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In this episode, we listen to a message of acceptance, as depicted in Sangam Literary work, Aganaanooru 310, penned by Nakeerar. The verse is situated amidst the roaring waves of the ‘Neythal’ or ‘Coastal landscape’ and reveals the manner in which a man courts a lady in those times.
கடுந் தேர் இளையரொடு நீக்கி, நின்ற
நெடுந் தகை நீர்மையை அன்றி, நீயும்,
தொழுதகு மெய்யை, அழிவு முந்துறுத்து,
பல் நாள் வந்து, பணி மொழி பயிற்றலின்,
குவளை உண்கண் கலுழ, நின்மாட்டு
இவளும் பெரும் பேதுற்றனள்; ஓரும்
தாயுடை நெடு நகர்த் தமர் பாராட்ட,
காதலின் வளர்ந்த மாதர்ஆகலின்,
பெரு மடம் உடையரோ, சிறிதே; அதனால்,
குன்றின் தோன்றும் குவவு மணற் சேர்ப்ப!
இன்று இவண் விரும்பாதீமோ! சென்று, அப்
பூ விரி புன்னைமீது தோன்று பெண்ணைக்
கூஉம் கண்ணஃதே தெய்ய ஆங்க
உப்பு ஒய் உமணர் ஒழுகையொடு வந்த
இளைப் படு பேடை இரிய, குரைத்து எழுந்து
உரும் இசைப் புணரி உடைதரும்
பெருநீர் வேலி எம் சிறு நல் ஊரே.
In this trip to the resounding seas, we get to see intricate portraits of the land and the people, as we listen to the confidante say these words to the man, at a time when he had been seeking to further his relationship with the lady:
“Leaving behind your speeding chariot along with your helpers, you always come and stand here, O noble lord. You have a respectable personality and also an admirable appearance. Though you are such a person, nudged by your tormenting emotions, you have come and stood here for many days, speaking humble words. Hearing all this, with her blue-lily-like, kohl-streaked eyes shedding tears, she too is filled with a deep fondness for you. With a caring mother and many brothers raising her with love and praise, like other such maiden, she too will be filled with great naivety, for a short while. And so, O lord of the shores with heaped sands, which appear akin to peaks, do not seek to see her here today. Why don’t you leave now and come later to our fine, little hamlet, fenced by the great seas, whose thundering, musical waves soar and crash against our shore, and where resting birds are scattered away by caravans of salt merchants, who arrive there. Indeed, it’s just at a shouting distance from that palmyra tree, a little along the way, which soars above the flower-filled laurel-wood trees!”
Waves of emotions await us on this shore! The confidante starts by describing how the man would always ask his helpers and his chariot to stay at a distance and would walk further and come stand in a humble manner. Though seemingly a simple act, it shows how the man doesn’t want to display his wealth or power. Next, the confidante talks about how the man has such a noble nature, and at the same time, how he’s good-looking too! While the man has all this going for him, still he would come and beg before the confidante, seeking to win her confidence, and get closer to the lady. The confidante gives the man the good news that the lady was touched by all this and that she has fallen mightily for him. While that may be so, being a girl raised with much pampering in a rich household, the lady could be expected to be quite shy in the initial stages, the confidante explains, and tells the man he cannot expect to see the lady just then. The confidante concludes by inviting the man to come over to their seaside village, visited by salt merchants, and just a stone’s throw from that palmyra tree, soaring above the flowering laurel-woods!
It’s only a temporary disappointment, and good things await you, promises this messenger of joy! No doubt the man would be charged up hearing about the lady’s love for him and hope would bloom in his heart about winning her over. The highlight of this verse is the portrayal of the humble way in which even a great lord approaches the person he loves, declaring in a subtle voice how the ancients valued love much above power and wealth!
