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In this episode, we listen to a pointed message to persuade a person, as portrayed in Sangam Literary work, Aganaanooru 318, penned by Kabilar. The verse is situated amidst the singing cascades of the ‘Kurinji’ or ‘Mountain Landscape’ and depicts the dangers of a tryst by night.
கான மான் அதர் யானையும் வழங்கும்
வான மீமிசை உருமும் நனி உரறும்
அரவும் புலியும் அஞ்சுதகவு உடைய
இரவுச் சிறு நெறி தமியை வருதி
வரை இழி அருவிப் பாட்டொடு பிரசம்
முழவு சேர் நரம்பின் இம்மென இமிரும்,
பழ விறல் நனந்தலைப் பய மலை நாட!
மன்றல் வேண்டினும் பெறுகுவை; ஒன்றோ
இன்று தலையாக வாரல்; வரினே,
ஏம் உறு துயரமொடு யாம் இவண் ஒழிய,
எக் கண்டு பெயருங் காலை, யாழ நின்
கல் கெழு சிறுகுடி எய்திய பின்றை,
ஊதல் வேண்டுமால் சிறிதே வேட்டொடு
வேய் பயில் அழுவத்துப் பிரிந்த நின்
நாய் பயிர் குறி நிலை கொண்ட கோடே!
In this trip to the highlands, we get to see the familiar fauna, as we listen to the confidante say these words to the man, when he arrives for his nightly tryst with the lady:
“In the path, where wild animals rove, elephants tread too; Atop the skies, thunder roars aloud; Snakes and tigers are to be found there, evoking great fear; Walking this narrow path in the middle of the night, you come all alone, O lord of the prosperous mountains, a domain known for ancient victories and wide spaces, where the song of the cascade that descends from the mountains, along with the buzzing of honeybees, hums akin to the music of a drum accompanied by the strings of a lute! If you were to seek marriage, you would attain it; So, don’t come in this manner from today; If you have to come like this, as she remains here with deep suffering when you part away after seeing her, after reaching your hamlet in the hills, you need to blow a little on that horn, used to call out to your dogs, when hunting amidst the bamboo-filled jungles, and relay your whereabouts!”
Time to brave that trek in the dark! The confidante starts by sketching fearful images of wild animals, elephants, snakes and tigers frequenting the mountain path. As if these creatures on land weren’t scary enough, the sky too makes one quiver with its thunderous roars, the confidante adds, and mentions how the man seems not to mind any of this as he comes walking through the very path in the dead dark of the night. Then, she goes on to shower some praise on the man’s rich mountain country, filled with resounding cascades and humming bees, and this duet is placed in parallel to the sound of drums and lute soaring in the air. Then, she comes to the matter at hand and promises the man if he were to seek the lady’s hand, he would get it. ‘When that is true, why should you come like this in the dark’, she questions the man and asks him not to do this anymore. The confidante concludes by adding that if the man insisted in coming this way in the middle of the night facing all those dangers, then he must do something to allay the anxiety of the lady, who worries after he leaves her, and that something is to blow the horn used to signal hunting dogs, after he reaches his village, so as to convey that he is safe!
A nuanced verse that reveals the care and love of the lady and places that as the core for demanding a change in this temporary path of trysting. Instead of ordering the man to seek the lady’s hand, the confidante brings out all the anxiety, fear and stress that mount in the lady every time the man leaves her, and presents the situation lucidly, so that the man comes to the conclusion that the only viable path is to seek the lady’s hand in marriage. The reference to blowing the hunting horn after reaching the village made me think of how we tell friends and loved ones in our times, to send a message or give a missed call, after reaching their place safely. The modes of communication may change but the presence of a caring heart seems to be a constant across the eons!
