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In this episode, we listen to a curious recommendation to consider another’s proposal, as portrayed in Sangam Literary work, Aganaanooru 330, penned by Ulochanaar. The verse is situated amidst the swaying boats of the ‘Neythal’ or ‘Coastal Landscape’ and resounds in the rhythm of unsaid words of love.
கழிப் பூங் குற்றும், கானல் அல்கியும்,
வண்டற் பாவை வரி மணல் அயர்ந்தும்,
இன்புறப் புணர்ந்தும், இளி வரப் பணிந்தும்,
தன் துயர் வெளிப்படத் தவறி, நம் துயர்
அறியாமையின், அயர்ந்த நெஞ்சமொடு
செல்லும், அன்னோ; மெல் அம் புலம்பன்!
செல்வோன் பெயர் புறத்து இரங்கி, முன் நின்று,
தகைஇய சென்ற என் நிறை இல் நெஞ்சம்
எய்தின்றுகொல்லோ தானே? எய்தியும்,
காமம் செப்ப, நாண் இன்றுகொல்லோ?
உதுவ காண், அவர் ஊர்ந்த தேரே;
குப்பை வெண் மணற் குவவுமிசையானும்,
எக்கர்த் தாழை மடல்வயினானும்,
ஆய் கொடிப் பாசடும்பு பரிய ஊர்பு இழிபு,
சிறுகுடிப் பரதவர் பெருங் கடல் மடுத்த
கடுஞ் செலல் கொடுந் திமில் போல,
நிவந்து படு தோற்றமொடு இகந்து மாயும்மே!
In this trip to the seas, we take in the sights on the shore, as we listen to the confidante say these words to the lady, at a time when the man had won the confidence of the confidante and had entrusted the task of furthering his relationship with the lady over to her:
“Plucking flowers in the backwaters, resting in the groves, carving sand dolls on striped sands, coming together joyously, humbling himself deeply, he displays his suffering, and not understanding your suffering, he leaves with a languishing heart! Alas! The state of that lord of the gentle shores! Melting with kindness, seeing the retreating back of the one who parts away, did your barren heart that dashed and stood before him, not succeed in blocking him? Even if it did block him, did its sense of modesty prevent it from speaking of its passion? Lo behold! The chariot he rides, amidst the heaped white sands, streaking over pandanus leaves, and severing beautiful vines of the beach morning glory, akin to those speeding, curving boats, belonging to fishermen of little hamlets, traversing in the huge seas, looms large and vanishes out of sight!”
Let’s surf those pristine waves and find the hidden treasures in those hearts! The confidante starts by talking about how the man has been repeatedly coming over to them, humbling himself from his noble position and partaking in the joyous activities of the lady such as plucking flowers and playing in the sands. Then she points out how his yearning for the lady is evident for all to see but he doesn’t know that the lady too reciprocates the same in full measure. The confidante pointedly asks the lady if the lady’s heart that was running ahead, as he was leaving, did not manage to block him, and even if it did, did it not speak what was within, owing to its shyness? Then the confidante beckons the lady and points to the man’s chariot, as it leaves sadly, and compares it to the vision of fishermen’s boats that seem so large at first and then seem to vanish in a glance!
The confidante means to nudge the lady out of her shyness and accept the man’s proposal, saying don’t let him vanish away from your sight forever! Reminds me of a similar situation in an English novel, Pride and Prejudice, written by Jane Austen, set in the early 1800s. There too, a friend advises another that more openness is needed in expressing one’s feelings, so as to not leave the object of one’s affection in the lurch! Here’s a song proclaiming the timeless truth about the influence that friends seem to have in romantic relationships, regardless of space and time!
