Kalithogai 77 – Enemy called the heart

Sangam Lit

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In this episode, we perceive the lady's loss owing to the man's actions, as portrayed in Sangam Literary work, Kalithogai 77, penned by Maruthan Ilanaakanaar. The verse is situated in the ‘Marutham’ or ‘Farmlands landscape’ and sketches the lady's state of despair.

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Kalithogai 77 – Enemy called the heart

Sangam Lit

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published för ungefär ett år sedan

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MP3•Episod hem

301 episoder

#Society #Books #Arts #History #Philosophy #Nandini Karky

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1
Kalithogai 150 – A promise to return 9:29

för 6 weeks sedan9:29

9:29

In this episode, we listen to the consoling words of the confidante, as depicted in Sangam Literary work, Kalithogai 150, penned by Nallanthuvanaar. The verse is situated in the ‘Neythal’ or ‘Coastal Landscape’ and portrays trust in the goodness and compassion of a person. அயம் திகழ் நறுங் கொன்றை அலங்கல் அம் தெரியலான் இயங்கு எயில் எயப் பிறந்த எரி போல, எவ்வாயும், கனை கதிர் தெறுதலின், கடுத்து எழுந்த காம்புத் தீ மலை பரந்து தலைக் கொண்டு முழங்கிய முழங்கு அழல் மயங்கு அதர் மறுகலின், மலை தலைக் கொண்டென, விசும்பு உற நிவந்து அழலும், விலங்கு அரு, வெஞ் சுரம் இறந்து தாம் எண்ணிய எய்துதல் வேட்கையால், அறம் துறந்து ஆயிழாய்! ஆக்கத்தில் பிரிந்தவர் பிறங்கு நீர் சடைக் கரந்தான் அணி அன்ன நின் நிறம் பசந்து, நீ இனையையாய், நீத்தலும் நீப்பவோ? கரி காய்ந்த கவலைத்தாய், கல் காய்ந்த காட்டகம், ‘வெரு வந்த ஆறு’ என்னார், விழுப் பொருட்கு அகன்றவர், உருவ ஏற்று ஊர்தியான் ஒள் அணி நக்கன்ன, நின் உரு இழந்து இனையையாய், உள்ளலும் உள்ளுபவோ? கொதித்து உராய்க் குன்று இவர்ந்து, கொடிக் கொண்ட கோடையால், ‘ஒதுக்கு அரிய நெறி’ என்னார், ஒண் பொருட்கு அகன்றவர், புதுத் திங்கட் கண்ணியான் பொன் பூண் ஞான்று அன்ன, நின் கதுப்பு உலறும் கவினையாய், காண்டலும் காண்பவோ? ஆங்கு அரும் பெறல் ஆதிரையான் அணி பெற மலர்ந்த பெருந் தண் சண்பகம் போல, ஒருங்கு அவர் பொய்யார் ஆகுதல் தெளிந்தனம் மை ஈர் ஓதி மட மொழியோயே! It’s the confidante’s voice we hear again, but this time, she works her charm on the lady. The words can be translated as follows: “Akin to the flame that was shot to burn the hanging forts by the One, wearing a beautiful garland, woven with the flowers of the golden shower, blooming near the waters, as the thick rays of the sun tormented all the time, a wild fire shot up with fury in the bamboos, and spread across the mountains. The roaring heat in the bewildering jungle paths, rose from the mountains and soared till the skies, scattering the animals in that harsh and scorching drylands! Leaving thither with the desire of attaining what he wanted, he seems to have let go of righteousness, O maiden wearing well-etched jewels, so as to go in search of wealth. But would he want to forsake you utterly, making you suffer and causing pallor to spread on your radiant hue, akin to the One, who holds the abundant river in the locks of his hair? In those burnt and scorched forking paths amidst the dry jungles in the mountain, without considering ‘This is a fearsome path’, he parted away to gain wealth. But would he want to think that you would suffer so much, losing your form, in the glowing complexion of the One, who rides a handsome bull? To those peaks, where the scorching summer sun has planted its flag, without considering, ‘This is a path to be avoided’, he parted away to earn wealth. But would he want to see the withering of your lush, dark tresses, hanging low, akin to the golden ornaments worn by the One, who wears a head garland of the crescent moon? And so, akin to how the huge and cool golden champak flowers, which adorn the First One, who rules over the precious Aathirai star, blooms without fail in the right time, he too would never fail in his words. Know this and be at peace, O maiden with thick, moist tresses and naive, sweet words!” Time to delve into the details. The verse is situated in the context of a man’s parting from his lady, after marriage, to seek wealth. Here, the confidante comforts her friend, as the lady wallows because of the separation. Curiously, the confidante begins her words not by describing the man’s domain by the sea or even the time of the day, as has been the custom in these past songs, but instead focuses on the place, to which the man has left, which is the drylands. She sketches the scorching heat of this region, where bamboos burst aflame and wild fires spread throughout, dispersing animals and confusing the wayfarers. To etch the heat of this land, the confidante presents the mythological reference of a God, who aims a flaming arrow at the hanging forts of the demons. Looking back to the very first Kalithogai verse, after the God’s praise, Kalithogai 2, we would find the same reference to God Siva, burning the three forts of the demons. Returning back to the reality of the drylands, the confidante connects how the man had left to such a place, seemingly without a sense of justice, just following his own ambition, without thinking how fearsome those scorched paths would be, without deciding to avoid those paths where the burning summer sun reigned with terror, all because the man wanted to earn wealth. At the same time, the confidante asks her friend whether the lady thought the man would utterly abandon her, making pallor spread on her form, lose her health and glow and wither her thick tresses. In each of these sentences, the confidante elevates the beauty of the lady by comparing it with references to God Siva, placing in parallel with the lady’s qualities, his radiant hue, his glowing complexion and the golden ornaments that hang low on his chest. Although the God is not named as such, interpreters have identified this God, owing to the references of holding a river in the locks of his hair, riding a bull and wearing a crescent moon on his head. After that divine tribute to the beauty of the lady, the confidante now points to the golden champak flowers, referring to how these flowers always bloom without fail. The flowers are once again connected to God Siva, said to bloom, so as to adorn this god, who is also described as On,e ruling over the Orion star. The unfailing flowering of those champak flowers, the confidante connects back to the man’s nature of upholding his promises, and concludes asking her friend, the maiden with beautiful tresses and soft words, to see this truth about her beloved and find peace. Although most of the elements of this verse point in the direction of the drylands or ‘Paalai’ region, perhaps because it has the quality of a lady’s lament, this verse has been added to the ‘Neythal’ or ‘Coastal landscape’. With this verse, we come to the end of this domain, which seemed to predominantly focus on the pain of a lady separated from her beloved and a few instances of the ‘Madal eruthal’ or ‘Riding a palm horse’ strategy employed by a man to win over his maiden. This is not only the last verse of the ‘Neythal ‘domain but also the last verse of this Kalithogai anthology of poems. Interesting how the stanzas of this verse make a reference to god to talk about the beauty of a woman or the promise of a man. This to me, echoes the profound truth that if we want to see god, we can see it in the best of what makes us, and to do that, all we need are the eyes of love!…

