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In this episode, we listen to a lady’s pleas to the world around, as portrayed in Sangam Literary work, Kalithogai 147, penned by Nallanthuvanaar. The verse is situated in the ‘Neythal’ or ‘Coastal Landscape’ and narrates the torment of a lady and the resolution of her travails.
கண்டோர்:
ஆறு அல்ல மொழி தோற்றி, அற வினை கலக்கிய,
தேறு கள் நறவு உண்டார் மயக்கம்போல், காமம்
வேறு ஒரு பாற்று ஆனதுகொல்லோ? சீறடிச்
சிலம்பு ஆர்ப்ப, இயலியாள் இவள் மன்னோ, இனி மன்னும்
புலம்பு ஊரப் புல்லென்ற வனப்பினாள் விலங்கு ஆக,
வேல் நுதி உற நோக்கி, வெயில் உற, உருகும் தன்
தோள் நலம் உண்டானைக் கெடுத்தாள் போல், தெருவில் பட்டு,
ஊண் யாதும் இலள் ஆகி, உயிரினும் சிறந்த தன்
நாண் யாதும் இலள் ஆகி, நகுதலும் நகூஉம்; ஆங்கே
பெண்மையும் இலள் ஆகி அழுதலும் அழூஉம்: தோழி! ஓர்
ஒண்ணுதல் உற்றது உழைச் சென்று கேளாமோ?
தலைவி:
இவர் யாவர் ஏமுற்றார் கண்டீரோ? ஓஒ!
அமையும் தவறிலீர் மற்கொலோ நகையின்
மிக்கதன் காமமும் ஒன்று என்ப; அம் மா
புது நலம் பூ வாடியற்று, தாம் வீழ்வார்
மதி மருள நீத்தக்கடை
என்னையே மூசி, கதுமென நோக்கன்மின் வந்து
கலைஇய கண், புருவம், தோள், நுசுப்பு, ஏஎர்
சில மழைபோல் தாழ்ந்து இருண்ட கூந்தல், அவற்றை
விலை வளம் மாற அறியாது, ஒருவன்
வலை அகப்பட்டது என் நெஞ்சு
வாழிய, கேளிர்!
பலவும் சூள் தேற்றித் தெளித்தவன் என்னை
முலையிடை வாங்கி முயங்கினன், நீத்த
கொலைவனைக் காணேன்கொல், யான்?
காணினும், என்னை அறிதிர்; கதிர் பற்றி,
ஆங்கு எதிர் நோக்குவன் ஞாயிறே! எம் கேள்வன்
யாங்கு உளன் ஆயினும் காட்டீமோ? காட்டாயேல்,
வானத்து எவன் செய்தி, நீ?
ஆர் இருள் நீக்கும் விசும்பின் மதி போல,
நீருள்ளும் தோன்றுதி, ஞாயிறே! அவ் வழித்
தேரை தினப்படல் ஓம்பு
நல்கா ஒருவனை நாடி யான் கொள்வனை,
பல் கதிர் சாம்பிப் பகல் ஒழிய, பட்டீமோ
செல் கதிர் ஞாயிறே! நீ
அறாஅல் இன்று அரி முன்கைக் கொட்கும்
பறாஅப் பருந்தின்கண் பற்றிப் புணர்ந்தான்
கறாஅ எருமைய காடு இறந்தான்கொல்லோ?
உறாஅத் தகை செய்து, இவ் ஊர் உள்ளான்கொல்லோ?
செறாஅது உளனாயின், கொள்வேன்; அவனைப்
பெறாஅது யான் நோவேன்; அவனை எற் காட்டிச்
சுறாஅக் கொடியான் கொடுமையை, நீயும்,
உறாஅ அரைச! நின் ஓலைக்கண் கொண்டீ,
மறாஅ அரைச! நின் மாலையும் வந்தன்று;
அறாஅ தணிக, இந் நோய்
தன் நெஞ்சு ஒருவற்கு இனைவித்தல், யாவர்க்கும்
அன்னவோ காம! நின் அம்பு?
