Sangam Lit

• Aganaanooru 146 – The buffalo returns

  In this episode, we perceive a pointed refusal to entertain a request, as depicted in Sangam Literary work, Aganaanooru 146, penned by Uvarkannoor Pullankeeranaar. The verse is situated amidst the ponds and fields of the ‘Marutham’ or ‘Farmlands landscape’ and paints a portrait of rivalry in a rich town. வலி மிகு முன்பின் அண்ணல் ஏஎறுபனி மலர்ப் பொய்கைப் பகல் செல மறுகி,மடக் கண் எருமை மாண் நாகு தழீஇ,படப்பை நண்ணி பழனத்து அல்கும்கலி மகிழ் ஊரன் ஒலி மணி நெடுந் தேர்,ஒள் இழை மகளிர் சேரி, பல் நாள்இயங்கல் ஆனாதுஆயின்; வயங்கிழையார்கொல் அளியள்தானே எம் போல்மாயப் பரத்தன் வாய்மொழி நம்பி,வளி பொரத் துயல்வரும் தளி பொழி மலரின்கண்பனி ஆகத்து உறைப்ப, கண் பசந்து,ஆயமும் அயலும் மருள,தாய் ஓம்பு ஆய்நலம் வேண்டாதோளே? In this quick little trip to this lush landscape, we get to hear these words said by the lady to the bard, who has come as a messenger from the man, to resolve the lady’s ire over the man’s relationship with courtesans and help him re-enter his home: “The esteemed male buffalo, brimming with strength and sturdiness, wallows all day in the pond with dew-covered flowers, embraces a beautiful young female buffalo with naive eyes, and then approaches the village to stay in a field within the ecstatic town of the lord. As the sound of his tall chariot bells wasn’t heard for many days in the neighbourhood of women wearing radiant jewels, like me, believing that the words of that false philanderer was the truth, akin to a rain-soaked flower, swaying in the breeze, with tears moistening her chest, having eyes filled with pallor, worrying her friends and neighbours, she loses that fine beauty, nurtured by her mother. Whoever that maiden, wearing shining ornaments, may be, isn’t she to be pitied?” Let’s track that prosperous buffalo and learn more! The lady starts by describing the man’s town and do that, the familiar face of a male buffalo is etched by her. This buffalo, honoured with epithets, such as strong, sturdy and esteemed, is first seen playing about in the pond of flowers, then embracing a young female buffalo, and after all its exertions, heading to the village fields. Such a loaded description must have other meanings, for sure! Before we get to that, let’s turn back to the lady, who continues by saying the man’s chariot had not visited the community of courtesans for quite some time, and because of this, there was a young maiden, shedding tears like a rain-coated flower in a breeze, and then to the worry of all, who were near and dear to her, she seemed to be losing that fine beauty of hers. The lady concludes by saying that the poor girl deserves all their pity! In a nutshell, the answer to the bard’s question as to whether the man can come back to the house is a strict ‘no’. The lady seems to be telling the bard, ‘Go take the man to those courtesans, who are pining for him, thinking his words are so true, like I once did’. In that scene of the buffalo, the lady places an obvious metaphor for how her man seemed to be enjoying his days in the company of courtesans, seeking pleasures, and finally at night, he wants so dutifully return to his post at his home. The lady seems to put her foot down and say, ‘I’m not letting this happen. Let him go fool someone else’. Apart from these regular tussles in this land of plenty, the thing that always amuses me is how these Sangam folks had no qualms seeing their lord and leader as a buffalo!

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• Aganaanooru 145 – Regret from the heart

