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In this episode, we perceive how the dream of a bird tells us the tale of love, as depicted in Sangam Literary work, Natrinai 281, penned by a female poet, Kazhaarkeeran Eyitriyaar. The verse is set in the drylands of ‘Paalai’ and speaks in the voice of the lady to her confidante, refusing to accept the confidante’s words of consolation.
மாசு இல் மரத்த பலி உண் காக்கை
வளி பொரு நெடுஞ் சினை தளியொடு தூங்கி,
வெல் போர்ச் சோழர் கழாஅர்க் கொள்ளும்
நல் வகை மிகு பலிக் கொடையோடு உகுக்கும்
அடங்காச் சொன்றி, அம் பல் யாணர்
விடக்குடைப் பெருஞ் சோறு, உள்ளுவன இருப்ப,
மழை அமைந்து உற்ற மால் இருள் நடு நாள்,
தாம் நம் உழையராகவும், நாம் நம்
பனிக் கடுமையின், நனி பெரிது அழுங்கி,
துஞ்சாம் ஆகலும் அறிவோர்
அன்பிலர்-தோழி!-நம் காதலோரே.
The verse paints a smile on our faces as it opens with ‘மாசு இல் மரத்த’ meaning ‘an impeccable tree’. The phrase ‘பலி உண் காக்கை’ describes ‘a crow that feeds on offerings’, reminding us of the crows that are offered rice balls as food in Tamil homes, even today. We get to know of ‘the Cholas, who were always triumphant in battle’ and a town of theirs ‘Kazhaar’ in the words ‘வெல் போர்ச் சோழர் கழாஅர்’. The words ‘அடங்காச் சொன்றி’ and ‘விடக்குடைப் பெருஞ் சோறு’ talk about ‘limitless food’ and ‘huge amounts of rice filled with meat’ and reflect the prosperity of that place. ‘பனிக் கடுமை’ talks about the ‘torture of the night’s cold’ and the consequent ‘துஞ்சாம்’ meaning ‘sleeplessness’. Ending with ‘அன்பிலர்-தோழி!-நம் காதலோரே’ meaning ‘Loveless, my friend, that lover is’, the verse throbs with a feeling of dejection. Let’s learn more!
The man and lady had been leading a happy, married life when the man had to part away from her on a mission. The time of his promised return passes by and the lady languishes in pining. The confidante tries to console her with positive words about the man. To the confidante, the lady replies, “On a long branch of a flawless tree, which is swayed by the wind and moistened by drizzle, resides a crow that feeds on offerings. On a darkness-filled, confusing midnight hour, when the skies are filled with rain clouds, this crow dreams of the town of the triumphant Cholas, Kazhaar, wherein huge amounts of rice, filled with meat, are showered upon as food offerings. In such a midnight hour, even when the lord was here, I used to suffer immensely as cold winds tormented and I failed to sleep even for a moment. Although he knows this, he remains away, my friend. Indeed, my lover is bereft of love!” With these words, the lady gives expression to her grief that the man continues to stay away and also, a subtle hope about the man’s return.
Now, for the nuances! The lady starts her reply by bringing into a focus, a crow. She says the said crow is upon a flawless tree. I find this adjective curious! Why did the ancients describe a tree as ‘flawless’? Is it to signify something pure about it? Returning to the crow on the tree, we find that the branch, on which it is sitting, is swaying in the wind and not just that, a drizzle is moistening it. Regardless of the winds and rain, the crow sits upon it and in that moment, the lady takes us within the mind of the said crow. And, what do we see? It’s the town of ‘Kazhaar’, a Sangam town that was under the domain of the victorious Cholas. What is special about this town is that generosity seems to be on display! Copious amounts of rice are brought there and given away as offerings. Not just some plain rice, but stuffed with meat! As we have seen in Natrinai 258, Sangam people had the habit of offering food to crows before they offered to guests in their homes. The town of Kazhaar mentioned here must have had the same practice of keeping aside these rich and delicious food offerings for the crows. And our crow, sitting on the branch, moistened by the drizzle and shivering in the cold winds, is dreaming about this very feast in the ‘Kazhaar’ town of the Cholas!
Stepping to the world outside from the crow’s mind, we learn the time of the day all this is unfolding. The lady tells us it’s the confusing midnight hour, thick with darkness, when rain clouds are abundant in the sky. Then, she connects it to how on one such night, even when the man was with her, she would suffer assailed by the cold winds, if he so stepped away for a moment. She talks about how she would suffer sleepless then. Then, she concludes saying even though the man knows this, he stays away and this can only mean her man lacks love for her! Even though, she finishes on this note of disappointment, within the metaphor of the crow dreaming of a feast in the town of Kazhaar, the lady too gives a subtle indication of her hope of relishing the feast of a happy, married life with her man soon. Many of these poems are about expression of grief and although that expression cannot change outer circumstances, it can change the world within and that can make all the difference to someone, then and now!
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