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In this episode, we observe an intricate technique of persuasion, as portrayed in Sangam Literary work, Natrinai 339, penned by Seethalai Saathanaar. Set in the mountains of ‘Kurinji’, the verse speaks in the voice of the confidante to the lady, passing on a subtle message to the man, listening nearby.
தோலாக் காதலர் துறந்து நம் அருளார்
அலர்வது அன்று கொல் இது என்று, நன்றும்
புலரா நெஞ்சமொடு புதுவ கூறி,
இருவேம் நீந்தும் பருவரல் வெள்ளம்
அறிந்தனள் போலும் அன்னை, சிறந்த
சீர் கெழு வியல் நகர் வருவனள் முயங்கி,
‘நீர் அலைக் கலைஇய ஈர் இதழ்த் தொடையல்
ஒண்ணுதல் பெதும்பை நல் நலம் பெறீஇ,
மின் நேர் ஓதி இவளொடு நாளைப்
பல் மலர் கஞலிய வெறி கமழ் வேலித்
தெண் நீர் மணிச் சுனை ஆடின்,
என்னோ மகளிர் தம் பண்பு’ என்றோளே.
The verse opens with ‘தோலாக் காதலர்’ meaning ‘the lover who has never seen defeat’ and paints a glowing portrait of the man. ‘இருவேம் நீந்தும் பருவரல் வெள்ளம்’ is an imagery-rich phrase meaning ‘the flood of sorrow that we swim together’. The core theme of the verse echoes in the words ‘அறிந்தனள் போலும் அன்னை’ which means ‘It looks like mother knows’. As we have seen in many other Natrinai poems,’mother knowing’ is not a good thing for Sangam relationships! ‘ஈர் இதழ்த் தொடையல்’ brings forth the image of ‘a wet garland with moist petals’. Shortly thereafter, we glimpse at ‘தெண் நீர் மணிச் சுனை’ referring to a ‘natural spring, in the hue of sapphire, and flowing with crystal clear water’. Ending with ‘என்னோ மகளிர் தம் பண்பு என்றோளே’ meaning ‘she asked what is to become of a woman’s beauty’, the verse invites us for a dive within.
The man and lady had been leading a love relationship and the man seemed intent only on trysting with the lady. One day, when he arrives by the lady’s house, pretending not to notice him, but making sure he’s listening, the confidante says to the lady. “The lover, who knows no defeat, seems to have forsaken you, for he graces you not! Worrying if this will end in slander, with an anxious heart, we say new things every day and swim together in that flood of suffering. Perhaps mother has perceived this, for she came near me in this fine, illustrious, wide mansion, embraced me and said, ‘You say that it’s the waves that have torn the moist garlands of this young woman with a shining forehead, fine beauty, and tresses parted akin to lightning streaks. If you were to go tomorrow and bathe again in that sapphire-hued spring with clear waters, wherein many different flowers fuse and float together, spreading a rich fragrance all around, what is to become of this woman’s good beauty?’ “. With these words, the confidante conveys to the listening man in an indirect manner, the importance of seeking the lady’s hand in marriage.
Time to take a deeper dive! The confidante starts off with words of praise for the man calling him ‘a victorious one, who has never seen failure’. These glowing words seem to be a bait to make the man pay close attention, for there are not many who can resist overhearing a conversation about themselves! After that initial praise, the confidante starts her hidden reprimand by saying that the man seems to have abandoned the lady and does not grace her enough. Then she explains how she and the lady worry that this is going to spread as slander, by bringing forth a picturesque imagery of a flood of sorrow. The confidante adds that they have to come up with new stories every day to avoid the questioning glances of people around. Why do people have these questioning glances? It’s because the lady is pining for the man and this results in symptoms that tells others that something’s wrong. Now, when people do not even have the time to listen to someone express their sadness in actual words, the people then seem to have been so attuned to even non-verbal changes in those around them. A moment to appreciate the attentiveness and concern for others in that age!
Returning to the verse, the confidante is talking about cooking up stories every day to keep people at bay and it looks like she has been saying one such story to mother. She also adds that mother has penetrated that ploy. What did the confidante say and what did mother understand? Seeing the differences in the lady’s form, mother seems to have questioned the confidante about it. Thinking on her feet, the confidante has said that it was because both the lady and herself were playing in the spring waters. To this, mother turns to her and says, ‘what is to become of my daughter’s beauty if she were to continue playing in the spring tomorrow too?’ We have understand that mother is actually mocking that explanation for she knows that bathing in a spring will not cause these symptoms of ill-health in the lady. On the contrary, a bath in such a stream, filled with many different, fragrant flowers, flowing with crystal clear water, is the very cure for any illness. So, mother’s seemingly innocent question seems to conceal within that she knows what’s afoot! And, it is this threat the confidante places to the man. Without saying so, she says, ‘See, O lord, mother knows and you know what will happen next. Confinement of the lady in the house and you, losing her company!’ Thus, the confidante presses the man to make haste and seek a formal union with the lady, to rescue her from that flood of sorrow. It makes me smile to think that all this involved screenplay and dialogue is to simply say to the man, ‘marry her, marry her’!
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