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In this episode, we relish words of understanding to a beloved, as depicted in Sangam Literary work, Natrinai 362, penned by Madurai Maruthan Ilanaakanaar. The verse is situated in the drylands of ‘Paalai’ and speaks in the voice of the man, encouraging the lady, as they elope away.
வினை அமை பாவையின் இயலி, நுந்தை
மனை வரை இறந்து வந்தனை; ஆயின்,
தலை நாட்கு எதிரிய தண் பத எழிலி
அணி மிகு கானத்து அகன் புறம் பரந்த
கடுஞ் செம்மூதாய் கண்டும், கொண்டும்,
நீ விளையாடுக சிறிதே; யானே,
மழ களிறு உரிஞ்சிய பராரை வேங்கை
மணல் இடு மருங்கின் இரும் புறம் பொருந்தி,
அமர் வரின், அஞ்சேன், பெயர்க்குவென்;
நுமர் வரின், மறைகுவென்-மாஅயோளே!
Opening with ‘வினை அமை பாவையின் இயலி’ meaning ‘a well-crafted walking doll’, the verse teases our imagination with images of ancient robots! Thereafter, we encounter ‘தலை நாட்கு எதிரிய தண் பத எழிலி’ meaning ‘the cool clouds that appeared on the first day of rains’, whose significance we will explore in a while. A new member of the insect family greets us in ‘செம்மூதாய்’ referring to the bright red arachnids that go by the names ‘red velvet mites’ or ‘rain bugs’. The phrase ‘விளையாடுக சிறிதே’ renders itself with ease into modern English, for it means ‘play a little’. ‘மழ களிறு உரிஞ்சிய பராரை’ talks about ‘a thick trunk, whose skin has been peeled by a young elephant’. The tree in question is ‘வேங்கை’, the Tamil word for a ‘tiger’ as well as the name of the ‘Indian Kino tree’. The verse ends with an endearing address ‘மாஅயோளே’ or ‘dark skinned girl’, and you sense both the love in the man’s heart and the celebration of dark skin in ancient Tamil land!
The man and lady had been leading a love relationship and the man had been trysting with the lady. At this time, the lady’s parents seemed to be intending to offer their daughter’s hand in marriage to strangers. Learning of this, the man decides the only way to avert the consequences would be to elope with the lady to his village and marry her there. The lady agrees to his decision and as they are walking, at a point, the man turns to the lady and says, “As if a well-crafted doll came walking, you have left the boundary of your father’s home to come with me. A moisture-laden cloud has poured on the first day of the rains, rending the vast spaces of this forest with beauty. And here, the ‘red scarlet’ bugs run speedily. Why don’t you watch them scurrying about, pick them up, and play a little? As for me, I will wait in the sand-filled space, behind the thick-trunked ‘vengai’ tree, whose surface a young elephant has bruised. If enemies arrive thither, I shall fear not but shall fight and make them retreat; But, if your kith and kin arrive, I shall hide, O dark skinned girl!” With these words, the man assures the lady that she can relax as he stands guard over her, come what may.
Now, for the intricate details! The man has been observing the lady’s walk, as they left her house. She is a young girl, who is unused to even stepping beyond the boundaries of her father’s grounds. So, this is new and challenging to her and the man captures this by saying how she seemed to be taking steps, akin to a doll made by an expert craftsman. The laborious walk of the lady has been rendered by this simile of a walking doll, confusing our modern minds! The man says the lady has bid bye to her father’s house and come with him and within that, conceals an unsaid word of thanks for the trust in his words. Then, he talks about the first rains that have poured and points to tiny red creatures scurrying about, and asks the lady to watch and pick those insects, and play for a while. A moment to meander and know a little more about this curious insect. The first thing that struck me is the description of these ‘red velvet mites’ in a biology website as insects that live within the soil and that which come up only a few weeks in the year, those being immediately after the first rains. It’s exactly this facet of these insects behaviour that this ancient poem has captured too. The man doesn’t simply say, ‘go on and play with those red bugs there’. He qualifies their appearance as having happened after the first rains have poured. These insightful lines about this ‘rain bug’ bridges the gap between a poet and a scientist and makes them hold hands with their common tool of observation.
Moving into the verse, the man seems to indicate that it was a habit among young people then, to watch these bright creatures and play with them. This makes me reflect on the innocence of that age, whereas now, as a news article in 2015 explains, these bugs, which, akin to earthworms, clear the soil of harmful bacteria and fungi, are being poached illegally because of their use as an Ayurvedic medicine for paralysis, much to the worry of agricultural scientists and farmers. In the eyes of the past, play seems to be the only thing in mind, whereas now, it’s profit! Returning to the verse, after suggesting this plan to the lady, the man says that while she plays, he would stand guard behind the Kino tree, whose skin has been peeled off in an attack by a young elephant. The man promises that if any robbers or strangers arrive there, he would fight bravely and drive them away, but if her kith and kin were to arrive, he would hide from their sight and let them pass on. The man through the description of the Kino tree, which stands strong and tall, even after the attack of the young elephant, places a metaphor for his own strength that can face any attack. At the same time, beautiful is the way the man understands the lady’s worry about the harm that will come to her kith and kin, if the man were to fight them too. A verse that highlights what’s wise and attractive in a human is not just brute strength but a benevolent sensitivity!
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