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In this episode, we observe transitions in a mountain field, as depicted in Sangam Literary work, Natrinai 306, penned by Urodakathu Kantharathanaar. Set in the mountains of ‘Kurinji’, the verse speaks in the voice of the confidante to the lady, passing on a hidden message to the man, listening nearby.
தந்தை வித்திய மென் தினை பைபயச்
சிறு கிளி கடிதல் பிறக்கு யாவணதோ-
”குளிர் படு கையள் கொடிச்சி செல்க” என,
நல்ல இனிய கூறி, மெல்லக்
கொயல் தொடங்கினரே கானவர்; கொடுங் குரல்
சூற் பொறை இறுத்த கோல் தலை இருவி
விழவு ஒழி வியன் களம் கடுப்பத் தெறுவர,
பைதல் ஒரு நிலை காண வைகல்
யாங்கு வருவதுகொல்லோ-தீம் சொல்
செறி தோட்டு எல் வளைக் குறுமகள்
சிறு புனத்து அல்கிய பெரும் புற நிலையே?
Opening with ‘தந்தை வித்திய மென் தினை’ which means ‘the soft millets sown by father’, the verse renders the magic words to instantly transport us to a millet field in the mountains. Thereafter, we encounter the favourite occupation of young girls in the hills in ‘சிறு கிளி கடிதல்’ meaning ‘chasing away parrots’. The word ‘குளிர்’, which means ‘coolness’ in current day lingo, refers to an object, said to be made from coconut or palm fronds, that has been used to scare the parrots away. ‘நல்ல இனிய கூறி’ fills one with positivity for it means ‘saying good and sweet things’. The phrase ‘கொயல் தொடங்கினரே கானவர்’ marks the central theme of the verse, and means ‘the mountain men have started the harvest’. ‘விழவு ஒழி வியன் களம்’ describes ‘a place where celebrations have ceased’ and brings to mind, a wedding hall, after the guests have left. The importance of jewellery to a young woman in Sangam times is illustrated by the adjective in ‘எல் வளைக் குறுமகள்’ meaning ‘glowing-bangled young girl’. The verse ends with ‘சிறு புனத்து அல்கிய பெரும் புற நிலையே’ meaning ‘the elevated state of staying in the small field’ and invites us to know more!
The man and lady had been leading a love relationship and the man was trysting with the lady by day, when she used to stay in the millet field to chase away parrots. One day, when the man arrives by this field, the confidante pretending not to notice him, but making sure he’s listening, turns to the lady and says, “Day by day, the soft millets that father sowed have grown up slowly. How would it be possible to perform the task of chasing away little parrots now? For saying these kind words gently, ‘O mountain maiden, who wields the device to chase parrots, please go’, the mountain folk have started their harvesting. And, the curved stalks of millet, pregnant with rich grain, have been sheared and just the stubbles stand on that millet field, looking listless like a place, where festivities have ended. Such is the distressing state therein and how can she come there every day to see this sight? That young girl of sweet words, who wears a tightly packed set of shining bangles! When will she see again that great state outdoors when she stayed by the little millet field?” With these words, the confidante is letting the man know that the lady can no longer visit the millet field as the harvest season is upon them and that the man must seek the lady’s hand in marriage, to continue enjoying her company.
Time to delve into the details! The confidante starts by talking about a millet field, which father has sown, revealing how the lady’s father was a mountain farmer. Was it terrace cultivation? How did they farm in the mountains in those times? Any time we think of the mountains, a wild land comes before our eyes, free and filled with life. How can an ordered way of life that agriculture is, thrive in this rugged land? Wild animals are sure to enter the fields and birds would steal away the crops too. The ancients seemed to have had a technique for solving these concerns. The young girls in the hill country were given the important task of chasing away those parrot pirates! Nurtured by the care of these mountain maiden, the crops would grow day by day and soon there would come a day, when they get bent by the weight of grain, which in turn announces, the harvest season is here. At this time, the mountain dwellers, who come to harvest the field, say to the young girl guarding it, in a gentle and kind voice, to go home, indicating her services to the millet field are no longer needed. Great for the girl, she can go home and rest, we may think. But, that’s not the case, the confidante informs.
The confidante then describes the millet field as looking like a place where festivities have ended, with stalks shorn of the bulging grain, leaving stubbles to dot the field. An exquisite simile which evokes the sinking feeling when moments of joy have gone past! The confidante adds that the lady will not be able to bear this sight every day and concludes by wondering when the lady, one of sweet words and wearing radiant bangles, would get the joy of living near the millet fields again. When the confidante says these words, it would be a thunderbolt on the man’s head, who has been this far enjoying the lady’s company, a lady the confidante gently reminds is the sweetest of all! Hearing these words, the man would conclude that the only way forward to bring joy to the lady and himself is to seek her hand in marriage! Rewinding back to the description of the harvest, gathering the fruit of their hard labour is what those mountain folk would dream of. But, in this verse, the comparison to a listless place where festivities are no more, portrays how an event of joy to one can become a moment of sadness to another. Mysterious indeed are the ways of the heart!
