In this episode, we listen to joyous voices foreseeing an awaited arrival, as depicted in Sangam Literary work, Aganaanooru 324, penned by Okkoor Maasaathiyaar. The verse is situated amidst the rain-soaked flowers of the ‘Mullai’ or ‘Forest Landscape’ and sketches the trajectory of a speeding chariot.
விருந்தும் பெறுகுநள் போலும், திருந்து இழைத்
தட மென் பணைத் தோள், மட மொழி அரிவை
தளிர் இயல் கிள்ளை இனிதினின் எடுத்த
வளராப் பிள்ளைத் தூவி அன்ன,
வார் பெயல் வளர்த்த, பைம் பயிர்ப் புறவில்
பறைக் கண் அன்ன நிறைச் சுனை தோறும்
துளி படு மொக்குள் துள்ளுவன சால,
தொளி பொரு பொகுட்டுத் தோன்றுவன மாய,
வளி சினை உதிர்த்தலின், வெறி கொள்பு தாஅய்,
சிரற் சிறகு ஏய்ப்ப அறற்கண் வரித்த
வண்டு உண் நறு வீ துமித்த நேமி
தண் நில மருங்கில் போழ்ந்த வழியுள்,
நிரை செல் பாம்பின் விரைபு நீர் முடுக,
செல்லும் நெடுந்தகை தேரே
முல்லை மாலை நகர் புகல் ஆய்ந்தே!
In this trip to this fragrant landscape, we get to see many pleasant sights, as we listen to the man’s helpers say these words to themselves, at a time when the man is returning home, after completing his mission:
“It appears as if that young maiden, with curving, soft arms, who wears well-etched jewels and speaks naive words, would get to spread a feast this evening. Akin to the feathers of the young chick, raised with joy by the mother parrot, in the hue of tender sprouts, grows fresh blades of grass, raised by the pouring rains, in the forest. Here, akin to the eye of drums, water brims over in the springs. Akin to blooming buds of lotuses, bubbles form on the ground and vanish away. As the breeze shook them from the branches, bright hued, fragrant flowers in the shade of a Kingfisher’s feathers spread on the silt-covered ground, and are buzzed upon by bees. These flowers are chopped by the wheels speeding on the cool spaces of the road, and water gushes to fill the imprints made by these wheels, appearing akin to snakes, slithering away in neat rows. If we think about it, it seems certain that the chariot of the esteemed lord, which plies so, will arrive at the lady’s mansion in the evening hour, when wild jasmines bloom!”
Time to race along with that ancient chariot! The man’s helpers start by remarking that it seems like the lady would attain her wish of spreading a welcome feast that evening. After that statement, they etch the sights along their journey by stacking one simile after another. First, it’s the blades of grass popping out of the forest bed, thanks to the loving care of the rains, and these are compared to the tiny feathers on a young parrot chick, raised by its mother, which is in the hue of tender sprouts. Next, they talk about how springs everywhere are brimming with water and appearing akin to the eye of drums. Their eyes next falls on the bubbles dancing on those rain-soaked roads and disappearing and these are equated to lotus buds in the slush. As we move long, the helpers then point to fallen flowers in a bright hue, like that of a kingfisher’s feathers. Those flowers become collateral damage in the hands of the chariot wheels, and as the wheels move on, leaving their imprints in the soft and wet ground, water rushes to those spaces, and this looks like snakes slithering in neat rows after them, the helpers etch with precision. They conclude by saying seeing how the chariot is speeding in this manner, it’s all but certain the man would reach his home in the hour the jasmines bloom, and get to enjoy the feast of the lady, they had mentioned in the beginning.
If we perceive closely, we can sense a feeling of constant motion, from the blades of grass, to brimming springs, to vanishing bubbles, to fallen flowers and most prominently, to water flowing like slithering snakes in the wheels’ path! It gives an extra-dimensional effect of making us feel as if we are moving in the chariot ourselves! A verse which brings out the finesse of Sangam poets in carving the world around them and making motion pictures, all with a few magical words!