  In this episode, we perceive the remorse of a mother, as depicted in Sangam Literary work, Aganaanooru 145, penned by Kayamanaar. Set in the ‘Paalai’ or ‘Drylands landscape’, the verse presents a contrast of the dreariness of this domain and the prosperity of the lady’s home. வேர் முழுது உலறி நின்ற புழற்கால்,தேர் மணி இசையின் சிள்வீடு ஆர்க்கும்,வற்றல் மரத்த பொற் தலை ஓதிவெயிற் கவின் இழந்த வைப்பின் பையுள் கொள,நுண்ணிதின் நிவக்கும் வெண் ஞெமை வியன் காட்டுஆள் இல் அத்தத்து, அளியள் அவனொடுவாள்வரி பொருத புண் கூர் யானைபுகர் சிதை முகத்த குருதி வார,உயர் சிமை நெடுங் கோட்டு உரும் என முழங்கும்”அருஞ் சுரம் இறந்தனள்” என்ப பெருஞ் சீர்அன்னி குறுக்கைப் பறந்தலை, திதியன்தொல் நிலை முழு முதல் துமியப் பண்ணியநன்னர் மெல் இணர்ப் புன்னை போல,கடு நவைப் படீஇயர்மாதோ களி மயில்குஞ்சரக் குரல குருகோடு ஆலும்,துஞ்சா முழவின், துய்த்து இயல் வாழ்க்கை,கூழுடைத் தந்தை இடனுடை வரைப்பின்,ஊழ் அடி ஒதுங்கினும் உயங்கும் ஐம் பாற்சிறு பல் கூந்தற் போது பிடித்து அருளாது,எறி கோல் சிதைய நூறவும் சிறுபுறம்,”எனக்கு உரித்து” என்னாள், நின்ற என்அமர்க் கண் அஞ்ஞையை அலைத்த கையே! A deep dive into this domain, as we listen to the lady’s mother say these words, at the juncture she learns of her daughter’s elopement with her man: “In the hollow trunk of a tree that has dried up from root to tip, crickets resound with the sound of chariot bells. Upon this parched tree, standing amidst a place that has lost its beauty owing to the scorching heat, a golden-headed lizard, crawls up with much suffering, in those wide spaces of the uninhabited drylands, filled with axle-wood trees. After fighting with the tiger, having sword-like stripes, the wounded elephant, with blood dripping from its crushed, spotted face, trumpets akin to thunder that resounds in the soaring peaks of tall hills. To such a formidable drylands, my poor girl has left with him, they say! In the spacious mansion of her prosperous father, where ecstatic peacocks and birds with elephantine voices, call aloud, and drums roar ceaselessly, living a life of plenty and comfort, she would feel sorrowful even if she were to miss a step and stumble. Catching hold of the garland tied tightly to her thick tresses with five-part braids, without any grace, shattering the stick, when I struck again and again, acting as if her little back was not even hers, she stood still, that daughter of mine with exquisite eyes. May these hands that made her suffer so, become utterly ruined like the ‘Laurelwood tree’ with fine and soft flower clusters, belonging to Thithiyan, when it was chopped at its trunk of many years, by the famous ‘Anni’ at the ‘Kurukkai’ battlefield!” Let’s brave the parched air of the drylands and walk on! Mother starts by describing this domain, and to do that, she brings before us, a seared tree, which seems not to have a drop of water right from its root to the tip of its topmost branch. From inside the hollows of this tree, crickets resound and a reptile, possibly the Indian golden gecko, treads upon it, with much languish. There’s sweltering heat everywhere, and not a sign of any human around. Here, after a clash with a tiger, a bleeding elephant walks about, roaring like the thunder in the mountains, mother continues. She then connects this place to her situation saying this is where her daughter had left to, with her beloved.  Then, from these impossible places, she turns to describe the lady’s home, talking about her rich father, the wide mansion, where peacocks and birds, which trumpet like elephants, are to be found. A moment to ponder on what bird this might be! On searching, I learnt that it could be the Great Hornbill that has a unique, loud voice, somewhat close to an elephant’s trumpet. Possibly, the mansion had hornbills and peacocks brought in from the mountains to adorn it! Returning, mother continues by talking about how drums resound ceaselessly, possibly indicating this was the house of some lord or king, always winning at battles. Mother says that the lady lived such a comfortable life that her only pain or suffering would come, when she happened to stumble a little when walking about. What a blessed teenager to have nothing to worry about, but a misplaced foot!  Getting back on track, after these rendition of the pleasant past of the lady, mother turns her focus to something she did recently. She seems to have struck the lady so fiercely that the stick broke, but still her girl stood there as if her back did not even belong to her, unflinching, not displaying any emotion. Now, mother realises that the lady had made up her mind to leave her home with her man and that’s why she could face that, with such calm. Mother is overcome with guilt at what she has done and wishes that her hands fall to ruin, just like Thithiyan’s ‘Punnai’ tree, felled by his enemy Anni, in the ‘Kurukkai’ battlefield! Seeing with our modern eyes, it is indeed truly shocking to read that a mother would cane her daughter so, but possibly those times were such that something like this wasn’t given much thought! What’s relatable though is how we are overcome with guilt about an incident, where we have been harsh to another, when we later realise what the other had been going through. That’s the moment we need to make amends and hope for their forgiveness. Reversing to the past, let’s part by wishing this ancient mother’s cry of repentance reaches the ears of her daughter and reminds her of a mother’s undying love in the faraway drylands! 

