Natrinai 302 – Flowers of the season

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இழை அணி மகளிரின் விழைதகப் பூத்த
நீடு சுரி இணர சுடர் வீக் கொன்றைக்
காடு கவின் பூத்தஆயினும், நன்றும்
வரு மழைக்கு எதிரிய மணி நிற இரும் புதல்
நரை நிறம் படுத்த நல் இணர்த் தெறுழ் வீ
தாஅம் தேரலர்கொல்லோ-சேய் நாட்டு,
களிறு உதைத்து ஆடிய கவிழ் கண் இடு நீறு
வெளிறு இல் காழ வேலம் நீடிய
பழங்கண் முது நெறி மறைக்கும்,
வழங்கு அருங் கானம் இறந்திசினோரே?

The verse opens with ‘இழை அணி மகளிர்’ meaning ‘women wearing jewels’ highlighting the importance of jewellery to women’s fashion in the Sangam times. We understand the significant metal in this jewellery on encountering the simile of ‘சுடர் வீக் கொன்றை’ meaning ‘glowing flowers of the golden shower tree’. Not only the golden flowers of this tree, but also the ‘white flowers of the ukshi creeper’ smile at us in ‘நரை நிறம் படுத்த நல் இணர்த் தெறுழ் வீ’. Note how the term ‘நரை நிறம்’, which means ‘the colour of greying hair’ in contemporary Tamil, is applied to illustrate the shade of white! Next, we encounter ‘களிறு’ or ‘a male elephant’ as well as a ‘வெளிறு இல் காழ வேலம்’ referring to the ‘spotless and firm trunk of the babul tree’. Ending with ‘அருங் கானம் இறந்திசினோரே?’ meaning ‘the one who left to that difficult-to-cross forest’, the verse welcomes us to learn more!

The man and lady had been leading a happy, married life when the man had to part with the lady to gather wealth. Before he leaves, he promises to return before a particular season starts. The lady observes the signs of the said season and says, “Akin to bejewelled maidens, the radiant-flowered ’Kondrai’ opens out its long and curly flowers in an alluring manner and envelopes the forest entire with beauty. Also, anticipating the coming rains, the ‘eruzh’ flowers paint its sapphire-hued dark bushes white. And yet, even after seeing all this, does he not remember at all? In that far away land, the male elephant kicks up dust, which in turn hides the ancient path filled with ‘velam’ trees, bearing spotless trunks. The lord, who walked in such a difficult-to-cross path, does he not remember at all?” With these words, the lady gives word to the rising pain in her heart, thinking about the man, who has not kept his promise to her.

Time to delve into the details! The lady starts by talking about women who are adorned with jewels. Why is the lady talking about bejewelled maidens in a song of angst? Only to describe how the flowers of the golden shower tree have opened their buds. These flowers are described as blooming out as long and curly clusters, spreading a golden glow over the entire forest. Then, the lady turns her attention to another type of flower blooming in that forest. These are the flowers of the ‘eruzham’, which is a creeper that is found abundantly in the Western Ghats and rarely in the Eastern Ghats in India. The lady describes these flowers as spreading white amidst the dark bushes, which are said to be in the colour of sapphires. Let’s pause a moment here and take a colour detour. Did you notice how the green bushes of this creeper are described as having a sapphire hue? With knowledge of the English language, we are trained to differentiate these two colours as green and blue. In contemporary Tamil, perhaps owing to the influence of English, green and blue are now referred to as ‘pachchai’ and ‘neelam’, whereas in ancient Tamil, there seems to be a constant intermingling between green, blue and sometimes black too. I was intrigued to learn that certain cultures see colours this way and in fact, ancient Japanese and Korean are exactly the same, seeing blue and green as one, differentiating only based on context!

Returning to the verse, we find our lady lamenting that the golden flowers of the ‘kondrai’ and the white flowers of the ‘eruzham’ are in full bloom. The problem, we learn, is that these flowers are supposed to bloom in the rainy season and it’s the very season the man said he would return and yet, he has not! Again, a mini-detour to wonder about the flowering season of the golden shower trees. In the South Indian states of Kerala and Tamilnadu, where these trees are abundantly found, the flowering season is between the months of March and May, which is the start of the summer season here, a time when the rains are nowhere in sight. Now, why is this ancient verse describing the flowering of these trees as happening during the rains? Not just in this poem, but in Natrinai 296 too, we saw how the flowers are described as blooming in the rainy season. This makes me wonder about the evolutional history of this tree. Has the tree changed its flowering pattern within the past two thousand years? A question for botanists and ecologists! 

Back to the verse, the lady describes the man as walking through a forest filled with ‘babul’ trees, which incidentally are native to Africa, Arabia and India, as if tracing that ancient path of human migration. The lady renders the final image of how the dust that spreads, owing to an elephant playing in the mud, covers this tree-filled path the man is crossing, making it difficult to perceive the way forward. This is a succinct metaphor for how the man has forgotten his promise, his mind clouded by the dust of his desire to seek wealth. And, in the image of the ‘jewel-adorned golden shower trees’ and the ‘eruzham’ flowers painting the bushes white, the lady renders how she, who was glowing like the first tree, is now suffering, akin to the latter, shrouded by the white pallor of pining. A rich verse that has rendered a gift encompassing thought-provoking facets about geography, botany, ecology, languages and cultures, complete with the elegant bow of the bond in human relationships!