blamed at all. She concludes with the words to her family that a message has come in about the lady’s return home with her beloved.
What an exquisite collection of verses exploring intricate emotions that swell up in a challenging reunion! So much of goodness and love wafts from these verses, like the fragrance of flowers. With this section, we come to the end of our exploration of the ‘Paalai’ or ‘Drylands landscape’ and although I was fearing it would be dull and dry, it turned out to be surprisingly stunning, so vivid in its clear organisation of events pertaining to this domain. Indeed, there was much sorrow of separation but also the joy of reunion and a plethora of emotions in between. It’s time to bid farewell to these characters we have met and got to know in the expanse of this harsh landscape and walk on to our next domain!
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