Kurunthogai 27 – Split milk and spoilt beauty

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In this episode, we perceive how a well-chosen simile explains the lady’s state, as portrayed in Sangam Literary work, Kurunthogai 27, penned by Velli Veethiyaar. The verse is situated in the drylands of ‘Paalai’ and speaks in the voice of the lady to her confidante, in response to her friend’s worry as to how the lady would bear with the man’s parting away.

கன்றும் உண்ணாது, கலத்தினும் படாது,
நல் ஆன் தீம் பால் நிலத்து உக்காஅங்கு,
எனக்கும் ஆகாது, என்னைக்கும் உதவாது,
பசலை உணீஇயர் வேண்டும்-
திதலை அல்குல் என் மாமைக் கவினே.

Wasting away of a precious thing is the core thread of this verse! The moment a Tamil film buff hears the opening words ‘கன்றும் உண்ணாது, கலத்தினும் படாது’, they would immediately be reminded of a song from ‘En Swasa Kaatre’ for not just these words but the poem entire appears in that song! Returning to poetry, the first words refer to ‘how something doesn’t help feed a calf and something which isn’t collected in a vessel’. Our minds would leap to connect this ‘something’ with ‘a cow’s milk’, as seen in the words ‘நல் ஆன் தீம் பால்’. Appearing exactly in the same structure of the first line, the phrase ‘எனக்கும் ஆகாது, என்னைக்கும் உதவாது’ meaning ‘of no use to me, and of no support to my lord’ reflects the inherent rhythm of the verse. The villain of the piece can be glimpsed at, in the word ‘பசலை’ meaning ‘pallor of pining’, which we have encountered in countless Sangam poems this far. Ending with ‘என் மாமைக் கவினே’ meaning ‘my dark beauty’, the verse turns the spotlight on how these ancients celebrated dark skin and invites us to delve deeper.

What has milk and beauty got to do with each other? Of course, it rings some bells about Queen Cleopatra and her bathing in donkey milk to preserve her supreme beauty, but something tells me it’s a different story here. The context reveals that the man and lady had been leading a love relationship when the man parted away to gather wealth. Perceiving the changes in the lady, the confidante worried as to how the lady would be able to bear with the man’s parting and to her, the lady replies, “Feeding not the calf and gathering not in a vessel, the fine cow’s sweet milk spills on the ground. Akin to that, of no aid to me, and of no comfort to my lord, pallor seeks to feed on my spotted loins and my dark-skinned beauty!” With these words, the lady expresses how even as she tries to bear with the man’s parting, the pallor of pining seems intent on ravaging her.

The spilling of milk and the spoiling of beauty! Time to explore the layers within. The lady talks about a moment when a fine cow’s milk, without being drunk by its calf or collected in a vessel, falls on the ground. The way she places the calf first is touching in a way, because it seems to exude a belief that what was left after the calf had its fill from its mother was only to be collected for human use. A subtle trace of regard for animal life! This substance-filled simile has been mentioned only to connect it with how pallor seeks to spread on the lady’s beauty, leaving it as no adornment on the lady and of no aid to the man. 

Doesn’t the poem resemble a well-assembled structure with its perfect connection between the two elements compared? From that twin tower, the lady echoes her fear about how pallor would destroy her beauty, even if she tries to bear with the man’s separation. However, let’s hope the expression of angst would bring some relief to the lady or perhaps her thoughts would fly to the man and bring him back to her soon, or better still, in the end, the man would make the lady realise that no pallor can come between him and his love for the lady!