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Kalithogai 149 – Past promises and present duties 5:34

för 6 weeks sedan5:34

5:34

In this episode, we perceive abstractions on ethics in human behaviour, as portrayed in Sangam Literary work, Kalithogai 149, penned by Nallanthuvanaar. The verse is situated in the ‘Neythal’ or ‘Coastal Landscape’ and puts forth a well-thought-out plea! நிரை திமில் களிறாக, திரை ஒலி பறையாக, கரை சேர் புள்ளினத்து அம் சிறை படையாக, அரைசு கால் கிளர்ந்தன்ன உரவு நீர்ச் சேர்ப்ப! கேள்: கற்பித்தான் நெஞ்சு அழுங்கப் பகர்ந்து உண்ணான் விச்சைக்கண் தப்பித்தான் பொருளேபோல், தமியவே தேயுமால், ஒற்கத்துள் உதவியார்க்கு உதவாதான்; மற்று அவன் எச்சத்துள் ஆயினும், அஃது எறியாது விடாதே காண் கேளிர்கள் நெஞ்சு அழுங்கக் கெழுவுற்ற செல்வங்கள் தாள் இலான் குடியே போல், தமியவே தேயுமால், சூள் வாய்த்த மனத்தவன் வினை பொய்ப்பின்; மற்று அவன் வாள் வாய் நன்று ஆயினும், அஃது எறியாது விடாதே காண் ஆங்கு அனைத்து, இனி பெரும! அதன் நிலை நினைத்துக் காண்: சினைஇய வேந்தன் எயிற்புறத்து இறுத்த வினை வரு பருவரல் போல, துனை வரு நெஞ்சமொடு வருந்தினள் பெரிதே. After a long time, we get to hear the wise voice of the lady’s confidante in this one! The words can be translated as follows: “With rows of ships as elephants, roar of waves as drums, rout of birds with exquisite wings, gathering on the shore, as soldiers, akin to a king readying for a battle, appears the sea in your domain, O lord! Listen: Akin to the wealth of one, who has missed learning in life, the one who leaves the heart of his teacher to suffer, by not sharing his food with him, will be ruined inevitably; When a man does not help the one, who helped him when in suffering, that act will not spare him, even after his death! Akin to the livelihood of one, who does not make any effort, even prosperous wealth gathered by making the heart of kin suffer, will be ruined inevitably; When a man who swore an oath from his heart fails in his action, that act will not spare him, even if he wields a formidable sword! Such is the truth now, O lord! Consider the consequences! Akin to the suffering that soars by the act of a furious king, who has laid siege to their fort, with an angst-filled heart, she languishes greatly!” Let’s explore the nuances. The verse is situated in the context of a man’s love relationship with a lady, prior to marriage, and here the confidante speaks to the man on behalf of the lady. Returning to the old custom of describing the man’s land, the confidante sketches the ships there as elephants, the birds adorning the shores with their bright wings as soldiers and the thundering roar of the waves as the sound of drums and connects how the seas around the man’s domain appear like a king preparing for war. Then, she talks about certain elements that are doomed to be ruined and these are the wealth of a person, who is uneducated, and the livelihood of a person, who takes no effort, and these are placed in parallel to the inevitable ruin of the man, who does not share his food with his teacher, and the one, who has gathered wealth by making the heart of his relatives suffer. Then, the confidante connects these abstractions to the situation wherein a man does not return the help rendered to him and when a man fails to fulfil his oath, and describes how even if this man bears a fierce sword, and even after his death, that act will not spare him ever. With those words, the confidante reminds the man of how the lady had saved him from suffering in the early days of their courtship and how the man had sworn oaths many to win the lady over. Through this, the confidante subtly warns that the same fate awaits the man, if he forgets the help rendered and the oaths sworn. Changing tracks, the confidante concludes by talking about how the lady suffers greatly, like the people in a fort, which has been laid siege to, by a furious enemy king. Intriguing to observe the flow of thought in this verse, which starts with praise for the man’s land, and then enters the domain of explaining what’s right and wrong, appealing to the man’s sense of justice, and finally, ends knocking on the door of the man’s compassion, by painting a portrait of that pining lady. Such situations may not be relevant in our lives, but the art of negotiation in these ancient words sure glows with a timeless truth!…

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Kalithogai 148 – Dusk and Dawn 5:46

för 7 weeks sedan5:46

5:46

In this episode, we listen to a lady’s conversation with an evening, as depicted in Sangam Literary work, Kalithogai 148, penned by Nallanthuvanaar. The verse is situated in the ‘Neythal’ or ‘Coastal Landscape’ and echoes the emotions of a parted maiden. தொல் இயல் ஞாலத்துத் தொழில் ஆற்றி, ஞாயிறு, வல்லவன் கூறிய வினை தலை வைத்தான்போல், கல் அடைபு, கதிர் ஊன்றி, கண் பயம் கெடப் பெயர; அல்லது கெடுப்பவன் அருள் கொண்ட முகம் போல, மல்லல் நீர்த் திரை ஊர்பு, மால் இருள் மதி சீப்ப; இல்லவர் ஒழுக்கம் போல், இருங் கழி மலர் கூம்ப; செல்லும் என் உயிர்ப் புறத்து இறுத்தந்த மருள் மாலை! மாலை நீ இன்புற்றார்க்கு இறைச்சியாய் இயைவதோ செய்தாய்மன்; அன்புற்றார் அழ, நீத்த அல்லலுள், கலங்கிய துன்புற்றார்த் துயர் செய்தல் தக்கதோ, நினக்கு? மாலை நீ கலந்தவர் காமத்தைக் கனற்றலோ செய்தாய்மன்; நலம் கொண்டு நல்காதார் நனி நீத்த புலம்பின்கண் அலந்தவர்க்கு அணங்கு ஆதல் தக்கதோ, நினக்கு? மாலை நீ எம் கேள்வற் தருதலும் தருகல்லாய்; துணை அல்லை; பிரிந்தவர்க்கு நோய் ஆகி, புணர்ந்தவர்க்குப் புணை ஆகி, திருந்தாத செயின் அல்லால் இல்லையோ, நினக்கு? என ஆங்கு ஆய் இழை மடவரல் அவலம் அகல, பாய் இருட் பரப்பினைப் பகல் களைந்தது போல, போய் அவர் மண் வௌவி வந்தனர் சேய் உறை காதலர் செய் வினை முடித்தே. Those long songs of lament have ended finally and here’s a crisp comment to the time of the day. The words can be translated as follows: “After performing its ancient mission for the land, the sun, as if getting ready for the task assigned by the Skilled One, retreats to the mountains, folding its rays and making the eyes lose the boon of sight. Akin to the gracious face of one, who ends evil, traversing the brimming waves of the ocean, arrived the moon, dispelling darkness. Akin to the attitude of those, who do not have wealth to give, the flowers in the dark backwaters closed their buds; Thus, the bewildering evening too has come to assail my life that’s fading away! O evening! You do all the right things to those, who are happily united; Is it right on your part to shower sorrow on those who are in distress, when their beloved has parted away and left them in tears? O evening! You add to the heat of passion in those, who are together; Is it right on your part to shower terror on those who are in angst, when the one who savoured their beauty, has parted away and left them with loneliness? O evening! You don’t fulfil the task of bringing back my beloved; You are no companion to me; You become the affliction in those, who are parted, but the raft for those sailing together in love. Is it right on your part to act so unfairly? And so, to end the suffering of the naive maiden, wearing beautiful jewels, akin to how the day arrives to scatter the spreading darkness, the one who had gone to capture the land of his enemies, her beloved, who had been far away, after completing his mission, returned to her!” Let’s explore the nuances. The verse is situated in the context of the man’s parting from the lady, prior to marriage, and here, the lady and the onlookers express the emotions herein. The lady starts by commenting on the sun’s forever task of creating the day. Then, she talks about how as if the god of love asked the sun to get going, the orb was parting away to the mountains. Just then, with the face of a person, who wants to right a wrong thing, the moon arrived there, she says. Adding another simile, the lady points to how the flowers are closing their buds, like the behaviour of those, who have no wealth to give unto those, who come seeking. Such is the nature of the evening, which has come there to take her life, says the lady. Then, in the old three-step Kalithogai format, the lady remarks on the nature of the evening to add joy, to raise the passion and become a raft to those who are in the state of being united with their beloved but at the same time, it torments, tortures and terrifies those, who are away from their beloved, and she ends by questioning why the evening was so unfair in this manner. Summarising these laments of the lady, the onlookers conclude talking about how the man who had gone away on a mission of war, succeeded in it, and came back to the lady, like the day and dispelled the darkness of sorrow in the lady. Interesting how the verse starts with the day ending and the sun parting away, and ends with the day beginning and the sun of the lady’s life, shining bright on her face!…