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• Aganaanooru 144 – Delight despite Distress

  In this episode, we perceive the hope in a man’s heart, as depicted in Sangam Literary work, Aganaanooru 144, penned by Madurai Alakkar Gnaazhalaar Makanaar Mallanaar. The verse is situated amidst the blooming wild jasmines of the ‘Mullai’ or ‘Forest Landscape’ and presents dual perspectives from the home front and the battlefront. ‘’’வருதும்’ என்ற நாளும் பொய்த்தன;அரி ஏர் உண்கண் நீரும் நில்லா;தண் கார்க்கு ஈன்ற பைங் கொடி முல்லைவை வாய் வால் முகை அவிழ்ந்த கோதைபெய் வனப்பு இழந்த கதுப்பும் உள்ளார்,அருள் கண்மாறலோ மாறுக அந்தில்அறன் அஞ்சலரே! ஆயிழை! நமர்” எனச்சிறிய சொல்லிப் பெரிய புலப்பினும்,பனி படு நறுந் தார் குழைய, நம்மொடு,துனி தீர் முயக்கம் பெற்றோள் போலஉவக்குநள் வாழிய, நெஞ்சே! விசும்பின்ஏறு எழுந்து முழங்கினும் மாறு எழுந்து சிலைக்கும்கடாஅ யானை கொட்கும் பாசறை,போர் வேட்டு எழுந்த மள்ளர் கையதைகூர் வாட் குவிமுகம் சிதைய நூறி,மான் அடி மருங்கில் பெயர்த்த குருதிவான மீனின் வயின் வயின் இமைப்ப,அமர் ஓர்த்து, அட்ட செல்வம்தமர் விரைந்து உரைப்பக் கேட்கும் ஞான்றே. A little of the forest and more of the fierce battlefield in this trip, as we listen to the man say these words to his heart, as his charioteer listens, at the moment the man’s returning home after his mission: “Saying, ‘The day he had marked for his return has turned out false; Tears stop not from these beautiful, kohl-streaked eyes with red lines; The pointed, white buds of green-vined wild jasmines have burst into bloom because of the cool rains; He thinks not of how my tresses that used to be clad in garlands, have lost their lustre; If he, who does not fear righteousness, no longer wants to render his grace to me, so be it, O maiden clad in well-etched ornaments!’, she would be expressing a little and lamenting a lot. As thunder soars in the skies and resounds aloud, standing opposite, wild battle elephants reflect that sound in equal measure in the battlefield. Here, desiring war, soldiers rise with sharp swords in hand. Blunting these sharp edges, they have scattered much blood, which gather in the pits made by hooves of horses, and twinkle hither and thither, akin to stars in the sky. O heart, may you live long! When our kin rush to her and tell her about how I quelled enemies in this battlefield and heaped wealth, she shall delight, as if crushing her dew-covered, fragrant garland, she has attained a flawless union with me!” Let’s trot along with the man on his way home through the jasmine-clad forest and listen in! The man starts by expressing the thoughts that would be passing through the head of his lady just then, about how the man was not back when he promised he would be, about the way her eyes were overflowing with tears, and how the wild jasmines have bloomed in the rains and yet her tresses cannot be adorned with garlands, owing to his absence. She may even wonder if the man’s love for her has changed and call him an unjust person, the man says aloud. He tells his heart that for sure the lady would be worrying a lot in this manner. While that may be so, the minute she hears their relatives talk about how the man vanquished enemies in that fierce battlefield, and brought back great wealth, the lady would forget all her laments and would feel the same delight she does when she attains a sweet sleep in his embrace, the man concludes.  The man’s subtle way of pressing his charioteer to speed the horses and hasten home! In the thought that his actions would bring happiness to the lady in spite of the pain he has inflicted by his parting, the man echoes the same hope each of us carry, when we give up pleasures in the short run and yearn for greater things. Just like this ancient ancestor of ours, all we can do is hope, wishing that no matter how they seem now, things will turn out well in the end!

