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In this episode, we perceive the unshakeable faith glowing within a lady in love, as portrayed by Sangam Literary work, Natrinai 219, penned by Thaayankannanaar. The verse is set in the ‘Neythal’ landscape or coastal regions and speaks in the voice of the lady to her confidante, expressing her belief in the man’s promise to her.
கண்ணும் தோளும் தண் நறுங் கதுப்பும்
பழ நலம் இழந்து பசலை பாய,
இன் உயிர் பெரும்பிறிது ஆயினும், என்னதூஉம்
புலவேன் வாழி-தோழி!-சிறு கால்
அலவனொடு பெயரும் புலவுத் திரை நளி கடல்
பெரு மீன் கொள்ளும் சிறுகுடிப் பரதவர்
கங்குல் மாட்டிய கனை கதிர் ஒண் சுடர்
முதிரா ஞாயிற்று எதிர் ஒளி கடுக்கும்
கானல்அம் பெருந் துறைச் சேர்ப்பன்-
தானே யானே புணர்ந்தமாறே.
Starting with ‘கண்ணும் தோளும் தண் நறுங் கதுப்பும்’, meaning ‘eyes, arms and cool, fragrant tresses’, the poem reveals the physical attributes of a woman considered symbolic of her beauty and health then. ‘பசலை பாய’ tells us trouble’s afoot, for it means ‘the pallor of pining attacks’. The phrase ‘இன் உயிர் பெரும்பிறிது’ takes up the illness a notch higher and talks about ‘life that departs away’. From these dark images of illness, the verse then turns to the description of the land with familiar elements like the ‘அலவன்’ ’crab’, ‘புலவுத் திரை’ ‘flesh-smelling waves’, ‘சிறுகுடிப் பரதவர்’ ‘fisherfolk of the little hamlet’. And then, ’கனை கதிர் ஒண் சுடர்’ talks about ‘a dense radiance of a clear flame’ and ‘முதிரா ஞாயிறு’ talks about ‘a young sun’. The ‘fire’ in these elements and the ‘water’ in the nature of the coastal landscape lends a dramatic blend of character to this verse. From these abstract, faraway impressions, let’s move in closer to capture the meaning within.
The man and lady have been in a love relationship for a while and the man parts away to gather wealth towards their wedding. The lady loses her health in pining for the man. Seeing her dejected state, the confidante chides the man for his prolonged absence. To these words of the confidante, the lady says, “My eyes, arms and my cool, fragrant tresses may have lost their old beauty as the pallor of pining spreads over me. Even if it feels as if my sweet life were to part away from me, not even a little, will I resent him, O friend. May you live long! On the flesh-smelling waves, swaying with short-legged crabs, the fisherfolk of our little hamlet capture abundant fish. As they traverse the huge sea at night, the radiant lamps in their hands reflect rays akin to a young sun. Such is the domain of the lord of the shores. He came on his own and showered his love upon me!” With these words, the lady refutes the accusation of the confidante, declaring her faith in her man and his promise to return to her.
Now, for the nuances within! The lady paints her current situation by talking about how her eyes, arms and tresses do not glow any more with the old beauty. It also appears as if her life would part at any moment. This is to give an idea of the depth of suffering she’s going through, as the man is delayed in his journey. After impressing upon us how she feels, the lady adds an emphatic ‘however’! While this may be the state of her health, she says she will not resent the man even a tiny bit! Then she goes on to describe the seas where the fisherfolk go fishing in the nights with lamps glowing and she brings in the simile of a young sun to compare the shine of these lamps. All this to describe the man’s domain she says, but can we glimpse a little metaphor therein?
The lady concludes the verse with much power saying ‘he came on his own and united with her’. Within that, she conceals her belief that just the way the man found his way to her to begin their relationship, he will similarly find his way back to her now and bring lasting happiness by marrying her. This confidence in him seems like the glow of those lamps in the sea and this is filling her mind with the image of her man, the glowing sun of her life. The lady conveys her deep faith in the destiny that brought her the man, saying it will bring him back to her again. What chance does that attacking pallor of pining stand in the face of such a luminous love!
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