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Kalithogai 147 – Raving and Recovering 13:05

för 7 weeks sedan13:05

13:05

In this episode, we listen to a lady’s pleas to the world around, as portrayed in Sangam Literary work, Kalithogai 147, penned by Nallanthuvanaar. The verse is situated in the ‘Neythal’ or ‘Coastal Landscape’ and narrates the torment of a lady and the resolution of her travails. கண்டோர்: ஆறு அல்ல மொழி தோற்றி, அற வினை கலக்கிய, தேறு கள் நறவு உண்டார் மயக்கம்போல், காமம் வேறு ஒரு பாற்று ஆனதுகொல்லோ? சீறடிச் சிலம்பு ஆர்ப்ப, இயலியாள் இவள் மன்னோ, இனி மன்னும் புலம்பு ஊரப் புல்லென்ற வனப்பினாள் விலங்கு ஆக, வேல் நுதி உற நோக்கி, வெயில் உற, உருகும் தன் தோள் நலம் உண்டானைக் கெடுத்தாள் போல், தெருவில் பட்டு, ஊண் யாதும் இலள் ஆகி, உயிரினும் சிறந்த தன் நாண் யாதும் இலள் ஆகி, நகுதலும் நகூஉம்; ஆங்கே பெண்மையும் இலள் ஆகி அழுதலும் அழூஉம்: தோழி! ஓர் ஒண்ணுதல் உற்றது உழைச் சென்று கேளாமோ? தலைவி: இவர் யாவர் ஏமுற்றார் கண்டீரோ? ஓஒ! அமையும் தவறிலீர் மற்கொலோ நகையின் மிக்கதன் காமமும் ஒன்று என்ப; அம் மா புது நலம் பூ வாடியற்று, தாம் வீழ்வார் மதி மருள நீத்தக்கடை என்னையே மூசி, கதுமென நோக்கன்மின் வந்து கலைஇய கண், புருவம், தோள், நுசுப்பு, ஏஎர் சில மழைபோல் தாழ்ந்து இருண்ட கூந்தல், அவற்றை விலை வளம் மாற அறியாது, ஒருவன் வலை அகப்பட்டது என் நெஞ்சு வாழிய, கேளிர்! பலவும் சூள் தேற்றித் தெளித்தவன் என்னை முலையிடை வாங்கி முயங்கினன், நீத்த கொலைவனைக் காணேன்கொல், யான்? காணினும், என்னை அறிதிர்; கதிர் பற்றி, ஆங்கு எதிர் நோக்குவன் ஞாயிறே! எம் கேள்வன் யாங்கு உளன் ஆயினும் காட்டீமோ? காட்டாயேல், வானத்து எவன் செய்தி, நீ? ஆர் இருள் நீக்கும் விசும்பின் மதி போல, நீருள்ளும் தோன்றுதி, ஞாயிறே! அவ் வழித் தேரை தினப்படல் ஓம்பு நல்கா ஒருவனை நாடி யான் கொள்வனை, பல் கதிர் சாம்பிப் பகல் ஒழிய, பட்டீமோ செல் கதிர் ஞாயிறே! நீ அறாஅல் இன்று அரி முன்கைக் கொட்கும் பறாஅப் பருந்தின்கண் பற்றிப் புணர்ந்தான் கறாஅ எருமைய காடு இறந்தான்கொல்லோ? உறாஅத் தகை செய்து, இவ் ஊர் உள்ளான்கொல்லோ? செறாஅது உளனாயின், கொள்வேன்; அவனைப் பெறாஅது யான் நோவேன்; அவனை எற் காட்டிச் சுறாஅக் கொடியான் கொடுமையை, நீயும், உறாஅ அரைச! நின் ஓலைக்கண் கொண்டீ, மறாஅ அரைச! நின் மாலையும் வந்தன்று; அறாஅ தணிக, இந் நோய் தன் நெஞ்சு ஒருவற்கு இனைவித்தல், யாவர்க்கும் அன்னவோ காம! நின் அம்பு? கையாறு செய்தானைக் காணின், கலுழ் கண்ணால் பையென நோக்குவேன்; தாழ் தானை பற்றுவேன்; ஐயம் கொண்டு, என்னை அறியான் விடுவானேல் ஒய்யெனப் பூசல் இடுவேன்மன், யான் அவனை மெய்யாகக் கள்வனோ என்று வினவன்மின் ஊரவிர்! என்னை, எஞ்ஞான்றும் மடாஅ நறவு உண்டார் போல, மருள விடாஅது உயிரொடு கூடிற்று என் உண்கண் படாஅமை செய்தான் தொடர்பு கனவினான் காணிய, கண் படாஆயின், நனவினான், ஞாயிறே! காட்டாய் நீஆயின், பனை ஈன்ற மா ஊர்ந்து, அவன் வர, காமன் கணை இரப்பேன், கால் புல்லிக்கொண்டு கண்டோர்: என ஆங்கு, கண் இனைபு, கலுழ்பு ஏங்கினள்; தோள் ஞெகிழ்பு, வளை நெகிழ்ந்தனள்; அன்னையோ! எல்லீரும் காண்மின்; மடவரல் மெல் நடைப் பேடை துனைதர, தற் சேர்ந்த அன்ன வான் சேவல் புணர்ச்சிபோல், ஒண்ணுதல் காதலன் மன்ற அவனை வரக் கண்டு, ஆங்கு ஆழ் துயரம் எல்லாம் மறந்தனள், பேதை நகை ஒழிந்து, நாணு மெய் நிற்ப, இறைஞ்சி, தகை ஆகத் தையலாள் சேர்ந்தாள் நகை ஆக, நல் எழில் மார்பனகத்து. Yet another long song of pining and pleading! The words can be translated as follows: “ Onlookers: Akin to the intoxication of those, who have savoured clear toddy that makes them speak unsuitable words and impedes them from doing righteous acts, has love taken on a different nature now? Wasn’t she one, who used to move about, making anklets on her small feet resound? But now, filled with loneliness, she has lost her beauty. She, who arrested her man with her eyes, akin to spear tips, now melts in the scorching sun. Looks like she has lost the one, who savoured the beauty of her arms, for she roves in the streets, forgoing food, forgoing the sense of modesty greater than her life, and laughs out aloud; Forgoing her femininity, she cries too! My friend, shall we go and listen to what has happened to the maiden with the shining forehead? Lady: Have you come here asking, ‘Who is this? Has she lost her senses?’ Don’t you know that there is nothing wrong in excessive laughter and that is also an expression of love? Akin to how bees seek a new flower and then part away, leaving the bloom to fade, when the beloved leaves, the one in love is left in bewilderment. Don’t swarm around and look piercingly at me! Without knowing how to seek something in return for my eyes that fused with his, my eyebrows, waist and tresses that descend, akin to rain clouds, my heart too got caught in his net! Long may my beloved live! Swearing oaths many, he rendered clarity and won me over; Will I get to see that murderer, who embraced my bosom close, and then vanished away? If I were to see him, then you will understand my state! Holding on to your rays, I will look, O sun! Won’t you show me where my lover is? If you can’t, what is the use of you being in the sky? Akin to the moon in the sky that dispels the deep darkness, you appear on the surface of water! Run away and protect yourself, for otherwise the toad in the water may feed on you! Before I can seek and capture the one, who has left me, without rendering his grace, do not fold your many rays and end the day, O moving sun! Unceasingly, holding on to my forearm covered in fine hair, akin to an eagle that flies away not, he stayed and united with me. Has he now left to the drylands’ jungle, where buffaloes that have never been milked rove? Or is he doing the wrong thing and still remains in this town? Even if he is there, I will accept him without anger; Without him by my side, I wallow in sorrow! O unfaltering king, won’t you write in that palm script of yours, the cruelty of the One with a shark flag, who showed my man to me, and punish him? O unfailing king! The evening has come in your very image! Won’t you make my unceasing disease abate? O God of love! Does your arrow pierce everyone and make them lose their hearts to another? If I were to see the one, who has left me in helplessness, with tear-filled eyes, I shall look at him gently; I will clutch his hanging attire. If he tries to walk away, filled with doubts, I shall shout uproariously, declaring he is the thief, who stole away my form! O townspeople! Question me no more! The relationship that arose because of the one, who looked into my kohl-streaked eyes, has made my life shiver and left me confused, akin to the state of those who are drinking toddy from a huge pot all the time! Whatever I have seen in my dream, if you don’t bring before my eyes, O sun! I will fall at the feet of the God of love, and beg him to wield his bow, so that my man would come riding a palmyra horse! Onlookers: And so, she yearned, with tears brimming in her eyes, with arms thinning away, and bangles slipping away! See the plight of that maiden, everyone! And then, akin to how the white swan unites with its naive mate with a gentle gait, the maiden with a glowing forehead, seeing her beloved come thither, forgot her deep sorrow, let go of her delirious laughter, with her modesty shining on her form, bent her head, and that esteemed woman of beauty united with the handsome chest of her man, with a smile!” Time to delve into the nuances. The verse is situated in the context of a man’s parting from a lady, prior to marriage, and here, the lady and the onlookers express the emotions in the situation. As custom, the onlookers begin by wondering whether love has changed its nature to make someone attain the state of those, who are intoxicated and not in their senses, speaking wrong words and doing inappropriate things! They make this comment because of the appearance and actions of the lady, who has lost her beauty, and laughs and cries for no reason. They decide to enquire to the lady and seeing them approach, the lady tries to justify her actions as a valid expression of love, stating this is what happens, when people love someone and part away, like a bee bidding bye to the flower on which it fed nectar! She describes how her heart was caught in the man’s net and now he has left away. She turns to make a plea to the sun, asking the life-giving orb to search for the man with its many rays, adding that if the sun were to say no to her request, then there was no use in the sun being up there. Interestingly, she also mocks the sun, saying that on the surface of water, the sun looks like the moon and asks it to beware, for otherwise the toad there might gobble it up! After all this delirious talk with the sun, the lady reminisces about how the man had held on to her forearm and stayed there for long, like an eagle that perches without flying away. She wonders whether the man has left to some far away place, filled with wild buffaloes, or whether he was in the same town, and was doing her the disservice of not seeing her. Even so, it’s okay, she says, and adds she will accept him without any display of fury. Then the lady complains about the god of love to the god of death. This is because it was the gold of love, who showed the man to her, and made her fall in love with him. She asks the god of death to punish the god of love for this act. She concludes by saying how the god of death has come in the form of evening. She talks about how if she sees the man in her dreams, she will hold on to him, and if at all, he walks away, she would shout for all to know that he was the thief, who stole her health and beauty. She turns to the townsfolk and asks them not to question her anymore, echoing their earlier thought about those who get sloshed saying that the man had left her in the state of the inebriated. The lady concludes by saying that she would beg the God of love and ask him to make the man come riding to her, at least on a palmyra horse! The onlookers remark on her pitiable state and then conclude by talking about how when the man arrived, the lady forgot her sorrow, gave up her mad laughter and with her old modesty returning, bent her head, and went gently near the man and embraced his chest, with the flower of a smile blooming on her face! The theme that echoes from this verse is the parallel between love and intoxication. Today’s scientists concur that love is indeed like a drug and produces all the same effects of being addicted and inebriated. Fascinating how poetry from two thousand years ago shakes hands with the science of the current era, echoing the truth that those, who see with the heart, see it first and see it best!…

