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In this episode, we listen to the angst-ridden voice of a lady, as portrayed in Sangam Literary work, Aganaanooru 375, penned by Idaiyan Chenthankotranaar. Set in the ‘Paalai’ or ‘Drylands landscape’, the verse presents a historic incident to portray an element of nature.
‘சென்று நீடுநர்அல்லர்; அவர்வயின்
இனைதல் ஆனாய்’ என்றிசின் இகுளை!
அம்பு தொடை அமைதி காண்மார், வம்பலர்
கலன் இலர் ஆயினும் கொன்று, புள் ஊட்டும்
கல்லா இளையர் கலித்த கவலை,
கண நரி இனனொடு குழீஇ, நிணன் அருந்தும்
நெய்த்தோர் ஆடிய மல்லல் மொசி விரல்,
அத்த எருவைச் சேவல் சேர்ந்த
அரை சேர் யாத்த வெண் திரள், வினை விறல்,
எழூஉத் திணி தோள், சோழர் பெரு மகன்
விளங்கு புகழ் நிறுத்த இளம் பெருஞ் சென்னி
குடிக் கடன் ஆகலின், குறைவினை முடிமார்,
செம்பு உறழ் புரிசைப் பாழி நூறி,
வம்ப வடுகர் பைந் தலை சவட்டி,
கொன்ற யானைக் கோட்டின் தோன்றும்,
அஞ்சுவரு மரபின் வெஞ் சுரம் இறந்தோர்
நோய் இலர் பெயர்தல் அறியின்,
ஆழலமன்னோ, தோழி! என் கண்ணே.
In this trip to the drylands, we encounter familiar 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:
“Dear friend, you say to me, ‘He is not one to delay his return; Do not suffer thinking about him’! To test how well their arrows ply, even though the arriving wayfarers are sure not to have any things of value, those unskilled young robbers would kill them and feed to the birds. In such paths they traverse, along with packs of foxes, vultures in the drylands, having blood-stained sharp claws, feed on flesh and then fly to rough-trunked ‘Yaa’ trees, with thick white branches, which resemble the tusks of elephants, killed by the victorious leader of the Chozhas, having strong and wide shoulders and a radiant fame, one with the name of ‘Ilam Perum Chenni’, when he performed his duty towards his subjects and attended the call of war by shattering the bronze-like fort of Paazhi and scattering the heads of the strange Vadugars. If I were to know for sure the one, who left through such a fearsome, hot drylands, would return without any danger, then, my friend, these eyes of mine won’t shed tears!”
Let’s traverse the formidable landscape and learn more! The lady starts by mentioning how the confidante has been asking her not to worry about the man being away, promising that he would return soon. Then she talks about the harshness of the drylands path the man traverses, mentioning the cruel nature of young highway robbers, who kill for no reason, leaving the corpses of wayfarers as food for foxes and vultures, which dig into the flesh and then flies to the Yaa trees. The white branches of these Yaa trees are compared to the enemy elephants, felled by a Chozha king Ilam Perum Chenni, when he attacked and routed the Vadugars and shattered the strong bastion of ‘Paazhi’. The lady concludes by saying if at all she were to know the man would return unharmed from such a fearsome place, then she won’t be crying so!
A verse that highlights the anxiety felt about the journey of another! When caught in the confines of the house, with the mind weaving tales of the horrors afar, we can understand the lady’s troubled mind. While no one can render the surety the lady seeks, hope she finds the road to hope and positivity, in those drylands of anxiety!
