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In this episode, we listen to words of hope rendered to a languishing heart, as portrayed in Sangam Literary work, Aganaanooru 363, penned by Madurai Pon Sey Kollan Vennaakanaar. Set in the ‘Paalai’ or ‘Drylands landscape’, the verse details the activities of the denizens in this domain.
நிரை செலல் இவுளி விரைவுடன் கடைஇ,
அகல் இரு விசும்பில் பகல் செலச் சென்று,
மழுகு சுடர் மண்டிலம் மா மலை மறைய,
பொழுது கழி மலரின், புனையிழை! சாஅய்
அணை அணைந்து இனையை ஆகல், கணை அரைப்
புல் இலை நெல்லிப் புகர் இல் பசுங் காய்
கல் அதர் மருங்கில் கடு வளி உதிர்ப்ப,
பொலம் செய் காசின் பொற்பத் தாஅம்
அத்தம் நண்ணி, அதர் பார்த்து இருந்த
கொலை வெங் கொள்கைக் கொடுந் தொழில் மறவர்
ஆறு செல் மாக்கள் அரு நிறத்து எறிந்த
எஃகு உறு விழுப்புண் கூர்ந்தோர் எய்திய,
வளை வாய்ப் பருந்தின், வள் உகிர்ச் சேவல்
கிளை தரு தெள் விளி கெழு முடைப் பயிரும்
இன்னா வெஞ் சுரம் இறந்தோர், முன்னிய
செய் வினை வலத்தர் ஆகி, இவண் நயந்து,
எய்த வந்தனரே தோழி! மை எழில்
துணை ஏர் எதிர் மலர் உண்கண்
பிணை ஏர் நோக்கம் பெருங் கவின் கொளவே.
In this trip to this formidable domain, we witness harsh scenes, as we listen to the confidante say these words to the lady, when the man continues to remain parted away, having left in search of wealth:
“Wielding horses in a neat row with much speed, as that diminishing flame traverses the huge and wide sky in the course of the day and vanishes into the dark mountains, akin to a flower at dusk, do not fade and fall upon your bed with suffering, O maiden wearing well-etched jewels! Flawless, fresh fruits of the thick-trunked, small-leaved gooseberry tree, are scattered by strong winds upon rocky paths, and appear akin to shining golden coins, in those drylands paths. Keeping a lookout here, those men, who are in the harsh line of work with a heartless policy of killing, aim their spears at the hearts of wayfarers. Those who fall to the wounds of these spears, are spotted by a male vulture with curving bills and sharp claws, which sends out a clear call to summon its flock so as to feed on the flesh, in that hot and hostile drylands. He who traversed thither, has attained success in his mission of gaining wealth, and with much passion for you, he arrives soon, my friend, to claim the great beauty of your kohl-streaked, dark and beautiful eyes, akin to twin flowers tied together, with the gaze of a naive, female deer!”
Time to brave the dangers of the scrub jungle! The confidante starts by asking the lady not to fade like a flower bud at the end of the day, when the sun, after riding its chariot across the sky, leaves to rest in the mountains. Then she presents a description of the drylands, first starting with yellow gooseberry fruits, scattered by the wind, appearing like gold coins. Incidentally, the name of the poet who penned this verse has the descriptor ‘Pon Sey Kollan’ which translates to ‘Goldsmith’. Sounds like a goldsmith, who penned poetry in his spare time! Someone who perhaps doesn’t have to worry about the age-old maxim, ‘No money to be made in art!’.
Returning, we find the confidante continuing that description from the shining image of fallen gooseberries to the harsh scenes of killing of wayfarers by highway robbers, and then vultures feeding on the flesh of the fallen. After establishing the horrors of the domain the man had left to, the confidante concludes by declaring he’s done with his mission of gaining wealth, and he returns with much passion to claim the beauty of the lady’s flower-like eyes with a deer-like gaze.
Yet again, these are a friend’s words of cheer to a crestfallen heart! These Sangam poets make it sound as if the women then had no other job other than waiting for their men. It’s hard to believe that this and only this was the preoccupation of every woman who lived then. For we do have female poets like ‘Avvaiyaar’ and ‘Vella Veethiyaar’, penning exquisite poetry. So, at least they are proof that women did other things other than to just wait for their beloved. Perhaps this was a standard format of penning poetry, like a template, and it was upto each poet to add their unique touch. Thankful for every glimpse of a tree, a flower, a bird, an animal, a human way of life and aspect of culture that manages to emerge from this beaten-to-death theme of a woman pining!
