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In this episode, we perceive an expression of angst, as depicted in Sangam Literary work, Aganaanooru 267, penned by Paalai Paadiya Perunkadunko. Set in the ‘Paalai’ or ‘Drylands landscape’, the verse describes the scenes in the sweltering drylands with a stack of similes.
நெஞ்சு நெகிழ்தகுந கூறி, அன்பு கலந்து,
அறாஅ வஞ்சினம் செய்தோர், வினை புரிந்து,
திறம் வேறு ஆகல் எற்று?’ என்று ஒற்றி,
இனைதல் ஆன்றிசின், நீயே; சினை பாய்ந்து,
உதிர்த்த கோடை, உட்கு வரு கடத்திடை,
வெருக்கு அடி அன்ன குவி முகிழ் இருப்பை,
மருப்புக் கடைந்தன்ன, கொள்ளை வான் பூ
மயிர்க் கால் எண்கின் ஈர் இனம் கவர,
மை பட்டன்ன மா முக முசுவினம்
பைது அறு நெடுங் கழை பாய்தலின், ஒய்யென
வெதிர் படு வெண்ணெல் வெவ் அறைத் தாஅய்,
உகிர் நெரி ஓசையின் பொங்குவன பொரியும்
ஓங்கல் வெற்பின் சுரம் பல இறந்தோர்
தாம் பழி உடையர்அல்லர்; நாளும்
நயந்தோர்ப் பிணித்தல் தேற்றா, வயங்கு வினை
வாள் ஏர் எல் வளை நெகிழ்த்த,
தோளே தோழி! தவறு உடையவ்வே!
We get to see plenty of flora and fauna in this trip to the drylands, as we listen to the lady say these words to her confidante, at a time when the man continues to remain parted away from her, having left in search of wealth:
“Saying, ‘How come the one who said the right words to make the heart melt, filled with love, and took an oath to never part away, has now turned a different person and left in search of wealth?’, do not analyse and suffer ceaselessly, my friend!
Upon those fear-evoking paths, pouncing on the branches, hot summer winds shed clusters of Mahua flowers, which appear akin to the paws of a wild cat, in a bright white hue, akin to powdered tusks, and these are eaten by a sleuth of furry-legged sloth bears. Since monkeys with dark faces as if painted with kohl, leap about, from tall bamboos, bereft of green, suddenly bamboo seeds drop down and spread on the hot rocks beneath, and with the noise of snapping nails, these seeds pop and fry in those highland drylands, through which the man traverses.
He is not the one to be blamed; Those arms of mine, which day after day, without knowing how to bind the one it loves, lets the well-etched, sword-cut, shining bangles slip away, is the one at fault, my friend!”
Time to take a hot walk on those arid paths! The lady starts by requesting her confidante not to look at her state and worry endlessly, thinking about all the promises the man made when courting the lady and how he has changed now on account of seeking wealth. Then she describes the drylands path where the man walks and to do that, she brings before our eyes, fallen Mahua flowers, nudged from the branches by the hand of the summer winds, comparing the shape of these flowers to the paws of a wild cat and their hue to powdered ivory. Then she points out how furry-legged bears feed on these flowers that have fallen down. Next, she turns her attention to drying bamboos and points out to a leaping monkey, whose face seems to be blackened with kohl, possibly a langur, and in its brisk motion, the bamboo seeds scatter and fall on the rocks below, and the moment they do, they pop and fry, so hot the weather is, the lady connects. Instant bamboo pop-corn, seems like! It’s such a path that the man walks, the lady describes. She concludes by asking her friend not to blame the man for her state, saying the real culprit is her arms which seem not to know how to bind the man to her and all they can do is to let those exquisite bangles slip away, losing their health!
Can we see this as a subtle way of taking responsibility for one’s state? Ultimately, there’s no use blaming another for how we feel, no matter how justified it may seem. Seeing this timeless truth, whether the lady rises above her pain and faces the future with confidence or not, we surely can, in the various sweltering paths of our lives!