கையாறு செய்தானைக் காணின், கலுழ் கண்ணால்
பையென நோக்குவேன்; தாழ் தானை பற்றுவேன்;
ஐயம் கொண்டு, என்னை அறியான் விடுவானேல்
ஒய்யெனப் பூசல் இடுவேன்மன், யான் அவனை
மெய்யாகக் கள்வனோ என்று
வினவன்மின் ஊரவிர்! என்னை, எஞ்ஞான்றும்
மடாஅ நறவு உண்டார் போல, மருள
விடாஅது உயிரொடு கூடிற்று என் உண்கண்
படாஅமை செய்தான் தொடர்பு
கனவினான் காணிய, கண் படாஆயின்,
நனவினான், ஞாயிறே! காட்டாய் நீஆயின்,
பனை ஈன்ற மா ஊர்ந்து, அவன் வர, காமன்
கணை இரப்பேன், கால் புல்லிக்கொண்டு
கண்டோர்:
என ஆங்கு,
கண் இனைபு, கலுழ்பு ஏங்கினள்;
தோள் ஞெகிழ்பு, வளை நெகிழ்ந்தனள்;
அன்னையோ! எல்லீரும் காண்மின்; மடவரல்
மெல் நடைப் பேடை துனைதர, தற் சேர்ந்த
அன்ன வான் சேவல் புணர்ச்சிபோல், ஒண்ணுதல்
காதலன் மன்ற அவனை வரக் கண்டு, ஆங்கு
ஆழ் துயரம் எல்லாம் மறந்தனள், பேதை
நகை ஒழிந்து, நாணு மெய் நிற்ப, இறைஞ்சி,
தகை ஆகத் தையலாள் சேர்ந்தாள் நகை ஆக,
நல் எழில் மார்பனகத்து.
Yet another long song of pining and pleading! The words can be translated as follows:
“Onlookers:
Akin to the intoxication of those, who have savoured clear toddy that makes them speak unsuitable words and impedes them from doing righteous acts, has love taken on a different nature now? Wasn’t she one, who used to move about, making anklets on her small feet resound? But now, filled with loneliness, she has lost her beauty. She, who arrested her man with her eyes, akin to spear tips, now melts in the scorching sun. Looks like she has lost the one, who savoured the beauty of her arms, for she roves in the streets, forgoing food, forgoing the sense of modesty greater than her life, and laughs out aloud; Forgoing her femininity, she cries too! My friend, shall we go and listen to what has happened to the maiden with the shining forehead?
Lady:
Have you come here asking, ‘Who is this? Has she lost her senses?’ Don’t you know that there is nothing wrong in excessive laughter and that is also an expression of love? Akin to how bees seek a new flower and then part away, leaving the bloom to fade, when the beloved leaves, the one in love is left in bewilderment.
Don’t swarm around and look piercingly at me! Without knowing how to seek something in return for my eyes that fused with his, my eyebrows, waist and tresses that descend, akin to rain clouds, my heart too got caught in his net! Long may my beloved live!
Swearing oaths many, he rendered clarity and won me over; Will I get to see that murderer, who embraced my bosom close, and then vanished away? If I were to see him, then you will understand my state!
Holding on to your rays, I will look, O sun! Won’t you show me where my lover is? If you can’t, what is the use of you being in the sky? Akin to the moon in the sky that dispels the deep darkness, you appear on the surface of water! Run away and protect yourself, for otherwise the toad in the water may feed on you! Before I can seek and capture the one, who has left me, without rendering his grace, do not fold your many rays and end the day, O moving sun!
Unceasingly, holding on to my forearm covered in fine hair, akin to an eagle that flies away not, he stayed and united with me. Has he now left to the drylands’ jungle, where buffaloes that have never been milked rove? Or is he doing the wrong thing and still remains in this town? Even if he is there, I will accept him without anger; Without him by my side, I wallow in sorrow!