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Kalithogai 146 – Suffering and Soaring 9:11

för 7 weeks sedan9:11

9:11

In this episode, we perceive the soaring suffering in a lady, as depicted in Sangam Literary work, Kalithogai 146, penned by Nallanthuvanaar. The verse is situated in the ‘Neythal’ or ‘Coastal Landscape’ and echoes the state of a pining woman. கண்டோர்: உரை செல உயர்ந்து ஓங்கி, சேர்ந்தாரை ஒரு நிலையே வரை நில்லா விழுமம் உறீஇ, நடுக்கு உரைத்து, தெறல் மாலை அரைசினும் அன்பு இன்றாம், காமம்; புரை தீர, அன்ன மென் சேக்கையுள் ஆராது, அளித்தவன் துன்னி அகல, துறந்த அணியளாய், நாணும் நிறையும் உணர்கல்லாள், தோள் ஞெகிழ்பு, பேர் அமர் உண்கண் நிறை மல்க, அந் நீர் தன், கூர் எயிறு ஆடி, குவிமுலைமேல் வார்தர, தேர் வழி நின்று தெருமரும்; ஆயிழை கூறுப கேளாமோ, சென்று? தலைவி: ‘எல்லிழாய்! எற்றி வரைந்தானை, நாணும் மறந்தாள்’ என்று, உற்றனிர் போல வினவுதிர்! மற்று இது கேட்டீமின், எல்லீரும் வந்து வறம் தெற மாற்றிய வானமும் போலும்; நிறைந்து என்னை மாய்ப்பது ஓர் வெள்ளமும் போலும் சிறந்தவன் தூ அற நீப்ப, பிறங்கி வந்து, என்மேல் நிலைஇய நோய் ‘நக்கு நலனும் இழந்தாள், இவள்’ என்னும் தக்கவிர் போலும்! இழந்திலேன்மன்னோ மிக்க என் நாணும், நலனும், என் உள்ளமும், அக் கால் அவனுழை ஆங்கே ஒழிந்தன! உக் காண் இஃதோ உடம்பு உயிர்க்கு ஊற்றாக, செக்கர் அம் புள்ளித் திகிரி அலவனொடு, யான் நக்கது, பல் மாண் நினைந்து கரை காணா நோயுள் அழுந்தாதவனைப் புரை தவக் கூறி, கொடுமை நுவல்வீர்! வரைபவன் என்னின் அகலான் அவனை, திரை தரும் முந்நீர் வளாஅகம் எல்லாம், நிரை கதிர் ஞாயிற்றை, நாடு என்றேன்; யானும் உரை கேட்புழி எல்லாம் செல்வேன்; புரை தீர்ந்தான் யாண்டு ஒளிப்பான்கொல்லோ மற்று? மருள் கூர் பிணை போல் மயங்க, வெந் நோய் செய்யும் மாலையும் வந்து, மயங்கி, எரி நுதி யாமம் தலை வந்தன்றுஆயின், அதற்கு என் நோய் பாடுவேன், பல்லாருள் சென்று யான் உற்ற எவ்வம் உரைப்பின், பலர்த் துயிற்றும் யாமம்! நீ துஞ்சலைமன் எதிர்கொள்ளும் ஞாலம், துயில் ஆராது ஆங்கண் முதிர்பு என்மேல் முற்றிய வெந் நோய் உரைப்பின், கதிர்கள் மழுங்கி, மதியும் அதிர்வது போல் ஓடிச் சுழல்வதுமன் பேர் ஊர் மறுகில் பெருந் துயிற் சான்றீரே! நீரைச் செறுத்து, நிறைவுற ஓம்புமின் கார் தலைக்கொண்டு பொழியினும், தீர்வது போலாது, என் மெய்க் கனலும் நோய் இருப்பினும் நெஞ்சம் கனலும்; செலினே, வருத்துறும் யாக்கை; வருந்துதல் ஆற்றேன்; அருப்பம் உடைத்து, என்னுள் எவ்வம் பொருத்தி, பொறி செய் புனை பாவை போல, வறிது உயங்கிச் செல்வேன், விழுமம் உழந்து கண்டோர்: என ஆங்குப் பாட, அருள் உற்று, வறம் கூர் வானத்து வள் உறைக்கு அலமரும் புள்ளிற்கு அது பொழிந்தாஅங்கு, மற்றுத் தன் நல் எழில் மார்பன் முயங்கலின், அல்லல் தீர்ந்தன்று, ஆயிழை பண்பே. The story of the lady’s sorrow and salvation continues. The words can be translated as follows: “ Onlookers: Even more loveless than a king, who causes limitless suffering to the very people, who have been the reason for his rise to fame, and makes them tremble with his harsh words and even ends their life, is this affliction of love! As the one, who rendered his grace flawlessly upon a bed filled with swan feathers, parted away, giving up her adornments, without feeling any shyness or satisfaction, with her arms thinning away, with her huge and beautiful eyes filling with tears, which drop down upon her sharp teeth and then pour down on the mounds of her bosom, she stands sighing in the chariot way! Shall we go and listen to what the maiden wearing well-etched jewels has to say? Lady: Saying ‘O maiden wearing radiant jewels, you have forgotten your shyness, pining for the one, who parted away’, as if with concern, you question me! All of you come here and listen to this: Akin to the skies that have deserted the land and made it parched and akin to a flood that soars and drowns me within, appears this disease that has laid siege on me, after the esteemed man had parted away. You declare, ‘She has utterly lost her beauty and health’, speaking as if you are wise! I have not lost it! My fine modesty, beauty and my heart have only left, at that time to that place, along with him. Look here! Seeing me smile thinking about the one, who has submerged me in this shoreless suffering, as I look at the spotted crabs and am reminded of his chariot wheels, you say a lot of terrible things about the man and rebuke his cruelty! Whatever you say, the one who was one with me will not abandon me, for I have asked the sun, brimming with rays to search for him in all the shores, around which the wave-filled oceans soar! I will go to all the places that they say he’s been to. So tell me, where can that flawless one hide? To turn me into a bewildered doe, the evening that causes this burning disease has arrived and the night that scorches like the tip of the flame is about to arrive too. If I speak of my sorrow to the night that makes many sleep, the night would lose its sleep! Standing upon this land, if I talk about this severe disease that lets me sleep not, dimming its rays, the moon would tremble, swirl and run away! In the streets of the big town, O wise elders, who sleep with peace! You should protect me, by blocking water and filling it all around me, for even if the rains pour down heavily, this disease that burns my form abates not! When he’s here, the heart’s on fire and when he parts, suffers my form; I have no way to bear my suffering; The surging pain breaks the fort of my defences and makes me akin to a well-made doll that lies broken, leaving me to wallow in distress! Onlookers: And as she sang so, with grace, akin to how the skies that had parched the earth, pour down to end the suffering of a singing bird, when she embraced the handsome chest of her man, the sorrow of that maiden, wearing fine jewels, came to an end!” Let’s explore the nuances. The verse is situated in the context of the man’s parting from the lady, prior to marriage, and here, the lady and the onlookers convey the feelings and thoughts in this situation. The onlookers start by remarking on the extreme nature of love that can be even more cruel than an unkind king, who is harsh to those who have been the very reason for his fame. They talk about the lady’s state, as she cries endlessly and waits sighing for the man on the chariot path. The lady seeing them explains her state as both a parched land that the skies have abandoned and a flood that overpowers her. She clarifies to them who think that her beauty is gone forever saying it has only left with the man. She echoes her state of confusion as she thinks of her past moments with the man and smiles and how seeing that people around rebuke the man for what he has done. Placing her trust in the man, the lady says that the man will not never abandon her and remarks how she has bid the sun to search everywhere for the man. She declares she’ll go wherever she hears he’s been to and so, he has nowhere to hide. Then, the pain of the evening and the night is expressed and the lady says how if she were to tell her pain to the night, the night would lose its sleep, and if she were to tell it to the moon, it would tremble, swirl and run away. The lady asks the town elders to submerge her in water for even if it pour downs, that would not be enough to end the burning of her affliction. She concludes by talking about how she lies like a broken puppet, because of the man’s parting. The onlookers get back on stage and conclude with the simile of a skylark singing for the rain and how the rains heed its message and pour down on the parched land, to talk about how the man came and ended the lady’s sorrow! Yet again, the lady cries and suffers, and in the end, the man solves her troubles. The sound of the skylark’s song and the drops of rain falling on the waiting earth are the elements that make this verse different and delightful!…

