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In this episode, we perceive a hidden message in words of hospitality, as depicted in Sangam Literary work, Aganaanooru 340, penned by Nakeerar. The verse is situated amidst the brimming waves of the ‘Neythal’ or ‘Coastal Landscape’ and etches the pleasantness of a seaside town.
பல் நாள் எவ்வம் தீர, பகல் வந்து,
புன்னை அம் பொதும்பின் இன் நிழல் கழிப்பி,
மாலை மால் கொள நோக்கி, பண் ஆய்ந்து,
வலவன் வண் தேர் இயக்க, நீயும்
செலவு விருப்புறுதல் ஒழிகதில் அம்ம
”செல்லா நல் இசை, பொலம் பூண் திரையன்
பல் பூங் கானற் பவத்திரி அன்ன இவள்
நல் எழில் இள நலம் தொலைய, ஒல்லென,
கழியே ஓதம் மல்கின்று; வழியே
வள் எயிற்று அரவொடு வய மீன் கொட்கும்;
சென்றோர் மன்ற; மான்றன்று பொழுது” என,
நின் திறத்து அவலம் வீட, இன்று இவண்
சேப்பின் எவனோ பூக் கேழ் புலம்ப!
பசு மீன் நொடுத்த வெண் நெல் மாஅத்
தயிர் மிதி மிதவை ஆர்த்துவம் நினக்கே;
வடவர் தந்த வான் கேழ் வட்டம்
குட புல உறுப்பின் கூட்டுபு நிகழ்த்திய
வண்டு இமிர் நறுஞ் சாந்து அணிகுவம் திண் திமில்
எல்லுத் தொழில் மடுத்த வல் வினைப் பரதவர்
கூர் வளிக் கடு விசை மாட்டலின், பாய்பு உடன்,
கோட் சுறாக் கிழித்த கொடு முடி நெடு வலை
தண் கடல் அசைவளி எறிதொறும், வினை விட்டு,
முன்றில் தாழைத் தூங்கும்
தெண் கடற் பரப்பின், எம் உறைவு இன் ஊர்க்கே?
In this long trip to the shore, we get to see plenty of sights, as we listen to the confidante say these words to the man, as he prepares to part from the lady, after his tryst by day with her:
“For that suffering of many days to cease, please end your manner of arriving by day, spending the hours in the sweet shade of the laurel wood trees in the grove, looking at the evening take on its shades of confusion, as the charioteer decorates and readies the sturdy chariot, wishing to leave away!
Listen! She has a fine beauty, akin to the town of Pavathiri, filled with many flowering groves, ruled by the gold-clad Thiraiyan, who has gained unending fame. Your beloved maiden says, ‘Causing my health and beauty to cease, as the flood of backwaters rises resoundingly, and even though his path is traversed by sharp-toothed snakes and sturdy fishes, he has left and the day has died’. To be rid of this sorrow that you leave in her heart, why don’t you stay here today, O lord of flower-filled shores?
If you do stay, mixing flour of white paddy, bought by bartering fish, along with curd, we shall render unto you as food; Upon the sky-white plate, rendered by the northerners, concocting a bee-buzzing, fragrant paste of sandalwood that comes from the west, we shall decorate you with it. As sturdy boats of those expert fisherman, who have finished their day’s work, were caught in the speedy gust of sharp winds, and with a pounce, killer sharks have torn apart the well-knotted, wide nets, which are then throw about everywhere by the swaying winds of the moist sea, away from their work, these torn nets rest on the pandanus trees in the front yard of our town. Indeed, it’s a place, so pleasant to stay, amidst the spread of the clear seas!”
Time to sail along in those speeding boats and the plumb the depths of those relationships! The confidante starts by describing the man’s usual way of arriving in the morning, spending the day with the lady in the shade of laurel wood trees and then, the moment the sky starts painting itself in the vivid hues of twilight, as his charioteer prepares his horses and the man taking off to his town. She asks him to give up this way of doing things, so as to end the lady’s pain. Then the confidante describes the lady as someone, who can be placed in parallel with the exquisite town of Pavathiri, ruled by the famous king Thiraiyan. Yet another celebration of a Sangam era town, for what greater glory can there be, other than being compared with that epitome of beauty, a Sangam era maiden!
Returning, the confidante talks about how the lady worries and laments about the man’s dangerous path to his home every night and languishes in much pain, as the day ends. The confidante puts forth a question to the man, asking him why he doesn’t stay over there! She talks about how if he stays with them, they would render delicious food made by fusing curd and rice flour. If you are wondering how there’s rice in this seaside town, she has an answer, for she mentions that has been obtained by bartering the fresh fish caught. The confidante also talks about rendering him sandalwood paste that has been brought from the western mountains, and that too handing it to him, on a plate brought from the north. These subtle points highlight how there was robust trade between the different regions of ancient India.
After those welcoming words, the confidante goes on to describe how the nets of fishermen that fight the gusty winds and face the attack of sharks are thrown about everywhere, and end up on the pandanus trees in their front yard, resting after their jobs, implying that the menfolk of the town are at home. A hidden warning! The good friend concludes by saying so pleasant is their town that the man should surely stay there!
In essence, it’s a ‘Come-home-but-you-can’t’ message in that invitation. The man would decode the same and know that it was time to give up his temporary trysting with the lady, and instead, make preparations to claim the lady’s hand. At the core of this ‘Marry her, Marry her’ message, we got to know of a beautiful ancient town, and learnt of the ways a guest was honoured in a seaside Sangam home!
