Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music | Android | iHeartRadio | TuneIn | RSS | More
In this episode, we perceive the effect of the rains on a domain, as depicted in Sangam Literary work, Ainkurunooru 431-440, situated in the ‘Mullai’ or ‘Forest landscape’ and penned by the poet Peyanaar.
Thus blooms the Forty Fourth Ten of Ainkurunooru: Ode to the Flowering Forest
431 Sapphire Peacocks
நன்றே, காதலர் சென்ற ஆறே!
அணி நிற இரும் பொறை மீமிசை
மணி நிற உருவின தோகையும் உடைத்தே.
Good is the path the lover traverses! For there, atop the bright-hued, huge hill, sapphire-hued peacocks can be seen!
432 Golden Garlands
நன்றே, காதலர் சென்ற ஆறே!
சுடு பொன் அன்ன கொன்றை சூடி,
கடி புகுவனர்போல் மள்ளரும் உடைத்தே.
Good is the path the lover traverses! For there, wearing golden shower flowers, akin to melted gold, appearing like people heading to a wedding, strong young men can be seen!
433 Moist Earth
நன்றே, காதலர் சென்ற ஆறே!
நீர்ப்பட எழிலி வீசும்
கார்ப் பெயற்கு எதிரிய கானமும் உடைத்தே.
Good is the path the lover traverses! For there, as clouds scatter the water within, the forest, which gracefully accepts this downpour of the rainy season, can be seen!
434 Leaping in the rain
நன்றே, காதலர் சென்ற ஆறே!
மறியுடை மான்பிணை உகள,
தண் பெயல் பொழிந்த இன்பமும் உடைத்தே.
Good is the path the lover traverses! For there, as a female deer with a fawn leaps about, the joy in a cool downpour can be seen!
435 Flowers galore
நன்றே, காதலர் சென்ற ஆறே!
நிலன் அணி நெய்தல் மலர,
பொலன் அணி கொன்றையும் பிடவமும் உடைத்தே.
Good is the path the lover traverses! For there, as the blue lotus that adorns the land blooms, gold-like golden shower and wild jasmine flowers can be seen!
436 Wild lime flowers
நன்றே, காதலர் சென்ற ஆறே!
நன் பொன் அன்ன சுடர் இணர்க்
கொன்றையொடு மலர்ந்த குருந்துமார் உடைத்தே.
Good is the path the lover traverses! For there, along with the fine, gold-like, glowing flower clusters of the golden shower, the flowering of the wild lime can be seen!
437 Jasmines in the Hail
நன்றே, காதலர் சென்ற ஆறே!
ஆலித் தண் மழை தலைஇய,
வாலிய மலர்ந்த முல்லையும் உடைத்தே.
Good is the path the lover traverses! For there, receiving the shower of the cool rain of hailstones, the wild jasmine, which blooms so brightly, can be seen!
438 Endowing Pleasure
நன்றே, காதலர் சென்ற ஆறே!
பைம் புதல் பல் பூ மலர,
இன்புறத் தகுந பண்புமார் உடைத்தே.
Good is the path the lover traverses! For there, as green bushes bloom with many flowers , the quality of endowing pleasure can be seen!
439 Villages of Cowherds
நன்றே, காதலர் சென்ற ஆறே!
குருந்தங் கண்ணிக் கோவலர்
பெருந் தண் நிலைய பாக்கமும் உடைத்தே.
Good is the path the lover traverses! For there, the huge and cool villages of cowherds, who wear wild lime flower garlands, can be seen!
440 Flame lily in the Rain shower
நன்றே, காதலர் சென்ற ஆறே!
தண் பெயல் அளித்த பொழுதின்
ஒண் சுடர்த் தோன்றியும் தளவமும் உடைத்தே.
Good is the path the lover traverses! For there, in that time when the cool shower pours down, the radiant, fire-like flame lily and pink jasmine flowers can be seen!
So concludes Ainkurunooru 431-440. All the verses are set in the context of the man’s post-marital relationship with his lady and specifically in the situation of his parting away from her to complete a mission. The unifying theme of all these verses is that these describe the transformation of the forest after the rains have fallen. Every verse is uttered by the confidante to the lady in a situation when the lady reveals her anxiety about the harshness of the man’s path, and the confidante allays her suffering with these good words.
In every verse, the confidante assures the lady that the path the man treads will be perfectly fine. In the first, she showcases blue-hued peacocks dancing on the hill. In the second, the confidence of seeing strong young men is presented, and these men are said to be wearing golden shower flowers and looking as if they are journeying to a wedding event, giving us information that people attending weddings in that era liked to wear golden shower flowers, which incidentally happens to be the very flower whose flowering signifies the start of the harvest season in the mountains as well as the auspicious time for a wedding.
Returning to the forest, in the third, the confidante reveals that ecstatic confluence of the rains and the forest soil. In the fourth, she points to a deer and a fawn leaping about and spreading joy there. In the fifth, a bouquet of flowers such as the blue lotus, golden shower and wild jasmine are blooming on the land. In the sixth, along with the gold-like golden shower, the wild lime tree bursts open brightly with its flowers. In the seventh, the pouring down of hail seems to knock on the petals of the wild jasmines and makes them bloom. The eighth reveals how all the green bushes decide to paint themselves in the hues of many flowers. In the ninth, the assurance of finding many villages of cowherds, identified by their wild lime garlands, is offered. In the final one, the confidante concludes with the sight of the fire-like flame lilies blooming in the cool rain, in the company of pink jasmine flowers that too! In short, without much adornment, the confidante talks about all the beauty that awaits to enrich the eyes of the travelling man. She thereby highlights her sweet nature of offering the right consolation for the lady’s anxiety. Imagine what a beautiful world it would be, if everyone had a friend like this confidante!
Share your thoughts...