Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music | Android | iHeartRadio | TuneIn | RSS | More
In this episode, we listen to a lady’s angst-ridden thoughts, as depicted in Sangam Literary work, Aganaanooru 367, penned by Paranar. Set in the ‘Paalai’ or ‘Drylands landscape’, the verse etches a scene of wait and watch at the boundary of the tamed and wild.
இலங்கு சுடர் மண்டிலம் புலம் தலைப்பெயர்ந்து,
பல் கதிர் மழுகிய கல் சேர் அமையத்து,
அலந்தலை மூதேறு ஆண் குரல் விளிப்ப,
மனை வளர் நொச்சி மா சேர்பு வதிய,
முனை உழை இருந்த அம் குடிச் சீறூர்,
கருங் கால் வேங்கைச் செஞ் சுவல் வரகின்
மிகு பதம் நிறைந்த தொகு கூட்டு ஒரு சிறை,
குவி அடி வெருகின் பைங் கண் ஏற்றை
ஊன் நசைப் பிணவின் உயங்கு பசி களைஇயர்,
தளிர் புரை கொடிற்றின், செறி மயிர் எருத்தின்,
கதிர்த்த சென்னிக் கவிர்ப் பூ அன்ன
நெற்றிச் சேவல் அற்றம் பார்க்கும்
புல்லென் மாலையும், இனிது மன்றம்ம
நல் அக வன முலை அடையப் புல்லுதொறும்
உயிர் குழைப்பன்ன சாயல்,
செயிர் தீர், இன் துணைப் புணர்ந்திசினோர்க்கே.
In this trip to the drylands, we perceive intense scenes, as we listen to the lady say these words to the confidante, when the man continues to remain parted away, having left in search of wealth:
“As the radiant, flaming orb, migrating away, traverses to the mountains, diminishing its rays, an anxious, old male deer sends out its call, and near the chaste tree, which grows near houses, herds of deer come together and rest, in that beautiful, little hamlet near a jungle fort. Here, upon the red earth with black-trunked Kino trees, blooms millets. Standing on one side of the silo containing these abundant millet grains, wishing to end the exhausted hunger of its mate, yearning for flesh, a green-eyed male cat with pointed feet stands biding its time, to nab the rooster with cheeks, akin to tender sprouts, a neck covered in thick hair, and a comb atop its upright neck, akin to a Coral tree flower cluster, in this listless evening hour. Even this dull time, would turn sweet for those, who have the good fortune to be one with their flawless, sweet mate, feeling as if life’s melting every time their fine, decorated bosom is embraced!”
Time to take a walk in the scrub jungle! The lady starts by talking about the time of the day, when the sun sets in the western mountains. She mentions how at that time, a worried male deer would send out a call and its herd of deer would group around the chaste tree, growing near a house in the village by the fort. She mentions how upon this red earth, millets bloom in abundance, and how the people of that village heap the grains in a silo. Standing near one such silo, a green-eyed jungle cat, wanting to end the hunger of its mate, waits to seize a rooster, roving around in that evening hour. The lady concludes by declaring that even such a dull time would turn pleasant to someone who had their mate to embrace. Another declaration of ‘I’m lost without him’ by the pining lady. The evening, the night, the rainy season, spring all seem to torment the parted, according to the Sangam poets!
