Aganaanooru 2 – Sweet nectar and sleeping monkey

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கோழிலை வாழைக் கோள் முதிர் பெருங் குலை
ஊழுறு தீம் கனி, உண்ணுநர்த் தடுத்த
சாரற் பலவின் சுளையொடு, ஊழ் படு
பாறை நெடுஞ் சுனை, விளைந்த தேறல்
அறியாது உண்ட கடுவன் அயலது
கறி வளர் சாந்தம் ஏறல்செல்லாது,
நறு வீ அடுக்கத்து மகிழ்ந்து கண்படுக்கும்
குறியா இன்பம், எளிதின், நின் மலைப்
பல் வேறு விலங்கும் எய்தும் நாட!

குறித்த இன்பம் நினக்கு எவன் அரிய?
வெறுத்த ஏஎர், வேய் புரை பணைத் தோள்,
நிறுப்ப நில்லா நெஞ்சமொடு நின்மாட்டு,
இவளும், இனையள்ஆயின், தந்தை
அருங் கடிக் காவலர் சோர் பதன் ஒற்றி,
கங்குல் வருதலும் உரியை; பைம் புதல்
வேங்கையும் ஒள் இணர் விரிந்தன;
நெடு வெண் திங்களும் ஊர்கொண்டன்றே.

Now, it’s the turn of the mountains to feature in Aganaanooru and I learnt that we can expect every poem ending in 2 or 8, totalling 80 poems, to transport us to the lush mountains of ancient Tamil land. Evidence of the mathematical rigour in the arrangement of these verses, I spoke about earlier! Here are the words that are rendered by the lady’s confidante to the man, when he comes to tryst with the lady:

“Huge fruit clusters in the luxuriant-leaved plantain, which have reached their natural destiny of ripeness, along with slices of jackfruit growing on the slopes, which satiate those who savour them because of their extreme sweetness, fall on age-old rocks and fuse with the wide springs. Such a delicate nectar is relished unknowingly by a male monkey, which then intoxicated, climbs not the sandalwood tree covered in pepper vines nearby, but instead sleeps with content, on the slopes filled with fragrant flowers. Such pleasures unsought for, are available so effortlessly to the many animals in your land, O lord!

If that is so, how will a pleasure that you seek be hard to attain for you? She, the one with overflowing beauty and bamboo-like, thick arms, has a heart that refuses to heed any obstacle and rushes to you. Such is her love for you! However, you need to watch out for those moments of fatigue in her father’s stern guards to come meet her at night; For now, amidst the green leaves of the Kino tree, bright flowers have bloomed, and the full, white moon too is out on the prowl!”

Let’s delve into the details. The confidante starts by talking about the man’s land, and to do that, she brings before our eyes, the image of the lush fruits, not only from a mountain plantain, but also the slices of a jackfruit that people fear because of their extreme sweetness. Imagine those delectable flavours! The pulp and nectar of both these fruits fall and dash against some rocks that have been standing there for eternity and then find their way to the springs and streams gushing nearby. A male monkey arrives near the stream and drinks up the water unknowingly and becomes so intoxicated by the sweetness that it doesn’t want to climb the sandalwood tree with pepper vines. But instead, it curls up for a good sleep amidst the flowers of the valley. The confidante has brought forth such a delicate narration to simply say such unimagined and unexpected pleasures are so easily to be found by even the animals of the man’s domain. She wonders when this is true, how will the lord of this domain, the man, be thwarted from a pleasure he seeks willingly! As if answering her rhetorical question, the confidante talks about how the lady reciprocates the man’s love steadfastly and that the lady’s heart heeds no one in its journey to be by the man’s side. While all may seem so gung-ho, the confidante introduces a thorn in her narrative, saying while these things seemed to be in the man’s favour, the man will still have to bide his time and wait for that rare moment when the guards that the lady’s father had assembled around their house, felt fatigue. The confidante ends her words by stating how the full moon was out in the blue skies, and the Kino trees were in full bloom, shedding the glow of their bright flowers, as well!

Through that finishing note, the confidante stresses how the man will be easily discovered in the light of the full moon, by the watchful guards around the lady’s home, thereby dissuading the man’s hidden hope of trysting by night. In her reference to the blooming Kino flowers, the confidante mentions that it’s the harvest season, and also, the season of marriages in their culture. Further, in that exquisite description of the sleeping monkey, the confidante places a metaphor for how the man seemed only intent on relishing the pleasures with the lady and it was now time to put some effort in climbing the sandalwood tree of a married union. Thus, in exquisite Sangam style, elements of nature are woven together intricately with the dynamics of relationship and responsibility and presented as a timeless treasure for our senses to savour!