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In this episode, we listen to a parted lady’s anguish, as portrayed in Sangam Literary work, Aganaanooru 11, penned by the prolific Sangam poet Avvaiyaar. The verse is situated in the ‘Paalai’ or ‘Drylands Landscape’ and expresses the regretful words of a person in the midst of a separation.
வானம் ஊர்ந்த வயங்கு ஒளி மண்டிலம்
நெருப்பு எனச் சிவந்த உருப்பு அவிர் அம் காட்டு,
இலை இல மலர்ந்த முகை இல் இலவம்
கலி கொள் ஆயம் மலிபு தொகுபு எடுத்த
அம் சுடர் நெடுங் கொடி பொற்பத் தோன்றி,
கயம் துகள் ஆகிய பயம் தபு கானம்
எம்மொடு கழிந்தனர்ஆயின், கம்மென,
வம்பு விரித்தன்ன பொங்கு மணற் கான் யாற்றுப்
படு சினை தாழ்ந்த பயில் இணர் எக்கர்,
மெய் புகுவு அன்ன கை கவர் முயக்கம்
அவரும் பெறுகுவர்மன்னே, நயவர,
நீர் வார் நிகர் மலர் கடுப்ப, ஓ மறந்து
அறு குளம் நிறைக்குந போல, அல்கலும்
அழுதல் மேவல ஆகி,
பழி தீர் கண்ணும் படுகுவமன்னே!
Back to the drylands, to a situation where the man has left the lady at home and parted away on a mission. The background mentioned by many scholars is that this verse unfolds when the lady was distressed by the man’s absence and seeing the lady’s state, her confidante becomes even more distressed. At this time, in order to alleviate the sadness of her friend, the lady apparently says how she will bear with the parting until the man returns. While the speaker and listener sounds right, this supposed situation did not come through from the lines of the verse. To me, it appears as if the lady is explaining to the confidante the reason for her suffering just then. In any case, here are the words the lady says to the confidante:
“The radiant orb of light that traverses the sky scorches like fire and reddens that scrub jungle with its heat. Here, the bloomed red buds of the leafless silk cotton tree appear akin to long upraised rows of shining lamps lit by joyous maiden, who celebrate together with much gusto. Ponds were losing the waters within and becoming filled with mud in that forest, bereft of benefits any. If at all he had taken me along thither, upon the sand mounds near the wild river, appearing akin to a cloth spread out, adorned by low-hanging branches, filled with flower bunches, akin to a body fitting tight against an armour, a loving embrace he would have attained from me, much to his desire! As for my eyes, akin to water-dripping, radiant flowers, they wouldn’t have unceasingly shed tears all day, akin to a barren pond being pumped with water, and those flawless eyes of mine would have found some sleep too!”
Time to traverse the barren landscape of the drylands and walk further! The lady starts by talking about the burning heat of the sun, which seems to redden the scrub jungle entire, and here, upon a silk cotton tree, which has no leaves, no doubt as a consequence of that harsh summer, red flowers bloom. The sight of these red flowers in that barren landscape is placed in parallel with rows of lights lit by maiden, who come together to celebrate. That vivid simile lights up the whole poem and also throws light on the custom of lighting lamps, which seems to correspond to the festival of ‘Karthikai’ celebrated in Tamil nadu, close to the festival of ‘Deepavalli’, wherein even today, women put up rows of mud lamps in their homes. The English language describes these silk cotton tree flowers as ‘cup-like’ and this ancient Tamil verse sees the same flower as the earthen lamp lit up, telling us that languages echo not only mere words for objects but entire cultures within.
Moving on, we find the lady now shifting her focus from such festivity to the barren ponds of the jungle, and she wistfully says that if only the man had taken her along, he would have attain a close embrace from her, upon the sands of the river, appearing like a spread-out cloth. A moment to reflect on the simile used here to describe that embrace! Most of the scholars have interpreted the words ‘மெய் புகுவு’ as two bodies uniting in an intercourse. But to me, this did not seem right when considering the subtle style or spirit of Sangam verses. Exploring further, I came across the word ‘மெய்யுறை’ or ‘armour’ and this made me think that it’s the way a body enters and fits tightly into an armour that is being referred here. This made perfect sense, coming from this female poet Avvaiyaar, who has been the counsellor of kings many in their wars!
Returning from that interesting detour, we find the lady continuing saying not only would the man have attained a happy embrace with her but that her eyes would not be filling up like a dried-up pond, pumped with water, and she concludes by declaring that those eyes of hers would have found some sleep at least. And so, we find a lake’s worth of regret pooling in this song on the barren landscape of separation, making us wonder why the men then did not take their women along in their journeys? Wouldn’t it have made their lives so much more lively and joyous?
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