Kurunthogai 231 – Cemetery of strangers

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ஓர் ஊர் வாழினும் சேரி வாரார்;
சேரி வரினும் ஆர முயங்கார்;
ஏதிலாளர் சுடலை போலக்
காணாக் கழிபமன்னே-நாண் அட்டு,
நல் அறிவு இழந்த காமம்
வில் உமிழ் கணையின் சென்று சேண் படவே.

‘He cares not for me’ is the central thought of this verse. The opening line ‘ஓர் ஊர் வாழினும் சேரி வாரார்’ meaning ‘even though he lives in the same town, he doesn’t visit the place we live’ conveys a complaint about a person. Let’s pause for a moment and zoom on to the word ‘சேரி’ mentioned here. In contemporary Tamil, the word has taken on a negative connotation referring to ‘a slum’, as in ‘the colony of lower classes’ or ‘the economically backward’, and in some cases, even approaching the meaning of ‘a ghetto’. However, a Tamil scholar explained in a recent online meeting, the true meaning of this word as used in Sangam literature. He said the word ‘சேரி’ arose from ‘சேர்ந்து இருத்தல்’ which means ‘a group of people living together’, in other words, ‘a community of people from the same profession’ and had no negative connotations whatsoever. It was later with the influx of a culture that called for the segregation of classes, that this word took a downward turn. Returning to the verse, we next notice ‘ஏதிலாளர் சுடலை’ referring to ‘the burial ground of strangers’, an interesting reference, which we will explore shortly. Ending with the words ‘வில் உமிழ் கணையின் சென்று சேண் படவே’ meaning ‘akin to an arrow spit out of a bow, to go and fall far away’, the verse welcomes us to explore more.

What could be the reason for the lady’s ire? The context reveals that the man and lady were leading a married relationship when the man took to keeping the company of courtesans. The lady was understandably angered by this action of the man. After a while, the man realises his mistake and intends to go back to the lady and towards this end, he seeks the help of the confidante. Relenting, the confidante takes his message to the lady and pleads for him. To the confidante, the lady says, “Even if he lives in the same town, he doesn’t come to our street; Even if he does come to our street, he doesn’t embrace with sincerity; As if a burial ground of strangers, he walks past without noticing. Slaying all feeling of shame and removing good sense, rises the feeling of love, which akin to an arrow shot out of a bow, soars and falls far away.” With these words, the lady conveys to the confidante that she is unable to accept the man, who has hurt her so.

Time to delve into the nuances. The lady starts by stacking layers of concerns with the man’s actions. She says he doesn’t bother to visit their street even though he lives in the very same town. It can’t be all that big of a town, I’m guessing. Next, the lady continues by adding, say by accident, he happens to step into our street, he never seeks me out and never hugs me as if he means it. She adds the final punch in how he seemed to be treating her, like the burial place of a stranger. Why this unique reference to a cemetery for strangers? Let’s hold on to that question and listen to the rest of what she has to say. The lady concludes by saying like an arrow that flies past, the feeling of love, losing its sense of shame and wisdom, had fallen far away.

When I read those last lines, I was puzzled whether the lady is talking about her love, losing a sense of shame and not finding its target in the man’s heart, or if the lady is talking about the man’s love, losing a sense of what’s right and wrong, and falling far away from the lady in a courtesan’s house. She uses no pronouns to characterise whose love she is talking about and so I have decided that she is talking about both. Her love, which keeps going towards the man, inspite of his treatment of her, and the man’s love, which has taken abode in a courtesan. It’s a clearcut refusal to accept the man. A moment to acknowledge and appreciate that she has the clarity to convey her decision with conviction!

Now, reverting to the mention of a burial place of a stranger, isn’t that an exquisite simile to say how a person ignores you? If it’s the burial grounds of one’s own people, one would not walk away without noticing. Thoughts would go towards the kith and kin buried there and one might pause in their memory too. But if it’s that of strangers, that place does not evoke those emotions of oneness and that’s what the lady captures acutely here. Speaking of the burial ground of strangers, I’m reminded of how during excavations at Adichanallur, an ancient Sangam town, the skeletal remains discovered belonged to people of mixed racial origins, such as African, Australoid, Caucasoid and even Mongoloid. It was later theorised that these were the remains of sailors, who had visited the ancient port of Korkai nearby and had died far away from home. Even these strangers from other shores were given a place to bury their dead with honour and that is what our modern archaeologists have unearthed. And, this verse lends literary proof that it was the practice of Sangam people to let strangers be buried in their towns and villages, a cosmopolitan notion when you consider that this was more than two thousand years ago. A verse that seems to be a handshake between literature and archaeology, helping us understand the thoughtful practices of the people in the past!