Kalithogai 142 – Lamenting and Listening

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கண்டோர்:
புரிவுண்ட புணர்ச்சியுள் புல் ஆரா மாத்திரை,
அருகுவித்து ஒருவரை அகற்றலின், தெரிவார்கண்,
செய நின்ற பண்ணினுள் செவி சுவை கொள்ளாது,
நயம் நின்ற பொருள் கெடப் புரி அறு நரம்பினும்
பயன் இன்று மன்றம்ம, காமம் இவள் மன்னும்
ஒள் நுதல் ஆயத்தார் ஓராங்குத் திளைப்பினும்,
முள் நுனை தோன்றாமை முறுவல் கொண்டு அடக்கி, தன்
கண்ணினும் முகத்தினும் நகுபவள்; பெண் இன்றி
யாவரும் தண் குரல் கேட்ப, நிரை வெண் பல்
மீ உயர் தோன்ற, நகாஅ, நக்காங்கே,
பூ உயிர்த்தன்ன புகழ் சால் எழில் உண்கண்
ஆய் இதழ் மல்க அழும்

தலைவி:
ஓஒ! அழிதகப் பாராதே, அல்லல் குறுகினம்;
காண்பாம் கனங்குழை பண்பு
என்று, எல்லீரும் என் செய்தீர்? என்னை நகுதிரோ?
நல்ல நகாஅலிர் மற்கொலோ யான் உற்ற
அல்லல் உறீஇயான் மாய மலர் மார்பு
புல்லிப் புணரப் பெறின்

‘எல்லா! நீ உற்றது எவனோ மற்று?’ என்றீரேல், ‘எற் சிதை
செய்தான் இவன்’ என, ‘உற்றது இது’ என,
எய்த உரைக்கும் உரன் அகத்து உண்டாயின்,
பைதல ஆகிப் பசக்குவமன்னோ என்
நெய்தல் மலர் அன்ன கண்?

கோடு வாய் கூடாப் பிறையை, பிறிது ஒன்று
நாடுவேன், கண்டனென்; சிற்றிலுள் கண்டு, ஆங்கே,
ஆடையான் மூஉய் அகப்படுப்பேன்; சூடிய,
காணான் திரிதரும்கொல்லோ மணி மிடற்று
மாண் மலர்க் கொன்றையவன்?
‘தெள்ளியேம்’ என்று உரைத்து, தேராது, ஒரு நிலையே,
‘வள்ளியை ஆக!’ என நெஞ்சை வலியுறீஇ

உள்ளி வருகுவர்கொல்லோ? வளைந்து யான்
எள்ளி இருக்குவேன் மற்கொலோ? நள்ளிருள்
மாந்தர் கடி கொண்ட கங்குல், கனவினால்,
தோன்றினனாக, தொடுத்தேன்மன், யான்; தன்னைப்
பையெனக் காண்கு விழிப்ப, யான் பற்றிய
கையுளே, மாய்ந்தான், கரந்து

கதிர் பகா ஞாயிறே! கல் சேர்திஆயின்,
அவரை நினைத்து, நிறுத்து என் கை நீட்டித்
தருகுவைஆயின், தவிரும் என் நெஞ்சத்து
உயிர் திரியா மாட்டிய தீ

மை இல் சுடரே! மலை சேர்தி நீ ஆயின்,
பௌவ நீர்த் தோன்றிப் பகல் செய்யும் மாத்திரை,
கைவிளக்காகக் கதிர் சில தாராய்! என்
தொய்யில் சிதைத்தானைத் தேர்கு

சிதைத்தானைச் செய்வது எவன்கொலோ? எம்மை
நயந்து, நலம் சிதைத்தான்
மன்றப் பனைமேல் மலை மாந் தளிரே! நீ
தொன்று இவ் உலகத்துக் கேட்டும் அறிதியோ?
மென் தோள் ஞெகிழ்த்தான் தகை அல்லால், யான் காணேன்
நன்று தீது என்று பிற

நோய் எரியாகச் சுடினும், சுழற்றி, என்
ஆய் இதழ் உள்ளே கரப்பன் கரந்தாங்கே
நோய் உறு வெந் நீர்: தெளிப்பின், தலைக் கொண்டு
வேவது, அளித்து இவ் உலகு

மெலியப் பொறுத்தேன்; களைந்தீமின் சான்றீர்!
நலிதரும் காமமும் கௌவையும் என்று, இவ்
வலிதின் உயிர் காவாத் தூங்கி, ஆங்கு, என்னை
நலியும் விழுமம் இரண்டு

கண்டோர்:
எனப் பாடி,
இனைந்து நொந்து அழுதனள்; நினைந்து நீடு உயிர்த்தனள்;
எல்லையும் இரவும் கழிந்தன என்று எண்ணி, எல்லிரா
நல்கிய கேள்வன் இவன் மன்ற, மெல்ல
மணியுள் பரந்த நீர் போலத் துணிவாம்
கலம் சிதை இல்லத்துக் காழ் கொண்டு தேற்றக்
கலங்கிய நீர்போல் தெளிந்து, நலம் பெற்றாள்,
நல் எழில் மார்பனைச் சார்ந்து.

A new series of songs on the lady’s suffering in the midst of parting and the onlookers’ perspective unfolds here. The words can be translated as follows:

“Onlookers:
When embraces in a desirable union are disrupted as one person is called away, making the meeting together rare, it’s akin to how without attaining the joy of savouring the song, crafted by skilled artisans, shattering the instrument, the strings of a lute break apart. Even more than those broken strings, her love lies shattered, without a purpose. She, the one, who, even when her playmates with shining foreheads got around and laughed joyously, she would restrain herself in such a way that the edges of her teeth show not, and smile only with her eyes and face. But now, lacking femininity, making everyone around hear her moist voice, showing her neat row of white teeth, she laughs aloud deliriously, even as her esteemed and beautiful kohl-streaked eyes, looking like flowers that have come to life, shed tears from their etched petals!

