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In this episode, we listen to words of refusal, as depicted in Sangam Literary work, Aganaanooru 246, penned by Paranar. The verse is situated amidst the flourishing fields of the ‘Marutham’ or ‘Farmlands landscape’ and describes a famous battle from this era.
பிணர் மோட்டு நந்தின் பேழ் வாய் ஏற்றை
கதிர் மூக்கு ஆரல் களவன் ஆக,
நெடு நீர்ப் பொய்கைத் துணையொடு புணரும்
மலி நீர் அகல் வயல் யாணர் ஊர!
போது ஆர் கூந்தல் நீ வெய்யோளொடு
தாது ஆர் காஞ்சித் தண் பொழில் அகல் யாறு
ஆடினை என்ப, நெருநை; அலரே
காய் சின மொய்ம்பின் பெரும் பெயர்க் கரிகால்
ஆர்கலி நறவின் வெண்ணிவாயில்,
சீர் கெழு மன்னர் மறலிய ஞாட்பின்
இமிழ் இசை முரசம் பொரு களத்து ஒழிய,
பதினொரு வேளிரொடு வேந்தர் சாய,
மொய் வலி அறுத்த ஞான்றை,
தொய்யா அழுந்தூர் ஆர்ப்பினும் பெரிதே.
In this trip to the fields, in addition to taking in sights of the domain, we go on a detour to an ancient battlefield, as we listen to the confidante say these words to the man, when he seeks entry into the lady’s house, after having left to be in the company of a courtesan:
“The male snail with a split mouth and a coarse-skinned belly, unites with its mate, living in the deep waters of the pond, where the sharp-nosed sand-eel stands as its witness, in the brimming waters of the wide fields in your prosperous town, O lord! They say that yesterday, with the woman you desire, the one having tresses adorned with flowers, you played together in the wide river, by the cool orchards, filled with the pollen of Portia trees. The slander that soars now is louder than the unceasing uproar that arose in Azhunthoor, when King Karikalan of great renown, filled with immense prowess and fury, destroyed the strength of those famous kings – the eleven Velir kings and the other two southern emperors – and made their resounding drums to be lost in the battlefield, when they rose against him with enmity at Venni Vayil, renowned for its festivities and its toddy!”
Time to listen to the tale unfolding amidst the plenty! The confidante starts with a description of a male snail uniting with its mate, in the presence of a sand-eel, amidst the overflowing waters of the fields in the lord’s town. Then she reveals how people were talking about the fact that the man had been romping around with a courtesan and playing in the river, by the shade of the Portia trees, the previous day. The confidante concludes by saying that this slander was louder and even more ceaseless than the din that arose in the town of Azhunthoor, when King Karikaalan defeated not one, not two, but eleven Velir Kings and the Chera and Pandya kings as well, when they had risen against him at Venni Vayil. In essence, this is a refusal by the confidante to allow the man to enter the lady’s house, citing his association with a courtesan. A subtle reference to the firm power a Sangam woman seems to have had in such circumstances, of preventing her husband from entering their home, even if he happened to be the wealthy lord of the prosperous town!
