Natrinai 203 – Resonating waves and words

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முழங்கு திரை கொழீஇய மூரி எக்கர்,
தடந்தாள் தாழை முள்ளுடை நெடுந்தோட்டு
அக மடல் பொதுளிய முகை முதிர் வான் பூங்
கோடு வார்ந்தன்ன, வெண்பூத் தாழை
எறி திரை உதைத்தலின், பொங்கித் தாது சோர்பு
சிறுகுடிப் பாக்கத்து மறுகு புலா மறுக்கும்
மணம் கமழ் கானல், இயைந்த நம் கேண்மை
ஒரு நாள் பிரியினும் உய்வு அரிது என்னாது,
கதழ் பரி நெடுந்தேர் வரவு ஆண்டு அழுங்கச்
செய்த தன் தப்பல் அன்றியும்,
உயவுப் புணர்ந்தன்று இவ் அழுங்கல் ஊரே.

The familiar sights of Sangam shores greet us in ‘முழங்கு திரை’ ’roaring waves’, ‘மூரி எக்கர்’ ‘huge sand dunes’ and ‘தடந்தாள் தாழை’ ‘Pandanus trees with curved trunks’. The curious phrase ‘எறி திரை உதைத்தலின்’ talks about ‘the kick from the frothing waves’ and imbues the coastal scene with a vivid action element. Learnt a new word for ‘street’ in ‘மறுகு’. When we look at ‘புலா மறுக்கும்’, we sense the ‘scent of flesh fading away’ and replaced by something fragrant as illustrated by the words ‘மணம் கமழ்’. The phrase ‘கதழ் பரி நெடுந்தேர்’ brings before our eyes, ‘a wide chariot fitted with speedy horses’. The quaint word ‘தப்பல்’ meaning ‘a fault’ made me smile for today, we use a nickname-like version of this old word in ‘தப்பு’, to mean the same. The verse finishes with the words ‘அழுங்கல் ஊரே’ meaning ‘uproarious town’, inviting us to know more about the buzzing news there! 

The man and lady have been in a love relationship for a while and the man continues to tryst with the lady in secret. The confidante decides to turn the man’s mind in the direction of a formal union. So, one day, when he arrives to visit the lady, pretending not to see him, but making sure he can listen to their conversation, the confidante says to the lady, “On the soaring sand mounds heaped by the resounding waves, stands the curved-trunk ’thaazhai’ tree, appearing with thorns and long inner petals. From within the long fronds, bloom buds with white flowers, looking as if a conch shell has been extended out. As the leaping waves dash against this white-flowered thazhai tree, the buds tremble and shower fine pollen all around, removing the scent of flesh, reeking in the streets of our little hamlet. In a fragrant grove here, your relationship with the lord bloomed. Not considering that it’s impossible for you to bear even a day’s separation with the lord, this town has hindered the arrival of his chariot with speedy horses. Not realising their mistake, they then seem to lament over your fading health. Such is this rumour-filled, uproarious town!” With these words, the confidante, highlighting the rumours in town about the man’s relationship with the lady, insists in a subtle manner, that the man should seek the lady’s hand in marriage, to save her reputation and health. 

Now, let’s dive into the intricate details buried in this verse! The confidante opens the story by describing the setting on a coast, where waves crash against the shore and sand mounds are heaped by the hands of nature. On this shore, stands a pandanus tree, which is presented in exquisite detail. First, we see the curved trunk of the tree and then, the long leaves with tiny thorns. Not stopping with this perspective, we zoom into the tree and glance at the buds of the tree, hiding in between the long, green fronds. To heighten our observation, a simile is presented in the verse, describing the white flowers of the pandanus tree as a conch shell extended out. What an exquisite thought! With computer graphics today, it might be an easy thing to visualise a swirling conch shell straightened out. But, the creativity of a human mind, that has the freedom and the spaciousness of a life, that has the time, to do this, is something awe-inspiring.

Returning to the poem, why the detailed discussion of the pandanus tree? Only to say that, the waves of the sea pound against this tree, making it quake and thereby, the fine pollen spreads far and wide. The confidante then says that this pollen removes the smell of fish flesh from that town, coating it with a delicious floral scent. The scent of the pandanus tree is something that has captured human imagination not just in that ancient past. Even today, the pandanus leaves are used in Thai cuisine to extend a unique aroma to the food. Recently, travelling in Malaysia, I encountered the Chinese lunar new year cake and why I mention it here is that, I found this sticky-rice cake wrapped in a pandanus leaf. It makes me reflect that from the shores of ancient Tamil land to the shores of current-day China, the fragrance of the pandanus tree seems to live on, beyond space and time!

The confidante refers to this pandanus tree, not just to describe the town they live in but to coat the verse with the whiff of a metaphor, which we will catch in a moment. The confidante then talks about how vital the relationship with the man seems to the lady that she cannot even bear a day’s separation and yet, the gossiping town has made the man stay away. Not stopping with that, the town continues its probing of why the lady’s health deteriorates. The confidante conveys all these facts to tell the man that the town is now reeking with the scent of rumours, akin to the fish flesh, and the way to change this, is for the man to arrive with offerings to the lady’s kith and kin, akin to the pollen spreading around town, and seek the lady’s hand in marriage. The words of the confidante conveying the reality of the lady’s life is the equivalent of the waves of the sea knocking against the pandanus tree. The latter cloaks the town with fragrance and the former hopefully, with the festivity of a wedding. Before we part, let’s make a wish to hear such resounding words that bring out the best within and spread the fragrance of goodness in our lives too!