Lady:
Alas! Thinking, ‘Without minding that it will hurt, let’s go near her and see the nature of the maiden wearing heavy earrings’, all of you have come here! To do what? Is it to laugh at me? You won’t be laughing at me if I get to embrace the deceptive, flowerlike chest of the one, who created this suffering in me!

If you ask me, ‘Dear, what is that which happened to you? How did he bring ruin to you?’, and if at all I had the strength of will to say, ‘This is what happened’, do you think my eyes, akin to blue lotus flowers, will be filled with suffering and spread with pallor?

When searching for signs in the little sand house, I caught a glimpse of the crescent moon, whose curved mouth doesn’t come together, when I wished for some other sign. So, immediately, I detained the moon within my attire. Then, I asked myself, ‘Won’t the one, with the sapphire-hued neck, adorned with a garland of exquisite golden shower flowers, who wears the moon on his head, search for it everywhere?’. Turning to my heart, I said, ‘Let’s see this clearly’ and even though my heart was not appeased, I gave strength to it and stressed, saying, ‘May you have the grace to do this!’ and sent away that moon!

Will he come thinking about me? Will this state change and will I get to laugh with him again? In the midnight hour, as people outside kept guard, he appeared in my dream. Not knowing it’s a dream, I held on to him, and when I slowly opened my eyes, he vanished away into my hand that had held him!

O sun with rays that never break away! Before you reach the mountains, reflecting on where he is, if you can stop him with your rays and bring him back to my hands, the fire in my heart, which burns on the wick of life, would be saved!

O flawless sun! Before you reach the mountains, until the time you would appear upon the oceans and create the day again, won’t you render a few rays for my hand lamp, so that I can search for the one, who ruined the ‘thoyyil’ art on my arms?

O sun in the mountain, in the hue of tender mango sprouts, shining above the palm tree in the town centre! Are you wondering what she’s going to do to the one, who has ruined her so, the one who showered his love and then ruined her beauty? Will she quarrel with him? Have you ever heard of such things in this world? All I can see is the esteem of the one, who made my soft arms thin away, and I can never discern his qualities as good or bad.

Even if this affliction burns me and makes me wallow, I will restrain within my beautiful petals, the hot tears of this disease. For if those tears were to scatter and fall down, the earth is sure to burn!

Even as I wasted away, I bore it all with restraint. The two burdens of my desire and the town’s slander pull down upon the pole of my life, and are crushing my heart. O elders! Please end my suffering!

Onlookers:
And singing so, with lament and sorrow, she shed tears; Thinking of him, she let out long sighs, and reminisced about the days and nights that had passed away with him. And then we saw that her beloved, who had showered his graces to her at night, had arrived. Akin to how muddled water becomes crystal clear, when some seeds are added to it, turning it into water that appears as if sapphires have been spread on the surface, the lady too regained her lost beauty, when she leaned upon the handsome chest of her man!”

Let’s delve into the essence. The verse is situated in the context of the man’s parting from the lady, prior to marriage, and here, both the lady and the onlookers convey the facets of the situation. The onlookers start by talking about the scenario, when people are waiting to listen to a lute recital and at the last minute, the strings of the lute break apart. Just like that, the lady’s love was lying shattered because her man was called away. They talk about how even when her friends used to laugh uproariously, she was the epitome of femininity and would refrain from laughing aloud, showing her teeth and would smile only with her eyes and face. But now, she was laughing and crying deliriously, making everyone hear her voice, they say. As a modern woman, who loves the sound of her resounding laugh, I found this version of femininity rather amusing!

Returning, we now hear the lady speaking, and she asks all of them why they have come there and was that to laugh at her, declaring that they wouldn’t be laughing if she was embracing her man. These words make me think indeed she is in a delirious state, attributing incorrect emotions to the onlookers. Then, she declares her inability to express accurately what has happened to her, because the man had parted away, and then goes on to describe that in great length after that!

The lady mentions how she was looking for omens and signs in the sand but could only find an inauspicious sign of the crescent moon. She talks of how at that moment she decided to arrest the moon. Then realising God Siva would search for it everywhere, she advised her heart to let the moon go and act with grace. Then comes the story of a dream, in which the man appeared and as she thought it was real and opened her eyes, he vanished away into the hands that were holding him only a moment ago!

Next, she starts addressing the sun, asking the celestial orb to extend its hands before setting in the mountains and bring back the man to her, or at least share some of its rays to make a hand lamp, so that she can search high and low for her man. She promises the sun that she has no intention of quarrelling with the man and that she can never see the good and bad but only his great esteem. She talks about her strength to restrain her tears, for if it fell on earth, the land would get scorched, she declares. Isn’t this is quite the opposite of the onlookers’ initial assessment? She ends her side of the story by declaring that even though her fierce love and the town’s slander were crushing her life, she is trying to bear it all and pleads to the elders to slay her suffering.

Now, the onlookers take the centre stage and talk about these laments of the lady and her sighs thinking about the man. Then, one night, the man did appear, and akin to how muddy water becomes crystal clear and blue like spread sapphires, when some seeds are added, the lady regained her languishing health as she lay upon the chest of her beloved, they conclude. In the end, a passionate expression of intense emotions and the compassionate response of those around are the twin hues in this canvas, depicting the love life of these ancients!