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In this episode, we perceive an emphatic attempt to change a person’s path, as depicted in Sangam Literary work, Aganaanooru 320, penned by Madurai Koolavaanikan Seethalai Saathanaar. The verse is situated amidst the leaping waves of the ‘Neythal’ or ‘Coastal Landscape’ and sketches scenes of wild life and human life on this domain in vibrant detail.
ஓங்கு திரைப் பரப்பின் வாங்கு விசைக் கொளீஇ,
திமிலோன் தந்த கடுங் கண் வய மீன்,
தழை அணி அல்குல் செல்வத் தங்கையர்,
விழவு அயர் மறுகின் விலை எனப் பகரும்
கானல் அம் சிறுகுடி பெரு நீர்ச் சேர்ப்ப!
மலர் ஏர் உண்கண் எம் தோழி எவ்வம்
அலர் வாய் நீங்க, நீ அருளாய் பொய்ப்பினும்,
நெடுங் கழி துழைஇய குறுங் கால் அன்னம்
அடும்பு அமர் எக்கர் அம் சிறை உளரும்,
தடவு நிலைப் புன்னைத் தாது அணி பெருந் துறை
நடுங்கு அயிர் போழ்ந்த கொடுஞ்சி நெடுந் தேர்
வண்டற் பாவை சிதைய வந்து, நீ
தோள் புதிது உண்ட ஞான்றை,
சூளும் பொய்யோ, கடல் அறி கரியே?
In this trip to the balmy landscape, we have to plenty to see and hear, as we listen to the confidante say these words to the man, when he arrives for his tryst by day with the lady:
“From the seas with soaring waves, harsh-eyed, strong fish, gathered by the pull of sturdy nets, are brought ashore by fishermen, and handed over to their precious sisters, wearing beautiful leaves around their waists. They take this catch to the streets, filled with festivities, and sell by shouting out the price in your picturesque hamlet, filled with groves, O lord of the huge seashore! You have failed by not showering your grace to remove the rumours, spreading in town, and end the suffering of my friend, with flower-like, kohl-streaked eyes. The short-legged seabird which had been fishing in the deep backwaters, dries its exquisite wings upon sand dunes, filled with beach morning glory vines, upon which the laurel wood tree with curving trunks shower their pollen, beautifying those huge shores, where splitting the fine wet sand, your tall, decorated chariot had arrived, ruining sand dolls carved on the shore. Arriving so, when you relished the beauty of her fresh arms, didn’t you take an oath, with the sea as your witness? Are you going to fail in keeping your word too?”
Time for a dip in the pristine seas of the past! The confidante first takes us right to the middle of the seas, where we see ancient fishermen casting their nets and pulling in a rich catch of fish. Then, we travel back to the shore and see how their work done, the men hand over the catch to their sisters, who take up the task of selling this catch by finding the right spot in the streets, where festivities are unfolding. Isn’t that a good division of labour? I wonder what the price of that catch would be? Was it barter or money? Would those fine maiden let their customers bargain and negotiate? Interesting to ponder on these questions about the past.
Returning, we learn the confidante has mentioned this scene only to describe the man’s hamlet, where such things unfold. Then, she turns to the man and accuses him of not fulfilling his role of showering grace upon the lady because slander was spreading in town and he seemed to be doing nothing to allay the lady’s suffering on account of that. Then the confidante turns to describe their huge shores, where seabirds rove above the backwaters, fishing, and then come to dry their wings on the sand dunes, which are coated with the fragrant pollen of the laurel wood tree. Describing this exquisite place, the confidante recollects how the man had come through those very shores, splitting the sands with the wheels of his tall chariot and ruining the sand dolls, those girls had carved with much love on the shore. The confidante turns to talk about how at that time, the man had taken an oath before relishing the lady’s beauty, with the sea as his witness, probably saying that he shall never let the lady suffer again. The confidante concludes by asking the man if he was going to fail in fulfilling that oath too!
In essence, it’s a strong warning invoking promises made, bidding the man to ‘Marry the lady’, instead of seeking the temporary pleasure of trysting. It must have been a time when a man breaking his word was huge deal and it’s that moral currency the confidante employs here. Beyond these usual relationship dynamics, it was indeed a refreshing trip to the seas, taking in the commotion of humans and the calm of flora and fauna that resonate on those ancient shores!
