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In this episode, we relish references to a picturesque village by the sea, as portrayed in Sangam Literary work, Natrinai 331, penned by Ulochanaar. Set in the coastal regions of ‘Neythal’, the verse speaks in the voice of the confidante to the man, accepting his request to tryst by night with the lady.
உவர் விளை உப்பின் உழாஅ உழவர்
ஒழுகை உமணர் வரு பதம் நோக்கி,
கானல் இட்ட காவற் குப்பை,
புலவு மீன் உணங்கல் படு புள் ஓப்பி,
மட நோக்கு ஆயமொடு உடன் ஊர்பு ஏறி,
”எந்தை திமில், இது, நுந்தை திமில்” என
வளை நீர் வேட்டம் போகிய கிளைஞர்
திண் திமில் எண்ணும் தண் கடற் சேர்ப்ப!
இனிதேதெய்ய, எம் முனிவு இல் நல் ஊர்;
இனி, வரின் தவறும் இல்லை: எனையதூஉம்
பிறர் பிறர் அறிதல் யாவது-
தமர் தமர் அறியாச் சேரியும் உடைத்தே.
The verse opens with the alliterative phrase ‘உவர் விளை உப்பின் உழாஅ உழவர்’, vividly portraying a prominent economic activity in the shores, for this means ‘farmers who never plough but raise the crop of salt on marshlands’. When there are producers, there must be sellers of the commodity and to make this happen, ‘உமணர்’ or ‘salt merchants’ make an appearance. In the words ‘படு புள் ஓப்பி’ meaning ‘chasing away flocks of birds’, we understand the occupation of young girls who lived in these regions. The rhythmic phrase ‘வளை நீர் வேட்டம் போகிய கிளைஞர்’ meaning ‘the kith and kin who go hunting in swirling ocean waters’ talks about yet another profession, that of fishing, in these regions. The phrase ‘வரின் தவறும் இல்லை’ means ‘If you come, there would be nothing amiss’, seems a rendition of acceptance and welcome. Ending with ‘தமர் தமர் அறியாச் சேரியும் உடைத்தே’, which means ‘ours is a hamlet, where people know not who is whose kin’, hints at the character of that ancient coastal village, and invites us within!
The man and lady were leading a love relationship and had been trysting with each other by day, for a while. The man intends to further his relationship and seeks the confidante’s consent and help to tryst by night. Knowing her friend’s mind, the confidante says to the man, “Without ploughing, the farmers in the marshlands rear this produce called salt. Awaiting the arrival of those orderly carts of salt merchants, salt is heaped in mounds and placed under guard. Intending to chase away bird flocks that come to feed on the drying fish flesh, those innocent-eyed young maiden who arrive there, then get together and climb on those salt heaps and shout out, ‘That’s my father’s boat and that’s your father’s boat’, looking at their kith and kin, who are out hunting in the surrounding waters, and counting their powerful boats. Such is your domain on the cool seas, O lord! Indeed, pleasant is our good hamlet, which never harbours hatred. There is nothing wrong if you come now. How can anyone know if someone is a stranger or not, for ours is a village where people know not who is whose kith and kin!” With these words, the confidante accepts the man’s request to tryst by night and paves the way for persuading him to seek the lady’s hand in the near future!
Now, for the nuances! The first thought that the confidante sketches is about the inhabitants of the salty marshlands, who indulge in the work of rearing salt. Being considered as farmers of the coastal regions, the difference in the nature of their work is illustrated with the contradiction that these are farmers who plough not! From this group of salt makers, the confidante turns her attention to those who seek it and sell it – the salt merchants. She explains how the salt farmers wait eagerly for the sound of the merchants’ orderly carts. Till then, when the produce can exchange hands, it lies heaped in mounds. Those travelling along Tamilnadu’s East Coast Road might have glimpsed at such a sight, even today! There is a specific reason the confidante mentions these salt mounds. It’s to say how young girls, whose main job is to chase away birds that feed on the drying fish, when their day’s work is done, climb on these salt mounds! Is it a game for them? Looks like, for they seem to seek that high place, so that they can look out into the seas and call out and count the sturdy boats belonging to their kith and kin. The confidante concludes these descriptions saying that such is the man’s village by the shore!
From the man’s village, the confidante then turns to the lady’s village and mentions what a sweet place that is, saying there is not a trace of anger or hatred anywhere in their village. An idyllic locale! Rather different from the uproarious seaside villages that we have read about, where people seemed to have nothing to do but spread slander about the lady. The confidante stresses there would be nothing wrong if the man were to come then. She seals her case by logically adding that no one could point to him and say he was a stranger because in that village, no one knew the kith and kin of the others. So, the man could arrive by night without fear and tryst with the lady. What could that statement about not knowing kith and kin mean? Is this really two thousand years ago? This sounds more like a modern city, where one does not know, not just the kith and kin of neighbours, but even the neighbours themselves! Perhaps, what the confidante means is that it’s a bustling seaside village with travellers and wayfarers, making it impossible to keep track of who was a stranger and who lived there. A poem that seems to shine light on the varied economic activities in ancient Tamil seaside towns. Who knows to what foreign shores the reach of those seafaring Tamils extended!
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