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In this episode, we partake in an action-packed midnight adventure in a mountain country, as portrayed in Sangam Literary work, Natrinai 255, penned by Aalamperi Saathanaar. The verse is set in the mountainous regions of ‘Kurinji’ and speaks in the voice of the lady to her confidante, looking with fear at the jungle path the man traverses to meet her.
கழுது கால் கிளர ஊர் மடிந்தன்றே;
உரு கெழு மரபின் குறிஞ்சி பாடி,
கடியுடை வியல் நகர்க் கானவர் துஞ்சார்;
வயக் களிறு பொருத வாள் வரி உழுவை
கல் முகைச் சிலம்பில் குழுமும்; அன்னோ!-
மென் தோள் நெகிழ்ந்து நாம் வருந்தினும், இன்று அவர்
வாரார்ஆயினோ நன்றுமன்தில்ல-
உயர் வரை அடுக்கத்து ஒளிறுபு மின்னிப்
பெயல் கால்மயங்கிய பொழுது கழி பானாள்,
திருமணி அரவுத் தேர்ந்து உழல,
உருமுச் சிவந்து எறியும் ஓங்கு வரை ஆறே!
Right at the opening, the verse sounds like a horror movie with the words ‘கழுது கால் கிளர’ meaning ‘as ghosts roam in the wind’! The phrase ‘உரு கெழு மரபின் குறிஞ்சி பாடி’ talks about the ‘fear-evoking kurinji song’ and makes our ears pay attention to the drum beats of this music that was played in mountainous regions during the midnight hour. Researchers on ancient music forms mention how each land in the Sangam period had a specific type of music, which in turn evoked a specific emotion and had a specific time of the day, when it was played. Being a song from the mountains, we get to see the two prominent animals, ‘வயக் களிறு’, ‘a strong elephant’ and ‘வாள் வரி உழுவை’ ‘a tiger with sword-like stripes’. After portraying life on ground, the verse turns to the skies and talks about ‘ஒளிறுபு மின்னி’ meaning ‘shining with lightning’ and ‘உருமுச் சிவந்து எறியும்’ meaning ‘the raging thunder roars with anger’ signifying it’s a time of ‘heavy rains’ as denoted by ‘பெயல்’. The verse ends with ‘ஓங்கு வரை ஆறே’ meaning ‘the path in the mountains’, and beckons us to walk on to know more!
The man and lady had been leading a love relationship and the man was trysting with the lady by night. One night, the lady, looking out at the path that the man arrives from, tells her confidante, “Ghosts rise in the breeze and roam as the village sleeps; Evoking fear in the listeners by singing the ‘kurinji’ song, mountain dwellers, who guard the mansion, sleep not; After defeating the powerful male elephant, the tiger with sword-like stripes roars in the mountain clefts; In the slopes of the high mountains, during that confounding midnight hour, when the skies flash with lightning, pouring down rains fused with gusts of wind, the serpent searches for its glowing gem anxiously; thunder strikes with rage on that path through the soaring mountains. Alas, even if my delicate arms lose their beauty, as I suffer deeply, it will be good if he does not come today!” With these words, the lady paints a picture of fear and worry in her mind about the dangers the man faces in his path and subtly hints to her friend to convey to the man, the necessity of formalising their union.
Time to walk further into the thick of this mountain jungle and sense the full story! The lady starts her conversation with her friend by illustrating the world around her then. She talks about how it’s late in the night, a time when ghosts went roaming around while the village folk slept in their huts. She adds that some people in that hamlet are still not asleep and they are the mountain dwellers who guard their mansions. They keep themselves awake by singing the mountain melody at midnight. Hardly a melody, for it evokes fear in the listeners, she says. Then, her mind journeys forth a little and hears the roar of a tiger, which she describes as having sword-like stripes. A simile that highlights the emotion of danger and fear in its subtext. What is that tiger celebrating? Its victory over the powerful male elephant! As if these surround sounds weren’t enough, the sky seems to be flashing heavy lights and assailing the mountains with wind and rain. At this time, she imagines how a snake will be searching around worriedly for a gem that it spit out! Let’s take a moment to understand this thought, which is alien to us. The ancient Tamils had a belief that snakes swallow a glowing gem and then, they spit it out when dark, to serve as the light in their night foraging. The Tamils seemed to have had curious notions about snakes indeed!
Returning to the verse, the lady then talks about the thunder that seems to fall with rage on the mountain path the man traverses. Considering these many dangers, the lady says to the confidante that even though her arms thin down and lose their beauty and even though she would suffer greatly, the better thing would be for the man to not walk this path, fraught with dangers many. Hearing this, the confidante would understand the deep love in the lady’s heart and will convey this to the man, persuading him to seek the lady’s hand in marriage and thereby, slay these fears. A verse that glows with love, empathising with another’s journey on a path different from one’s own!
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