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Kalithogai 145 – Seeking and Saving 12:10

för 7 weeks sedan12:10

12:10

In this episode, we perceive the fire in a lady’s heart, as portrayed in Sangam Literary work, Kalithogai 145, penned by Nallanthuvanaar. The verse is situated in the ‘Neythal’ or ‘Coastal Landscape’ and depicts the conversations of a pining woman in love. கண்டோர்: ‘துனையுநர் விழை தக்க சிறப்புப்போல், கண்டார்க்கு நனவினுள் உதவாது நள்ளிருள் வேறாகும் கனவின் நிலையின்றால், காமம்; ஒருத்தி உயிர்க்கும்; உசாஅம்; உலம்வரும்; ஓவாள், கயல் புரை உண்கண் அரிப்ப அரி வார, பெயல் சேர் மதி போல, வாள் முகம் தோன்ற, பல ஒலி கூந்தலாள், பண்பு எல்லாம் துய்த்துத் துறந்தானை உள்ளி, அழூஉம்; அவனை மறந்தாள்போல் ஆலி நகூஉம்; மருளும்; தலைவி: ‘சிறந்த தன் நாணும் நலனும் நினையாது, காமம் முனைஇயாள், அலந்தாள்’ என்று, எனைக் காண, நகான்மின்; கூறுவேன், மாக்காள்! மிகாஅது, மகளிர் தோள் சேர்ந்த மாந்தர் துயர் கூர நீத்தலும், நீள் சுரம் போகியார் வல்லை வந்து அளித்தலும், ஊழ் செய்து, இரவும் பகலும்போல், வேறாகி, வீழ்வார்கண் தோன்றும்; தடுமாற்றம் ஞாலத்துள் வாழ்வார்கட்கு எல்லாம் வரும் தாழ்பு, துறந்து, தொடி நெகிழ்த்தான் போகிய கானம் இறந்து எரி நையாமல், பாஅய் முழங்கி வறந்து என்னை செய்தியோ, வானம்? சிறந்த என் கண்ணீர்க் கடலால், கனை துளி வீசாயோ, கொண்மூக் குழீஇ முகந்து? நுமக்கு எவன் போலுமோ? ஊரீர்! எமக்கும் எம் கண்பாயல் கொண்டு, உள்ளாக் காதலவன் செய்த பண்பு தர வந்த என் தொடர் நோய் வேது கொள்வது போலும், கடும் பகல்? ……………………………..ஞாயிறே! எல்லாக் கதிரும் பரப்பி, பகலொடு செல்லாது நின்றீயல் வேண்டுவல்; நீ செல்லின், புல்லென் மருள் மாலைப் போழ்து இன்று வந்து என்னைக் கொல்லாது போதல் அரிதால்; அதனொடு யான் செல்லாது நிற்றல் இலேன் ஒல்லை எம் காதலர்க் கொண்டு, கடல் ஊர்ந்து, காலைநாள், போதரின் காண்குவேன்மன்னோ பனியொடு மாலைப் பகை தாங்கி, யான்? இனியன் என்று ஓம்படுப்பல், ஞாயிறு! இனி ஒள் வளை ஓடத் துறந்து, துயர் செய்த கள்வன்பால் பட்டன்று, ஒளித்து என்னை, உள்ளி பெருங் கடல் புல்லென, கானல் புலம்ப, இருங் கழி நெய்தல் இதழ் பொதிந்து தோன்ற, விரிந்து இலங்கு வெண் நிலா வீசும் பொழுதினான், யான் வேண்டு ஒருவன், என் அல்லல் உறீஇயான்; தான் வேண்டுபவரோடு துஞ்சும்கொல், துஞ்சாது? வானும், நிலனும், திசையும், துழாவும் என் ஆனாப் படர் மிக்க நெஞ்சு ஊரவர்க்கு எல்லாம் பெரு நகை ஆகி, என் ஆர் உயிர் எஞ்சும்மன்; அங்கு நீ சென்றீ நிலவு உமிழ் வான் திங்காள்! ஆய் தொடி கொட்ப, அளி புறம் மாறி, அருளான் துறந்த அக் காதலன் செய்த கலக்குறு நோய்க்கு ஏதிலார் எல்லாரும் தேற்றர், மருந்து வினைக் கொண்டு என் காம நோய் நீக்கிய ஊரீர்! எனைத்தானும் எள்ளினும், எள்ளலன், கேள்வன்; நினைப்பினும், கண்ணுள்ளே தோன்றும்; அனைத்தற்கே ஏமராது, ஏமரா ஆறு கனை இருள் வானம்! கடல் முகந்து, என்மேல் உறையொடு நின்றீயல் வேண்டும், ஒருங்கே நிறை வளை கொட்பித்தான் செய்த துயரால் இறை இறை பொத்திற்றுத் தீ கண்டோர்: எனப் பாடி, நோயுடை நெஞ்சத்து எறியா, இனைபு ஏங்கி, ‘யாவிரும் எம் கேள்வற் காணீரோ?’ என்பவட்கு, ஆர்வுற்ற பூசற்கு அறம்போல, ஏய்தந்தார்; பாயல் கொண்டு உள்ளாதவரை வரக் கண்டு, மாயவன் மார்பில் திருப்போல் அவள் சேர, ஞாயிற்று முன்னர் இருள்போல மாய்ந்தது என் ஆயிழை உற்ற துயர். The lament of the lady continues on. The words can be translated as follows: “ Onlookers: Akin to the state of those, who suffer wanting esteem immediately, is the state of those in passion, who seek their beloved in dreams, which dissipate in the dead darkness of the night and serve not in reality. Here is a woman, who sighs, who inquires and who roves around listlessly. Unceasingly, her fish-like, kohl-streaked eyes, shed tears, akin to a cascade, and her shining face appears, akin to the moon in a downpour. That maiden with thick, luxuriant tresses, letting go of all her good qualities, thinks about the one, who abandoned her, and cries with sorrow; And then, as if she forgot all about him, she laughs out aloud! In such a state of utter confusion, is she! Lady: Saying, ‘Without heeding her excellent sense of modesty and beauty, filled with love affliction, she wallows and suffers’, do not laugh seeing my state. I will tell you a little truth, O people! For men, who united with the arms of their women, to leave them with suffering and part away, and for those, who parted away to those vast drylands to return and grace their women, akin to night and day, has been happening forever and ever, and even so, this would torment those in love. This confusion and bewilderment will come for sure to all those who live upon this earth! O skies, how can you be in this dried-up state? Why don’t you ask your herd of clouds to gather from the sea of my tears, and shed a heavy downpour, resounding with thunder, so that the drylands jungle, through which the one, who made me fall and then went away, forsaking me, doesn’t burn like fire? O people of this town! I don’t how it appears to you! But to me, one shivering because I’m away from my beloved, the one, who has stolen away my sleep, and rendered unto me an unceasing affliction, this scorching day is like a heat balm! O sun, don’t spend all your rays in the day and part away, please stay! If you are to leave, that listless, confusing evening is sure to come and seize my life. It would be hard for me not to part away with it! But if you tell me that you will surely make me see my beloved, when you come crossing the seas, in the morning, then I can try to bear the cold evening’s enmity! I shall praise you as ‘The Sweet One’ too! Without me knowing, that sorrow-filled heart of mine has parted away with that thief, who caused all this sorrow in me and made my bangles slip away! At this time, when the great seas roar, the groves lament, and the blue lotus in the backwaters appears with its buds buried, the time when the white moon spreads its soft rays, I wonder if my heart, after searching the skies, the land, and all the directions, would find sleep or not, with the one I seek, the creator of my sorrow? O white moon, so radiant in the sky above! I have become the big laughing stock of the townsfolk and my life stands fading away. Won’t you go there to him as my messenger? Making the exquisite bangles fall down, turning away without kindness, without grace, he abandoned me and rendered this terrible disease in me, and no one other than you has the cure! O people of the town, won’t you at least take up the task of ending my love affliction? Even if you mock me, my beloved would never do that. Whenever I think of him, he appears within my eyes; By doing that, he keeps me from losing all my senses! O skies filled with thick darkness! Dipping from the seas, you must pour unceasingly upon me, for owing to the sorrow caused by the one, who made the neat row of bangles fall down, every space of my form burns with a fiery fire! Onlookers: And she sang so, beating upon her sorrowful heart, filled with yearning. Seeing the one, who kept asking, ‘Have you seen my beloved?’, as if the god of justice himself took pity at her pain, her man returned to her. Beholding the one, who stole her sleep and thought not about her, she ran to him and embraced him, appearing like the Goddess in the heart of the Dark-skinned One, and akin to the way darkness disperses seeing the sun, so too disappeared the sorrow of the bejewelled maiden!” Let’s delve into the core. The verse is situated in the context of the man’s parting from the lady, prior to marriage, and here, the onlookers and lady depict the thoughts and feelings in that moment. The onlookers open the tale by talking abstractly about those, who wish to attain greatness instantly, and they connect the suffering of these people to those in love, who only see their beloved in their dreams and not for real. From abstractions, they turn to the specific and focus on the lady, who seems to be suffering in a confused state, constantly shedding tears and then laughing aloud deliriously. When they approach the lady, she asks them not to laugh at her state and remarks how it’s natural for men to leave their beloved and then return and grace them again, and this is something happening like night and day for ever. However, the torment would feel real and would happen to everyone on earth, she says, remarking on the universality of this emotion called love. Then, the lady starts her conversation with the sky and asks it to gather moisture from the sea of her tears to pour down on the man’s path through the drylands, so that it does not scorch him so! Even in the midst of all that pain, so much love shines through. Then, she tells the townsfolk, that the burning heat of their day seems like a balm to her, shivering without her beloved by her side. Next, it’s the turn of the sun to receive a request and she asks this orb to not spend all its rays in the day and leave her to the mercy of the evening. But if at all, the sun were to promise to bring the man, when it comes crossing the seas in the morning, then she would somehow bear the hatred of the evening, and wait there, praising the sun’s sweetness! After this, she talks about how her heart had left in search of the man, forsaking her and wonders whether in this time when the seas, groves and blue lotus laments for her, at least her heart would have found sleep with her beloved, far away! Next, it’s the turn of the moon to be beckoned by the lady and she asks the moon whether it would go as her messenger, to the man, declaring nobody else has the cure for the love affliction caused by the man. Finally, leaving these silent celestials, the lady turns her attention to the people around and asks them to end her suffering, praising her man for at least appearing within her eyes, whenever she thinks of him, making sure she doesn’t go fully mad. One self-aware lady, this one, sure is! As the final request, it’s back to the sky again, asking it to drench her with a downpour, so that the burning in her form will find some calm! Next, the onlookers take the centre stage and convey the good news of how the man returned, as if the god of justice himself took pity on the lady, and when she rushed to him and held him close, she seemed to appear like the Goddess of Wealth in the heart of God Thirumal. At that moment, akin to how darkness dispels when sun appears, so too the sorrow of the maiden vaporised and vanished away, they conclude. Same story, some conclusion- Why all these repetitions? This is the constant question in my heart reading these many depictions of the same emotion. Was it like a competition to select the best one portraying the theme? Or was it to stretch the human imagination to come up with new perspectives for the same old? The mystery of the ‘why’ continues on!…

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Kalithogai 144 – Declaring and Dispelling 14:15

