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In this episode, we listen to a unique tale of parting, as portrayed in Sangam Literary work, Aganaanooru 255, penned by Madurai Maruthan Ilanaakanaar. Set in the ‘Paalai’ or ‘Drylands landscape’, the verse sketches the yearning in a heart, torn apart by the hand of fate.
உலகு கிளர்ந்தன்ன உரு கெழு வங்கம்
புலவுத் திரைப் பெருங் கடல் நீர் இடைப் போழ,
இரவும் எல்லையும் அசைவு இன்று ஆகி,
விரை செலல் இயற்கை வங்கூழ் ஆட்ட,
கோடு உயர் திணி மணல் அகன் துறை நீகான்
மாட ஒள் எரி மருங்கு அறிந்து ஒய்ய,
ஆள் வினைப் பிரிந்த காதலர் நாள் பல
கழியாமையே, அழி படர் அகல,
வருவர்மன்னால் தோழி! தண் பணைப்
பொரு புனல் வைப்பின் நம் ஊர் ஆங்கண்,
கருவிளை முரணிய தண் புதல் பகன்றை
பெரு வளம் மலர அல்லி தீண்டி,
பலவுக் காய்ப் புறத்த பசும் பழப் பாகல்
கூதள மூதிலைக் கொடி நிரைத் தூங்க,
அறன் இன்று அலைக்கும் ஆனா வாடை
கடி மனை மாடத்துக் கங்குல் வீச,
‘திருந்துஇழை நெகிழ்ந்து பெருங் கவின் சாய,
நிரை வளை ஊருந் தோள்’ என,
உரையொடு செல்லும் அன்பினர்ப் பெறினே.
It’s an oft-repeated trip to the drylands but we perceive nothing familiar in this journey, as we listen to the lady say these words to her confidante, as the man continues to remain parted away, having left in search of wealth:
“As if the land rises to stand tall, a formidable ship splits the waters of the flesh-reeking huge seas, and be it day or night, finds no rest. As the strong essence of nature nudges it ahead with speed, seeking that wide shore, filled with brimming sands, soaring like a peak, the captain directs the ship knowingly towards the glow of a radiant light on high ground. Upon this ship, the lover parted away on a mission to gain wealth. At this time, in our town with moist fields, watered by flooding streams, caressing the petals of fertile flowers blooming on the blue rattle-pod, amidst the cool and moist bushes, differing in appearance from the blue pea flowers, and shaking the bitter-melon vines, hanging with ripe fruits, appearing akin to a jackfruit, along with the vines of the three-lobed nightshade, having no justice whatsoever, the ceaseless tormenting northern winds then enters our well-guarded mansion in the middle of the night. That lover of mine would return promptly, without wasting too many days, and make this deep suffering end, my friend, if only we were to find a kind person, who would take the message, ‘The well-etched ornaments of your maiden are falling down, as her great beauty fades, and her neat row of bangles are slipping away from her arms’! If only!”
Let’s sail along in the sea of separation and learn more! The lady starts by presenting a portrait of a soaring ship, one that’s coasting along the waves of the sea, teeming with life. She then zooms on to the captain of that ship, and the way he’s intently guiding the vessel, nudged by the ever-present winds of nature, to a destination in his mind, a shore filled with sands, soaring high above. The lady talks about how this ship thinks not about taking any rest, be it day or night, and keeps sailing, hoping to catch a glimpse of the light on high, no doubt implying an ancient lighthouse, inviting ships to its harbour. After that vivid account of a ship’s journey, the lady reveals her beloved is on that ship, and he had left in search of wealth.
Leaving the sailing lover on the swaying ship, the lady turns the camera on her surroundings in their fertile farmland town and we catch a glimpse of another unseen essence of nature, the cold, northern winds, entering and touching the core of blue rattle-pod flowers, shaking the vines of bitter melons and nightshades, and finally stepping into the lady’s mansion, in the middle of the night, holding torture tools in its many hands. The lady concludes by declaring her suffering would end and the man would return without much delay if there was some kind person who could take the message to the man that his beloved lady was wasting away, her ornaments falling down, and her bangles slipping away, as she pined for him!
Though at the core, it’s the same old theme of wishing for a messenger to convey pain to the faraway beloved, the matchless aspect of this verse is the portrait of a man’s travel by sea to earn wealth. We have seen hundreds of songs on parting, where the man walks on through the dreary drylands, scorching in the sun’s glare, filled with wild animals and inhabited by highway robbers. This is the first and perhaps the only song in Sangam literature that talks about a man’s journey on a ship to gain wealth. This ties so neatly with recent archaeological discoveries about Tamil traders, leaving their imprints in countries, as far away as Egypt. Even though it’s but one, it’s a precious one that portrays the poignant pain of a beloved left at land, yearning for that sailor in the sea!
