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In this episode, we listen to the eagerness in a man’s voice, as portrayed in Sangam Literary work, Aganaanooru 344, penned by Madurai Alakkar Gnaazhaar Makanaar Mallanaar. The verse is situated amidst the blooming jasmines of the ‘Mullai’ or ‘Forest Landscape’ and presents picturesque scenes in the aftermath of the rains.
வள மழை பொழிந்த வால் நிறக் களரி,
உளர்தரு தண் வளி உறுதொறும், நிலவு எனத்
தொகு முகை விரிந்த முடக் காற் பிடவின்,
வை ஏர் வால் எயிற்று, ஒள் நுதல் மகளிர்
கை மாண் தோணி கடுப்ப, பையென,
மயிலினம் பயிலும் மரம் பயில் கானம்
எல் இடை உறாஅ அளவை, வல்லே,
கழல் ஒலி நாவின் தெண் மணி கறங்க,
நிழல் ஒளிப்பன்ன நிமிர் பரிப் புரவி
வயக்கு உறு கொடிஞ்சி பொலிய, வள்பு ஆய்ந்து,
இயக்குமதி வாழியோ, கையுடை வலவ!
பயப்புறு படர் அட வருந்திய
நயப்பு இன் காதலி நகை முகம் பெறவே!
In this little trip to the patient lands, we get to witness the beauty of nature, as we listen to the man say these words to his charioteer, when he is returning home to the lady, after completing his mission:
“The messengers of fertility have showered upon the white-hued, brackish land and a moist wind roves about everywhere. Here, akin to the rays of the moon, bud clusters of the curved-stem ‘Malabar Jasmines’ have bloomed. Akin to the ‘Thoni’, performed with hand movements by maiden, with sharp and shining white teeth and glowing foreheads, gently flocks of peacocks dance away, in the forest, filled densely with trees. To traverse this jungle, even before the day ends in darkness, making clear bells with tongues, having the sound of anklets, resound, making the chariot’s ‘Kodinji’ glow bright, wielding the straight-gaited horses, in the hue of luxuriant light, with the perfect hold on the reins, hasten and ride on, may you live long, O expert charioteer! Speed on, so that I would get to see the smiling face of my adorable beloved, who would be languishing, owing to the siege of pining!”
It’s time again to keep in pace with the hoofbeats of horses! The man starts by celebrating the rains as bringers of prosperity. A subtle expression which tells us how much the rains were welcomed by this culture. The man goes on to talk about how the land had been parched and salty, but now it was drinking up that elixir of life, pouring from the skies, even as it was fanned by moist winds. When the land is happy, it would smile indeed, and this smile splashes on the faces of the ‘Pidavam’ flowers or ‘Malabar Jasmines’, whose flower clusters are akin to the moon’s rays, says the man. Then, he refers to ‘Thoni’ or Tholi’, a particular dance of smiling maiden done using their elegant arms, only to say the peacocks are dancing away in that manner. After describing the forest through which they are passing so, the man requests his charioteer, to go full speed, making the bells resound and the horses streak like light. He concludes by praising the skills of his charioteer and requesting that the charioteer rides so fast that the man would get to catch a glimpse of the lady, who would be suffering in sorrow without him, and see the blooming of her smile when he arrives, before the night clothes her in punishing darkness!
At the core, is a simple ‘Rush me to her’ message. A verse which would make anyone anywhere, who has ever been away from a beloved for long, smile in recognition of that timeless tug on the heart!
