Natrinai 276 – A rightful rest

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‘கோடு துவையா, கோள்வாய் நாயொடு,
காடு தேர்ந்து நசைஇய வயமான் வேட்டு
வயவர் மகளிர்’ என்றி ஆயின்,
குறவர் மகளிரேம், குன்று கெழு கொடிச்சியேம்,
சேணோன் இழைத்த நெடுங்கால் கழுதில்
கான மஞ்ஞை கட்சி சேக்கும்
கல் அகத்தது எம் ஊரே; செல்லாது
சேந்தனை சென்மதி நீயே, பெருமலை
வாங்கு அமைப் பழுனிய நறவு உண்டு
வேங்கை முன்றில் குரவையும் கண்டே.

The verse opens with ‘கோடு துவையா’ meaning ‘horns blaring’, followed by ‘கோள்வாய் நாயொடு’ meaning ‘dogs with mouths that can kill’, and sketches for us, a hunting party in the woods. We learn that the people who have set out on this task are the ‘வயமான் வேட்டு வயவர்’ referring to ‘hunters who hunt down strong animals’. We then glimpse at ‘குறவர் மகளிரேம்’ meaning ‘daughters of mountain folk’ and ‘குன்று கெழு கொடிச்சியேம்’ meaning ‘women from the family of mountain headmen’. We also meet with ‘சேணோன்’, ‘a person who guards the millet fields of the mountain folk from an elevated structure’. This ‘elevated structure’ or ‘long-legged loft’ is mentioned as the ‘நெடுங்கால் கழுது’. A picturesque bird adorns this verse in ‘கான மஞ்ஞை’ or ‘wild peacock’. ‘செல்லாது சேந்தனை சென்மதி நீயே’ declares the core message of the verse, for it means ‘instead of leaving, stay and then go’. These inviting words are accompanied by ‘நறவு உண்டு’ meaning ‘relish mountain honey’ as well as the concluding words ‘குரவையும் கண்டே’ meaning ‘also, watch kuravu dance’. Drink and dance beckons us to stay and know more!

The man and lady had been leading a love relationship and the man had been trysting with the lady for a while. The confidante sees the man delaying to seek the lady’s hand in marriage. One day, when the man prepares to leave after his tryst, the confidante tells him,”Blowing horns, roaming with killer dogs, the ‘vayavars’ hunt for food in the jungles seeking to slay strong animals. You say that we are daughters of these huntsmen! Nay, we are the daughters of the ‘kuravars’, the mountain farmers. Daughters of the mountain headmen is who we are! In the long-legged loft, crafted by guardsmen, a wild peacock finds an abode in our village amidst the mountain ranges. Instead of leaving now, why don’t you stay and then go? After partaking the honey, matured on curved bamboos of the mountain, and after watching the ‘kuravu’ dance, performed in the shade of the ‘vengai’ tree in our front yard, then you should leave!” With these words, the confidante, while inviting the man to stay in the lady’s house, is passing on a subtle message, persuading him to formalise his union with the lady.

Time to listen more intently to this exchange in the mountain land! The confidante first talks about the hunters who live in these mountains and describes them as people of valour and strength, who seek not easy prey, but who search out for the strongest of animals to hunt as their food. She describes the process they go about doing this, with horns and their hunting dogs. Then, she adds that the lady and herself are not daughters of these hunters. Why does the confidante stress on this? Let’s hold on to that question and look at the other facets.

The confidante clarifies that they are daughters of mountain farmers and reiterates the statement by adding that they are indeed the daughters of the mountain headmen. After establishing the lady’s family, the confidante talks about a loft built by the guard of the millet fields and how a peacock finds a resting abode in this loft. A sweet scene to describe their mountain village. Then, the confidante comes to the point and asks the man to not leave hastily but to stay and relish the mature honey and watch a ‘kuravu dance’ enacted in the lady’s front yard. What an alluring invitation! How can any one refuse this? However, the truth of the matter is that culture forbade the man to stay in the lady’s house before he formalised his union with her. The confidante knows this and the man knows this too. Therefore, the only reason the confidante is saying these words is to persuade the man to consider seeking the blessings of the elders and taking his rightful place in the lady’s home, akin to that peacock on the mountain loft!

Now that we have understood both the words and their intentions, let’s take it a notch deeper and glimpse at the undercurrent of their perception of life. When the confidante stresses that they are not daughters of hunters, it’s clear to us, two cultures co-existed in that land. One is a hunter-gatherer culture, that looked to the wild for their food. If we listen carefully, we can detect a note of respect in the confidante’s voice for these people when she says they are men who hunt the strongest of animals. However, the confidante clarifies to the man that they are not daughters of these huntsmen. This could only be in reply to the man’s statement saying this. She asks him not to be afraid that their family is a tribe of huntsmen, who are known for their rough nature. So, who are they?

The confidante says they are daughters of mountain farmers, who make their living by taming the land and rearing crops. Why specifically should the confidante talk about them being daughters of farmers? Only to say, that they are more cultured and are well-versed in the art of hospitality than the families of those huntsmen. For the farmers offer food and drink to their guests and their vibrant culture is further evident in the entertainment offered to guests in the form of a dance in the evening. Finally, that the man could mistake the lady to be a daughter of huntsman tells us that it was possible for the man to enter into a relationship with either tribes and this can be perceived as an evidence of a classless society that minded not, who was what in love!