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In this episode, we delight in the insightful portrait of a person and the natural beauty of ancient spots, as depicted in Sangam Literary work, Natrinai 379, penned by Kudavaayil Keerathanaar. Set in the hills of ‘Kurinji’, the verse speaks in the voice of the confidante to the man, refusing his request to tryst with the lady.
புன் தலை மந்தி கல்லா வன் பறழ்
குன்று உழை நண்ணிய முன்றில் போகாது,
எரி அகைந்தன்ன வீ ததை இணர
வேங்கைஅம் படு சினைப் பொருந்தி, கைய
தேம் பெய் தீம் பால் வௌவலின், கொடிச்சி
எழுது எழில் சிதைய அழுத கண்ணே,
தேர் வண் சோழர் குடந்தைவாயில்
மாரி அம் கிடங்கின் ஈரிய மலர்ந்த,
பெயல் உறு நீலம் போன்றன விரலே,
பாஅய் அவ் வயிறு அலைத்தலின், ஆனாது,
ஆடு மழை தவழும் கோடு உயர் பொதியில்
ஓங்கு இருஞ் சிலம்பில் பூத்த
காந்தள்அம் கொழு முகை போன்றன, சிவந்தே.
The verse opens with ‘புன் தலை மந்தி கல்லா வன் பறழ்’ meaning ‘the strong, unskilled infant of a soft-headed female monkey’, sketching for us, this ‘mother-child’ duo of the mountain world. Next, we meet with a well-known tree in these parts, the ‘வேங்கை’ or ‘Indian Kino tree’. The phrase ‘தேம் பெய் தீம் பால்’ meaning ‘sweet milk mixed with honey’ seems to tingle our buds with the taste of mountain honey. From this food-related item, the song turns to ‘சோழர் குடந்தைவாயில்’ referring to the Chola town, whose name has transformed into ‘Kudavayil’, also to be noted as the town of this song’s poet. ‘Kudanthai’ or ‘Kudanthaivayil’ is a well-known Chola town that finds mention both during the time of the Early Cholas, as in the Sangam period, as well as the Late Cholas, who ruled around the tenth century CE. ‘பெயல் உறு நீலம்’ instantly conjures up the picturesque image of ‘a blue lily that is coated with rain drops’. Next, we are taken on a tour to ‘கோடு உயர் பொதியில்’ meaning ‘the high peaks of the Pothiyil ranges’, which pertain to the ‘Pothigai hills’ or ‘Agasthiyar mountain’, the southern-most ranges of the Western Ghats, spreading between ‘Thiruvanathapuram’ in Kerala and ‘Tirunelveli’ in Tamilnadu. Ending with ‘காந்தள்அம் கொழு முகை போன்றன, சிவந்தே’ meaning ‘red like the fleshy clusters of the flame lily’, the verse splashes a vivid hue in welcoming us within!
The man had met a lady in the mountains and fallen in love with her. To him, the lady seemed to reciprocate his feelings. To further his relationship with the lady, he needs to win the confidence of the confidante and when he attempts to do that, the confidante says to him, “Without leaving the front yard of the house near the mountains, the unskilled, strong, little one of the soft-headed female monkey, waits on the lower branches of the ‘vengai’ with flowers, akin to a splattering of fire. Then, that little monkey grabs the honey-infused, sweet milk from the hands of the mountain girl. Ruining the beauty of her kohl-streaked eyes, she starts to cry and her eyes look like the moist, full-bloomed blue lilies in the rain-filled moat of ‘Kudanthaivayil’, belonging to the generous Cholas, who give away chariots to their suppliants. As for her fingers, she keeps beating them against her stomach and turns them red, akin to the fleshy clusters of the flame lily, which bloom in the dark, huge mountains of the high ‘Pothiyil’, surrounded by swaying rain clouds!” With these words, the confidante refuses to entertain the man’s request, by saying that the lady is too young to be in a relationship with him.
Now, for the nuances! The confidante starts by sharing an event that happened to the lady a few days ago. What happened was, a young monkey did not leave with its mother to the mountains but seemed to be lying in wait on the branches of a ‘vengai’ tree in the front yard of the lady’s house. To describe the flowers of this tree, the confidante takes a detour and calls it ‘flowers, looking as if fire is splashed’. After that dazzling image, she returns to the scene to observe the monkey. The intentions of this animal in waiting becomes apparent when it quickly grabs the bowl of milk and honey that the lady had carried out of the house into the front yard. Now, the reaction of the lady forms the crux of this story. The confidante says the lady immediately starts crying, spoiling the beauty of her kohl-streaked eyes, and yet again, to describe these eyes, she brings in a detailed simile. She talks about a rain-soaked blue-lily and not just any old blue-lily but the one specifically blooming in the moats around the forts of the Chola town, ‘Kudanthaivayil’, while also mentioning the generosity of these Cholas, who seem to give away chariots to those who come seeking to them. If these Chola Kings were alive today, they would have said to one seeking to borrow from them, ‘why are you asking just for a few thousands, take the BMW instead!’ Joking apart, no doubt this is a poetic device employed to showcase the generosity of those ancient kings, who, no doubt, where also patrons to these Sangam poets!
Returning to the verse, we find the confidante continuing to add to the lady’s reactions. The lady, in addition to crying and turning her eyes into rain-coated blue-lilies, seemed to be beating on her stomach with her tender fingers, turning them red, like the flame-lilies that bloom in the ‘Pothigai’ hills, enveloped by rain clouds. With this story of eyes turning blue and fingers turning red, the confidante intends to convey to the man what a naive, young girl, the lady is, to be crying over a bowl of milk, and places within that message that the lady is too young to be trysting with the man. Whether this is just a ploy of the confidante to test the man’s love or a statement of fact is not evident. However, the gain is ours in being escorted to an ancient fort, filled with historical significance, and a soaring place of natural beauty, to take in the sight and scent of two flowers that paint a portrait of a girl’s innocence!