för 7 weeks sedan14:15

14:15

In this episode, we listen to a lady’s outpouring to the elements of the world around, as portrayed in Sangam Literary work, Kalithogai 144, penned by Nallanthuvanaar. The verse is situated in the ‘Neythal’ or ‘Coastal Landscape’ and paints a portrait of a parted woman’s pain. கண்டோர்: நன்னுதாஅல்! காண்டை: நினையா, நெடிது உயிரா, என் உற்றாள்கொல்லோ? இஃது ஒத்தி பல் மாண் நகுதரும் தன் நாணுக் கைவிட்டு, இகுதரும் கண்ணீர் துடையா, கவிழ்ந்து, நிலன் நோக்கி, அன்ன இடும்பை பல செய்து, தன்னை வினவுவார்க்கு ஏதில சொல்லி, கனவுபோல்: தெருளும் மருளும் மயங்கி வருபவள் கூறுப கேளாமோ, சென்று? தலைவி: ‘எல்லா! நீ என் அணங்கு உற்றனை? யார் நின் இது செய்தார்? நின் உற்ற அல்லல் உரை’ என, என்னை வினவுவீர்! தெற்றெனக் கேண்மின்: ஒருவன், ‘குரற்கூந்தால்! என் உற்ற எவ்வம் நினக்கு யான் உரைப்பனைத் தங்கிற்று, என் இன் உயிர்’ என்று, மருவு ஊட்டி, மாறியதற்கொண்டு, எனக்கு மருவு உழிப் பட்டது, என் நெஞ்சு எங்கும் தெரிந்து, அது கொள்வேன், அவன் உள்வழி ‘பொங்கு இரு முந்நீர் அகம் எல்லாம் நோக்கினை திங்களுள் தோன்றி இருந்த குறு முயால்! எம் கேள் இதன் அகத்து உள்வழிக் காட்டீமோ? காட்டீயாய்ஆயின், கத நாய் கொளுவுவேன்; வேட்டுவர் உள்வழிச் செப்புவேன்; ஆட்டி மதியொடு பாம்பு மடுப்பேன் மதி திரிந்த என் அல்லல் தீராய் எனின்’ என்று, ஆங்கே, உள் நின்ற எவ்வம் உரைப்ப, மதியொடு வெண் மழை ஓடிப் புகுதி; சிறிது என்னைக் கண்ணோடினாய் போறி, நீ! நீடு இலைத் தாழைத் துவர் மணற் கானலுள் ஓடுவேன்; ஓடி ஒளிப்பேன்; பொழில்தொறும் நாடுவேன்; கள்வன் கரந்திருக்கற்பாலன்கொல்? ஆய் பூ அடும்பின் அலர்கொண்டு, உதுக் காண், எம் கோதை புனைந்த வழி உதுக் காண் சாஅய் மலர் காட்டி, சால்பிலான், யாம் ஆடும் பாவை கொண்டு ஓடியுழி உதுக் காண் தொய்யில் பொறித்த வழி உதுக் காண் ‘தையால்! தேறு’ எனத் தேற்றி, அறனில்லான் பைய முயங்கியுழி அளிய என் உள்ளத்து, உயவுத் தேர் ஊர்ந்து, விளியா நோய் செய்து, இறந்த அன்பிலவனைத் தெளிய விசும்பினும் ஞாலத்தகத்தும் வளியே! எதிர்போம் பல கதிர் ஞாயிற்று ஒளி உள்வழி எல்லாம் சென்று; முனிபு எம்மை உண்மை நலன் உண்டு ஒளித்தானைக் காட்டீமோ; காட்டாயேல், மண்ணகம் எல்லாம் ஒருங்கு சுடுவேன், என் கண்ணீர் அழலால் தெளித்து பேணான் துறந்தானை நாடும் இடம் விடாயாயின் பிறங்கு இரு முந்நீர்! வெறு மணலாகப் புறங்காலின் போக இறைப்பேன்; முயலின், அறம் புணையாகலும் உண்டு துறந்தானை நாடித் தருகிற்பாய்ஆயின், நினக்கு ஒன்று பாடுவேன், என் நோய் உரைத்து புல்லிய கேளிர் புணரும் பொழுது உணரேன் எல்லி ஆக, ‘எல்லை’ என்று, ஆங்கே, பகல் முனிவேன்; எல்லிய காலை இரா, முனிவேன்; யான் உற்ற அல்லல் களைவார் இலேன் ஓஒ! கடலே! தெற்றெனக் கண்ணுள்ளே தோன்ற இமை எடுத்து, ‘பற்றுவேன்’ என்று, யான் விழிக்குங்கால், மற்றும் என் நெஞ்சத்துள் ஓடி ஒளித்து, ஆங்கே, துஞ்சா நோய் செய்யும், அறனில்லவன் ஓஒ! கடலே! ஊர் தலைக்கொண்டு கனலும் கடுந் தீயுள் நீர் பெய்தக்காலே சினம் தணியும்; மற்று இஃதோ ஈரம் இல் கேள்வன் உறீஇய காமத் தீ நீருள் புகினும், சுடும் ஓஒ! கடலே! ‘எற்றமிலாட்டி என் ஏமுற்றாள்?’ என்று, இந் நோய் உற்று அறியாதாரோ நகுக! நயந்தாங்கே இற்றா அறியின், முயங்கலேன், மற்று என்னை அற்றத்து இட்டு ஆற்று அறுத்தான் மார்பு கண்டோர்: ஆங்கு கடலொடு புலம்புவோள் கலங்கு அஞர் தீர, கெடல் அருங் காதலர் துனைதர, பிணி நீங்கி, அறன் அறிந்து ஒழுகும் அங்கணாளனைத் திறன் இலார் எடுத்த தீ மொழி எல்லாம் நல் அவையுள் படக் கெட்டாங்கு, இல்லாகின்று, அவள் ஆய் நுதல் பசப்பே. Another flood of emotions from the lady’s perspective! The words can be translated as follows: “ Onlookers: O maiden with a fine forehead! Look at this! What has happened to make her think so deep and sigh for long? She has become a woman, who has let go of her modesty, to the ridicule of others around, as she sits there, without wiping away her pouring tears, her head bent, looking down at the ground, tormented by such pain within, and gives strange answers to those who question her. As if in a dream, she sometimes appears with clarity, and at other times, with confusion. Shall we go listen to what she has to say? Lady: You say to me, ‘Hey dear! Why are you filled with affliction? Who did this to you? Tell us what your suffering is!’ Listen intently! A man said, ‘O maiden with thick tresses! I’m happy that my sweet life decided to remain with me, until I could come and tell about my suffering to you’. He thus came close to me, entranced me, and then went away. Since the day it got entranced thus, my heart keeps seeking him. I shall go everywhere, following it, and find the place where he is! ‘O little rabbit in the moon! You can see the length and breadth of this land, surrounded by the leaping, wide oceans! Can you show me the place where my beloved is? If you don’t, I shall incite wild dogs to hunt you down! I shall tell hunters where you are! And also, to make you suffer some more, I shall let out a snake to eat the moon, if you do not end my suffering that makes me lose my senses!’ – And so, as I express the sorrow within to you, taking the moon along, you run and hide within those white clouds! Don’t you even care a little to look at my state, before you leave? I too shall run within groves filled with long-leaved pandanus, standing on the salty sands; I shall run and hide; I shall go search in all the orchards to see if that thief is waiting therein. Will I see him in that place, where he took the beautiful flowers of the beach morning glory and tied a garland for me? Will I see that man without honour in that place, where he once distracted me by pointing to a soft flower, and then ran away with my doll? Will I see him in that place, where he etched ‘thoyyil’ paintings on me, and said, ‘O pretty maiden! Be strong!’, even as that man lacking justice embraced me? O wind present everywhere in the skies and on earth! To see the man without love, the one who has parted away, leaving me with a ceaseless disease, riding the chariot of suffering in my pitiable heart, go wherever the light of the many-rayed sun spreads! Show me the one, who has savoured my true beauty and then hid it away with hatred! If