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• Aganaanooru 143 – The very thought of parting

  In this episode, we observe an attempt to change a person’s course of action, as depicted in Sangam Literary work, Aganaanooru 143, penned by Alamperi Saathanaar. Set in the ‘Paalai’ or ‘Drylands landscape’, the verse transports us to the domain of a king’s commander. செய்வினைப் பிரிதல் எண்ணி, கைம்மிகக்காடு கவின் ஒழியக் கடுங் கதிர் தெறுதலின்,நீடு சினை வறிய ஆக, ஒல்லெனவாடு பல் அகல்இலை கோடைக்கு ஒய்யும்தேக்கு அமல் அடுக்கத்து ஆங்கண் மேக்கு எழுபு,முளி அரிற் பிறந்த வளி வளர் கூர் எரிச்சுடர் நிமிர் நெடுங் கொடி விடர் முகை முழங்கும்வெம் மலை அருஞ் சுரம் நீந்தி ஐயசேறும் என்ற சிறு சொற்கு இவட்கே,வசை இல் வெம் போர் வானவன் மறவன்நசையின் வாழ்நர்க்கு நன் கலம் சுரக்கும்,பொய்யா வாய்வாள், புனைகழல் பிட்டன்மை தவழ் உயர் சிமைக் குதிரைக் கவாஅன்அகல் அறை நெடுஞ் சுனை துவலையின் மலர்ந்ததண் கமழ் நீலம் போல,கண் பனி கலுழ்ந்தன; நோகோ யானே. This trip offers a study in contrast when it comes to the features of the domain, as we listen to these words the confidante says to the man, at a time when he’s planning to part away from the lady, to gather wealth: “When I said to her, ‘Intending to part away on a mission to gather wealth, the lord plans to go to those formidable drylands near the sweltering mountains, where immensely ruining the beauty of the forests, the harsh sun scorches, and dries up long branches, and the hot summer winds wither many leaves and take them away, with a rustling sound, in those ranges, filled with teak trees, and here, soaring above, a fierce flame, birthed in the dried-up bushes and reared by the wind, rises tall and resounds aloud in the clefts and caves’, just hearing these few words, akin to the cool and fragrant blue lotus, which has bloomed in the spray of the wide and deep spring in the tall peak of the ‘Kuthirai’ mountains, enveloped by clouds, ruled by the army commander of the impeccable, battle-worthy King Vanavan, Pittan, who wears well-etched anklets, wields a victorious sword, and one, who renders fine vessels to those who come seeking with desire to him, her eyes filled with tears! I suffer so!” Let’s take a walk through those searing spaces and learn more! The confidante tells the man that she happened to go to the lady and tell her that he was planning to leave to the drylands. In her usual style, she presents a vivid view of the drylands, painting the drying branches, withering leaves and soaring wildfire. It was interesting to note the words used to describe this wildfire, by mentioning how it was born in the dried-up bushes but fostered and reared into a force of nature by the winds. The hidden metaphor of a child, born in a family, and raised by the world entire, to become who they become, was intriguing to note. Returning, we find the confidante continuing her narrative, telling the man that the moment she said these words, the lady’s eyes started shedding tears. To etch this image, she summons blue-lotuses, which have apparently bloomed because of the spraying water droplets from a spring nearby, and she locates this place as the domain called ‘Kuthirai mountains’, belonging to a brave commander of King Vannan, a a person named Pittan, renowned for his generosity. The confidante concludes by saying seeing those tear-filled eyes of the lady made her suffer much agony.  In essence, the confidante means to tell the man that the mere thought of him leaving had reduced the lady to such a state, projecting the implied question, ‘What would befall her, if the man were to actually leave?’. The confidante has intervened on behalf of the lady and hopes to prevent the man from proceeding with his plan of parting with the lady. The lady encapsulates a deeply human sentiment of worrying about something, even before it happens – the downside of our unique powers of imagination. Curious isn’t it that it’s this same human imagination, which has made these poets perceive a child in a wildfire and connect a water-soaked flower to a tear-filled eye! 

