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In this episode, we perceive worry about another’s pain, as portrayed in Sangam Literary work, Aganaanooru 41, penned by Kundriyanaar. Set in the ‘Paalai’ or ‘Drylands landscape’, the verse illustrates the sights and sounds of a season.
வைகு புலர் விடியல் மை புலம் பரப்ப,
கரு நனை அவிழ்ந்த ஊழுறு முருக்கின்
எரி மருள் பூஞ் சினை இனச் சிதர் ஆர்ப்ப,
நெடு நெல் அடைச்சிய கழனி ஏர் புகுத்து,
குடுமிக் கட்டிய படப்பையொடு மிளிர,
அரிகால் போழ்ந்த தெரி பகட்டு உழவர்
ஓதைத் தெள் விளி புலம்தொறும் பரப்ப,
கோழிணர் எதிரிய மரத்த, கவினி,
காடு அணி கொண்ட காண்தகு பொழுதில்,
நாம் பிரி புலம்பின் நலம் செலச் சாஅய்,
நம் பிரிபு அறியா நலனொடு சிறந்த
நல் தோள் நெகிழ, வருந்தினள்கொல்லோ
மென் சிறை வண்டின் தண் கமழ் பூந் துணர்
தாது இன் துவலை தளிர் வார்ந்தன்ன
அம் கலுழ் மாமை கிளைஇய,
நுண் பல் தித்தி, மாஅயோளே?
In this little trip to the drylands, instead of barren landscapes, we perceive contrasting scenes of sprouting life. Here, the man says these words, in the middle of his journey, as he remains parted away from his beloved:
“The dawn, which makes the dark night bloom, spreads its light upon the pitch-black lands; As dark buds of the Coral tree loosen their petals and appear, akin to fire, upon the flowery branches, swarms of bees buzz around; In the fields, where tall and lush paddy crops have been harvested and tied into tight bundles, as farmers enter with their ploughs and split stubbles with their strong bulls, their clear and loud calls spread all across the land; In this pleasant time, when the entire forest is adorned with the beauty of trees, blooming with thick clusters of flowers, lamenting over my parting away, losing her health, making her fine arms, which were once filled with beauty, not knowing what it was to separate from me, now thin away, won’t she, that dark-skinned maiden, with many, tiny pallor spots, spreading on her beautiful black skin, akin to how cool and fragrant pollen from flower clusters, scattered by soft-winged bees, spreads like drops of sweet honey upon sprouting leaves, be filled with sorrow?”
Time to bask in the blooming joy of spring! The man starts by talking about the time of the day, the early hours of the morning, when the sun is chasing away the darkness from the lands. From this small interval of time, he moves on to depict a bigger interval of time, namely the season, and to do that, he talks about how the flowers upon the coral tree are blooming like fire, and bees, entranced, are buzzing around them. Louder than these bees are the calls of farmers, directing their strong bulls in the harvested, stubble-filled paddy fields, the man details. Explaining that this is that beautiful season of spring, in which the forest seems to be decorated with the blooms of trees many, the man turns his attention to his beloved, and thinks about how she would be feeling lonely without him, how her arms would have thinned because of this separation. He concludes thinking that his beloved maiden, who has tiny pallor spots on her dark skin, akin to fine pollen on green leaves, would be very much worried, since he had not been able to make it back to her, in this beautiful season he promised to return. A verse which etches the tenderness in the hearts of these Sangam men, who reflect on the love of their beloved, even as they are held back by the chains of work!