you shan’t show, I shall scorch the earth entire by scattering the fire of my tears! O radiant, roaring ocean! If you don’t give me the space to seek the one, who abandoned me without caring, I shall drain away all the water in you, with my legs, and turn you into mere sand. Do you think it’s impossible? Know that when there is a will, justice would turn a raft for me. If at all you promise to seek the man, who abandoned me, and return him to me, I shall sing a song to you, about my affliction. In those times, I spent embracing my beloved, without my knowledge when the night ended, I would cry for the night and hate the day; But now, I hate when the day ends and the dark arrives, without having anyone to slay my suffering! Alas! O Sea! When he appears so vividly within my eyes and I open the eyelids saying, ‘I will hold on to you’, he would run and hide within my heart, and there, he would afflict me with the disease that lets me sleep not, that man without justice! Alas! O Sea! Even the fierce wild fire that surrounds a town with raging heat might abate its fury, when water is showered! But this fire of passion, lit by the man without compassion, scorches even when submerged in water! Alas! O Sea! Saying, ‘Look how crazy that woman without strength has become!’, let those who know not the extent of this affliction, laugh at me! If I had known about this, when he desired me then, I would not have embraced the chest of the one, who severed my strength and left me in this state! Onlookers: And so, to end the wallowing sorrow of the one, who was lamenting to the sea, her flawless lover returned with much haste. Akin to how terrible words, spoken by immoral people, about a righteous man, who always walks the path of justice, shatter to smithereens in the council of the wise, her affliction retreated then, making the pallor on her fine forehead vanish away!” Time to explore the essence. The verse is situated in the context of the man’s parting from the lady, prior to marriage, and here, the onlookers and the lady express the events and emotions in the situation. The onlookers talk to each to other mentioning how the lady seems so changed, and full of angst, forgetting her sense of modesty as a woman, as she sits there shedding tears and giving bizarre replies to those who question her. They decide to go listen to her side of the story. When they ask the lady what her problem was, she talks about how the man entranced her in the beginning of their courtship, but has now disappeared! At this time, she decides to ask the rabbit in the moon about where the man is, knowing that there is no place the moon cannot behold! A moment to pause and relish this reference to the ‘moon rabbit’. On searching, I saw that this is a reference, which has strong ‘East Asian’ and ‘Native American’ origins. Now, we have a South Asian instance of this repeating thought across cultures! Returning, the lady threatens the rabbit in the moon saying if it doesn’t show her where the man is, she would send hunting dogs to pounce upon it, and a snake to eat the rabbit’s abode of the moon. And then she remarks how fearing her words, the rabbit pulled the moon and hid within the white clouds. This exchange tells us the lady is indeed in a crazed state of love! Following this, the lady declares that she too wants to run and search for the man, in all the places, where he had graced her with love, care and affection, made her smile and laugh. Next, the lady turns to the wind and seeks its help, knowing there is no place the wind cannot enter on earth, and threatens the wind too saying if it doesn’t cooperate, she would scorch the earth with the fire of her tears! Leaving the moon and the wind, she now turns to the sea and says that if the sea does not let her seek the man, she would dry up its waters with her legs. If at all the sea was scoffing at her saying, ‘That’s impossible!’, the lady replies saying, such things are very much possible for those with a strong will in their heart, for at that time, justice would become their raft in that stormy sea. Reminds me of so many phrases and idioms we have often heard, in the lines of ‘Where there’s a will…’ and ‘Faith can move mountains’. Then the lady decides to calm the sea and win it over to her side by singing the song about her affliction and talks about the days past when she didn’t want the night to end, when she was with her man, and now, when he was no where around, she didn’t want the day to end and the dark to torment her. She concludes her song by telling the sea about how the man appeared in her dream and vanished away within, letting her sleep not, even for a moment; about how wild fires around a town can be put out with water but that fire of passion in her heart would burn even when pushed within water; and about how everyone around her calls her mad and weak, declaring had she known the man would leave her thus, she might not have returned his embraces back then. Now, the onlookers seize the stage and declare how the man returned with haste to end the sorrow of this lady, who was crying her heart out to the sea. To etch the lady’s transformation, they talk about how wrong words spoken about a righteous person would be shattered in the council of the wise, and likewise, the lady’s affliction ended in that moment, and the pallor on her forehead vanished, without the slightest trace, they conclude. The verse ends up capturing the fiery passion of the lady by connecting it to the various elements of fire, water, wind and earth and builds a sturdy bridge between the inner space of the mind and the outer space of the world!…