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• Aganaanooru 142 – Brimming with joy

  In this episode, we listen to words of delight after an awaited event, as depicted in Sangam Literary work, Aganaanooru 142, penned by Paranar. Set amidst the golden flowers of the ‘Kurinji’ or ‘Mountain Landscape’, the verse depicts the generosity of a king and the courage of a commander in the battlefield. இலமலர் அன்ன அம் செந் நாவின்புலம் மீக்கூறும் புரையோர் ஏத்த,பலர் மேந் தோன்றிய கவி கை வள்ளல்நிறைஅருந் தானை வெல்போர் மாந்தரம்பொறையன் கடுங்கோப் பாடிச் சென்றகுறையோர் கொள்கலம் போல, நன்றும்உவ இனி வாழிய, நெஞ்சே! காதலிமுறையின் வழாஅது ஆற்றிப் பெற்றகறை அடி யானை நன்னன் பாழி,ஊட்டு அரு மரபின் அஞ்சு வரு பேஎய்க்கூட்டு எதிர்கொண்ட வாய் மொழி மிஞிலிபுள்ளிற்கு ஏமம் ஆகிய பெரும் பெயர்வெள்ளத் தானை அதிகற் கொன்று, உவந்துஒள் வாள் அமலை ஆடிய ஞாட்பின்,பலர் அறிவுறுதல் அஞ்சி, பைப்பய,நீர்த் திரள் கடுக்கும் மாசு இல் வெள்ளிச்சூர்ப்புறு கோல் வளை செறித்த முன்கைகுறை அறல் அன்ன இரும் பல் கூந்தல்,இடன் இல் சிறு புறத்து இழையொடு துயல்வர,கடல் மீன் துஞ்சும் நள்ளென் யாமத்து,உருவு கிளர் ஓவினைப் பொலிந்த பாவைஇயல் கற்றன்ன ஒதுக்கினள் வந்து,பெயல் அலைக் கலங்கிய மலைப் பூங் கோதைஇயல் எறி பொன்னின் கொங்கு சோர்பு உறைப்ப,தொடிக்கண் வடுக்கொள முயங்கினள்;வடிப்பு உறு நரம்பின் தீவிய மொழிந்தே. There’s only a dash of this domain in this instance, as we listen to the man say these words to his heart, at a moment when he has trysted with his lady, after a long separation: “Celebrated by wise bards, who have skilled red tongues, akin to silk-cotton flowers, is the one with generous hands, exalted above all others, that conquering king with an unstoppable army, known as ‘Mantharam Poraiyan Kadunko’. Akin to the vessels of those impoverished, who return after singing about him, you shall brim over now, my heart! May you live long! Without swerving from his just path, with his talents, the great Nannan won over elephants with huge feet. In his town of ‘Paazhi’, his commander Minili, renowned for his honesty, undertook the task of feeding the insatiable and terrifying spirits of death, and routed the famous Athikan, with a flood-like army, renowned for being a protector of birds. After this, Minili, performed the ecstatic ‘Amalai’ dance, with his shining sword. Akin to the uproar that arose in the battlefield just then, slander would spread in town if they knew of our relationship. Fearing that, walking gently, wearing many neat rows of flawless silver, curving bangles on her forearms, having thick, dark tresses, akin to silt-laden sand, caressed by the river, extending and swaying beyond her slender waist, my lady love came at the dark hour of midnight, when even fish in the seas sleep, moving with a delicate gait, akin to a radiantly painted doll, which was just learning to walk, and making my honey-soaked garland of mountain flowers, tousled by the rains, shed flowers, akin to golden sparks that scatter in a smithy, she embraced me, leaving impressions of her bangles, and uttering sweet words, resounding like the well-played strings of a lute!” Let’s hear the heartbeat of this mountain man! He starts by talking about a great king, Mantharam Poraiyan Kadunko, one who was celebrated by silver-tongued bards, only here, their truthful tongues are placed in parallel to the red flowers of a silk-cotton tree. The man goes on to say how generous this king was known to be, and just like how the bowls of those who had come seeking to him would overflow, the man’s heart too was in the same state of brimming over with joy!  Before telling us why, the man talks about the nature of slander that would spread in the lady’s town if her relationship with him were to be found out. To do that, he makes the verse echo with the uproar in the battlefield at the moment a commander of King Nannan, a lord named ‘Minili’ defeated the powerful Athikan and did the victory dance. Connecting this uproar to the rumours in town, the man says the lady feared that very much. This nugget tells us that the man had not been meeting the lady as much as he would like, for she had been avoiding seeing him owing to her fear. But just a while ago, she had come walking like a doll, and making the golden flowers of his rain-soaked garland scatter, she had embraced him tightly, leaving imprints of her bangles on him. Not only that, she had ended by speaking words as sweet as the music of lutes, the man concludes. Since this event occurred, that’s the reason his heart is brimming over, we understand. A record of a relatable feeling that many of us would have felt when a much awaited meeting goes on better than our expectations! Situations may change, reasons may differ, but emotions remain the same!

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