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In this episode, we perceive elements of the mountain country reflect in the portrait of a lady, as depicted in Sangam Literary work, Natrinai 301, penned by Pandiyan Maaran Valuthi. The verse is situated in the hill regions of ‘Kurinji’ and speaks in the voice of the confidante to herself, describing mother’s love and refusing the man’s attempt to tryst with the lady.
”நீள் மலைக் கலித்த பெருங் கோற் குறிஞ்சி
நாள்மலர் புரையும் மேனி, பெருஞ் சுனை
மலர் பிணைத்தன்ன மா இதழ் மழைக் கண்,
மயில் ஓரன்ன சாயல், செந் தார்க்
கிளி ஓரன்ன கிளவி, பணைத் தோள்,
பாவை அன்ன வனப்பினள் இவள்” என,
காமர் நெஞ்சமொடு பல பாராட்டி,
யாய் மறப்பு அறியா மடந்தை-
தேம் மறப்பு அறியாக் கமழ் கூந்தலளே.
Opening with ‘நீள் மலைக் கலித்த’ meaning ‘flourishing in the long ranges’, the poem instantly transports us to a lush, green mountain region, somewhere in the Western Ghats between Tamilnadu and Kerala. ‘பெருங் கோற் குறிஞ்சி’ means ‘long-stemmed Kurinji flower’, the famous bloom that gives its name to this landscape. A flower that blooms only once in 12 years and even today, is intimately connected with the lives of the tribes who live in these regions. The phrase ‘நாள்மலர் புரையும் மேனி’ meaning ‘a skin like that of a flower that has bloomed just that day’ connects aspects of a person’s physical beauty to that of nature. This nature-person connection continues in ‘மழைக் கண்’ meaning ‘rain-like eyes’ and ‘பணைத் தோள்’ meaning ‘bamboo-like arms’. The phrase ‘காமர் நெஞ்சமொடு பல பாராட்டி’ meaning ‘showering praise with a loving heart’ illustrates the positivity in words of appreciation. The verse ends with ‘கமழ் கூந்தலளே’ meaning ‘the lady with fragrant tresses’, once again stressing on the importance accorded to a woman’s hair in Sangam poetry. Let’s delve deeper!
The man and lady had been leading a love relationship and were trysting with each other. At this stage, the confidante decides to test the man’s love for the lady by bringing in an impediment to their trysting. One day, she rejects the man’s attempts to tryst with the lady and then says to herself, “‘With skin akin to a freshly bloomed, long-stemmed ‘kurinji’ flower, which flourishes in the long mountain ranges; with rain-like, moist eyes hemmed by dark lashes, looking like deep spring flowers have been intertwined; with the resemblance of a peacock; with a speech like that of a parrot with red rings; with arms akin to bamboos; with the beauty of a ‘Kolli’ goddess’ is she!’ With a love-filled heart, mother says these many words of appreciation. She is a naive woman, who can never forget her daughter for a moment. Her daughter is the one with fragrant tresses, around which bees never forget to swarm.” With these words, the confidante, through her refusal of the tryst and through the regard the lady holds in her mother’s mind, stresses to the man, what a rare and lovely person, the lady is!
Now, for the hidden nuances! The confidante opens her statement with words from another. As we don’t instantly see who this other person is, let’s focus on the content of that speech. The person seems to be describing the extraordinary beauty of the lady, first talking about how her skin is soft akin to a Kurinji flower that happened to bloom the very day. From the skin, the spotlight moves to the person’s eyes. These are not only described as ‘rain-like’ but are also said to look like two water lilies have been stitched together. After eyes, it’s the resemblance of the person equated to that of a glowing peacock. One bird is followed by another and we hear the sweet voice of a parrot. The parrot is described as having a red garland around its neck. On researching, I learnt about this particular variety of parrots found in Asia known as the Indian Ringneck and the male of the species, is said to have a blue and red streak around its neck. Blown away by the acute powers of observation resplendent in that ancient simile! Returning to the verse, the lady’s fine arms are said to be akin to bamboos and the descriptions end with an overall beauty of the lady said to be like that of the Kolli goddess. We have encountered descriptions of the intoxicating beauty of this goddess in many other Natrinai poems too.
Who could be the person who is lavishing such praise upon the lady? The scholars are divided in opinion about this. Some say that following the trail of these words, we find the lady’s mother mentioned in the verse and it must be her who is speaking these words. Others say that it could be the man who’s praising the lady thus. Let’s choose the path that points to the mother, for the confidante surely mentions her in her narration, describing her as an innocent soul, who cannot forget her daughter even for a moment. The confidante concludes by talking about the lady’s tresses, around which bees never forget to swarm! The poor, confused things, intoxicated by the scent of the lady’s hair, are given to think that she is some pretty flower, which connects back to the ‘Kurinji’ flower in the beginning of the verse.
Thus, the confidante, with these flowing words of adulation about the lady, perhaps stresses to the man what a precious find the lady is, and thereby hints to him that he must seek her hand without further delay. A verse filled with curious customs such as a mother’s excessive admiration for her daughter and the control a confidante wields on the love life of the lady. The charm of the verse however lies in the connection between a person’s beauty and diverse elements from nature. A mountain flower, a spring bloom, the rain, a peacock, a red-necked parrot are all called to stand in parallel to a lady’s beauty and from this, one can infer not a mere preoccupation with physical beauty, but the reverence nature held in the minds of those ancient people!
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