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In this episode, we listen to the changes in a lady’s perception, as portrayed in Sangam Literary work, Kurunthogai 153, penned by Kabilar. Set in the mountains of ‘Kurinji’, the verse speaks in the voice of the lady to the confidante, explaining the reason the confidante must present to the man to persuade him to seek her hand in marriage.
குன்றக் கூகை குழறினும், முன்றிற்
பலவின் இருஞ் சினைக் கலை பாய்ந்து உகளினும்,
அஞ்சும்மன்; அளித்து-என் நெஞ்சம்!-இனியே,
ஆர் இருட் கங்குல் அவர்வயின்
சாரல் நீள் இடைச் செலவு ஆனாதே.
‘Curious how the heart has changed’ says this verse! The opening words ‘குன்றக் கூகை குழறினும்’ meaning ‘a mountain owl cries aloud’ brings before our eyes, those nocturnal birds and the sounds they make, which could be a hoot, a bark or a whistle. Next, we glance at a frequently mentioned tree in the mountains in ‘முன்றிற் பலவு’ meaning ‘jackfruit tree at the house entrance’. The phrase ‘ஆர் இருட் கங்குல்’ meaning ‘inaccessible, dark midnight’ relates the time of the day and also depicts the state of the world in that hour. Ending with the words ‘சாரல் நீள் இடைச் செலவு ஆனாதே’ meaning ‘it cannot abstain from travelling to the long path in the mountain slopes’, the verse intrigues our curiosity.
Dark nights and winding paths seem to echo some deep fear within. The context reveals that the man and lady had been leading a love relationship and that the man was trysting by night for a long while without taking steps to formalise their union. The confidante, deciding its time to insist to the man, wonders aloud to the lady about what she could say to him. To the confidante, the lady says, “Even when the mountain owl hooted aloud or when the huge branch of the jackfruit tree in the front yard shook, when the male monkey pounced on it, I used to be frightened. But now, pitiable is my heart! For it cannot stop itself from journeying to the long path in the slopes, as he walks there in the impenetrable darkness of midnight.” With these words, the lady expresses her fears about the man’s nightly path and presents a sound reason for him to refrain from trysting by night.
Time to explore the nuances. The lady starts by talking about a time in the past when she was startled by the mere sound of an owl’s cry or that of a male monkey leaping and shaking the branches of a jackfruit tree. Then, she talks about her pitiable heart, because now, nothing can stop it from going along with the man in his long, winding path through the mountain slopes in the thick darkness of night. By contrasting her changed heart that jumped in fright at the harmless sounds around to how it wants to travel along with the man in such dangerous conditions, the lady paints a vivid portrait of her fears about the man’s nightly trysting.
Jumping in fright at harmless sounds is something we all have experienced. But, what is it about love and care that makes our hearts do unimaginable things? There have been cases of a frail mother lifting an immense weight when her child was threatened, and of people performing unimaginable acts of valour, when it came to protecting the safety of their beloved. That’s the same emotion we see in this lady’s heart that was startled so easily by random sounds in the past, but now, no matter the dangers, it cannot be away from the path its beloved takes. Through this, the lady’s love and concern for the man would be revealed and the man would understand that the path to take is not the long and winding one in the darkness of the night but the path to seeking the lady’s hand and celebrating their love in the bright sunshine of a life together.
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