O unfaltering king, won’t you write in that palm script of yours, the cruelty of the One with a shark flag, who showed my man to me, and punish him? O unfailing king! The evening has come in your very image! Won’t you make my unceasing disease abate? O God of love! Does your arrow pierce everyone and make them lose their hearts to another?
If I were to see the one, who has left me in helplessness, with tear-filled eyes, I shall look at him gently; I will clutch his hanging attire. If he tries to walk away, filled with doubts, I shall shout uproariously, declaring he is the thief, who stole away my form!
O townspeople! Question me no more! The relationship that arose because of the one, who looked into my kohl-streaked eyes, has made my life shiver and left me confused, akin to the state of those who are drinking toddy from a huge pot all the time!
Whatever I have seen in my dream, if you don’t bring before my eyes, O sun! I will fall at the feet of the God of love, and beg him to wield his bow, so that my man would come riding a palmyra horse!
Onlookers:
And so, she yearned, with tears brimming in her eyes, with arms thinning away, and bangles slipping away! See the plight of that maiden, everyone! And then, akin to how the white swan unites with its naive mate with a gentle gait, the maiden with a glowing forehead, seeing her beloved come thither, forgot her deep sorrow, let go of her delirious laughter, with her modesty shining on her form, bent her head, and that esteemed woman of beauty united with the handsome chest of her man, with a smile!”
Time to delve into the nuances. The verse is situated in the context of a man’s parting from a lady, prior to marriage, and here, the lady and the onlookers express the emotions in the situation. As custom, the onlookers begin by wondering whether love has changed its nature to make someone attain the state of those, who are intoxicated and not in their senses, speaking wrong words and doing inappropriate things! They make this comment because of the appearance and actions of the lady, who has lost her beauty, and laughs and cries for no reason. They decide to enquire to the lady and seeing them approach, the lady tries to justify her actions as a valid expression of love, stating this is what happens, when people love someone and part away, like a bee bidding bye to the flower on which it fed nectar! She describes how her heart was caught in the man’s net and now he has left away. She turns to make a plea to the sun, asking the life-giving orb to search for the man with its many rays, adding that if the sun were to say no to her request, then there was no use in the sun being up there. Interestingly, she also mocks the sun, saying that on the surface of water, the sun looks like the moon and asks it to beware, for otherwise the toad there might gobble it up!
After all this delirious talk with the sun, the lady reminisces about how the man had held on to her forearm and stayed there for long, like an eagle that perches without flying away. She wonders whether the man has left to some far away place, filled with wild buffaloes, or whether he was in the same town, and was doing her the disservice of not seeing her. Even so, it’s okay, she says, and adds she will accept him without any display of fury.
Then the lady complains about the god of love to the god of death. This is because it was the gold of love, who showed the man to her, and made her fall in love with him. She asks the god of death to punish the god of love for this act. She concludes by saying how the god of death has come in the form of evening. She talks about how if she sees the man in her dreams, she will hold on to him, and if at all, he walks away, she would shout for all to know that he was the thief, who stole her health and beauty. She turns to the townsfolk and asks them not to question her anymore, echoing their earlier thought about those who get sloshed saying that the man had left her in the state of the inebriated.
The lady concludes by saying that she would beg the God of love and ask him to make the man come riding to her, at least on a palmyra horse! The onlookers remark on her pitiable state and then conclude by talking about how when the man arrived, the lady forgot her sorrow, gave up her mad laughter and with her old modesty returning, bent her head, and went gently near the man and embraced his chest, with the flower of a smile blooming on her face! The theme that echoes from this verse is the parallel between love and intoxication. Today’s scientists concur that love is indeed like a drug and produces all the same effects of being addicted and inebriated. Fascinating how poetry from two thousand years ago shakes hands with the science of the current era, echoing the truth that those, who see with the heart, see it first and see it best!
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