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Kalithogai 143 – Reflecting and Rising 11:55

för 8 weeks sedan11:55

11:55

In this episode, we listen to a lady’s heartfelt wish, as portrayed in Sangam Literary work, Kalithogai 143, penned by Nallanthuvanaar. The verse is situated in the ‘Neythal’ or ‘Coastal Landscape’ and paints the sorrow and smile of a woman. தலைவி: ‘அகல் ஆங்கண், இருள் நீங்கி, அணி நிலாத் திகழ்ந்த பின், பகல் ஆங்கண் பையென்ற மதியம் போல், நகல் இன்று நல் நுதல் நீத்த திலகத்தள், “மின்னி மணி பொரு பசும் பொன்கொல்? மா ஈன்ற தளிரின்மேல் கணிகாரம் கொட்கும்கொல்?” என்றாங்கு அணி செல மேனி மறைத்த பசலையள், ஆனாது நெஞ்சம் வெறியா நினையா, நிலன் நோக்கா, அஞ்சா, அழாஅ, அரற்றா, இஃது ஒத்தி என் செய்தாள்கொல்?’ என்பீர்! கேட்டீமின் பொன் செய்தேன் மறையின் தன் யாழ் கேட்ட மானை அருளாது, அறை கொன்று, மற்று அதன் ஆர் உயிர் எஞ்ச, பறை அறைந்தாங்கு, ஒருவன் நீத்தான் அவனை அறை நவ நாட்டில் நீர் கொண்டு தரின், யானும் நிறை உடையேன் ஆகுவேன்மன்ற மறையின் என் மென் தோள் நெகிழ்த்தானை மேஎய், அவன் ஆங்கண் சென்று, சேட்பட்டது, என் நெஞ்சு ‘ஒன்றி முயங்கும்’ என்று, என் பின் வருதிர்; மற்று ஆங்கே, ‘உயங்கினாள்’ என்று, ஆங்கு உசாதிர்; ‘மற்று அந்தோ மயங்கினாள்!’ என்று மருடிர்; கலங்கன்மின் இன் உயிர் அன்னார்க்கு எனைத்து ஒன்றும் தீது இன்மை என் உயிர் காட்டாதோ மற்று? பழி தபு ஞாயிறே! பாடு அறியாதார்கண் கழியக் கதழ்வை எனக் கேட்டு, நின்னை வழிபட்டு இரக்குவேன் வந்தேன் என் நெஞ்சம் அழியத் துறந்தானைச் சீறுங்கால், என்னை ஒழிய விடாதீமோ என்று அழிதக மாஅந் தளிர் கொண்ட போழ்தினான், இவ் ஊரார் தாஅம் தளிர் சூடித் தம் நலம் பாடுப; ஆஅம் தளிர்க்கும் இடைச் சென்றார் மீள்தரின், யாஅம் தளிர்க்குவேம்மன் நெய்தல் நெறிக்கவும் வல்லன்; நெடு மென் தோள் பெய் கரும்பு ஈர்க்கவும் வல்லன்; இள முலைமேல் தொய்யில் எழுதவும் வல்லன்; தன் கையில் சிலை வல்லான் போலும் செறிவினான்; நல்ல பல வல்லன் தோள் ஆள்பவன் நினையும் என் உள்ளம்போல், நெடுங் கழி மலர் கூம்ப; இனையும் என் நெஞ்சம்போல், இனம் காப்பார் குழல் தோன்ற; சாய என் கிளவிபோல், செவ்வழி யாழ் இசை நிற்ப; போய என் ஒளியேபோல், ஒரு நிலையே பகல் மாய; காலன்போல் வந்த கலக்கத்தோடு என்தலை மாலையும் வந்தன்று, இனி இருளொடு யான் ஈங்கு உழப்ப, என் இன்றிப் பட்டாய்; அருள் இலை; வாழி! சுடர்! ஈண்டு நீர் ஞாலத்துள் எம் கேள்வர் இல்லாயின், மாண்ட மனம் பெற்றார் மாசு இல் துறக்கத்து வேண்டிய வேண்டியாங்கு எய்துதல் வாயெனின், யாண்டும், உடையேன் இசை, ஊர் அலர் தூற்றும்; இவ் உய்யா விழுமத்துப் பீர் அலர் போலப் பெரிய பசந்தன நீர் அலர் நீலம் என, அவர்க்கு, அஞ்ஞான்று, பேர் அஞர் செய்த என் கண் தன் உயிர் போலத் தழீஇ, உலகத்து மன் உயிர் காக்கும் இம் மன்னனும் என் கொலோ இன் உயிர் அன்னானைக் காட்டி, எனைத்து ஒன்றும் என் உயிர் காவாதது? கண்டோர்: என ஆங்கு, மன்னிய நோயொடு மருள் கொண்ட மனத்தவள் பல் மலை இறந்தவன் பணிந்து வந்து அடி சேர, தென்னவற் தெளித்த தேஎம் போல, இன் நகை எய்தினள், இழந்த தன் நலனே. The long songs, featuring the lament of the lady, continue on. The words can be translated as follows: “ Lady: Saying, ‘Akin to the moon that dispels darkness in the wide spaces and shines with beauty and brightness, and then appears dull and listless as day arrives, her fine forehead has lost its radiance. Has gold won over in the battle with shining sapphires? Has the yellow pollen of the buttercup shed upon the tender mango shoot?’, you declare that the maiden has lost her beauty and pallor shrouds her form, and with a ceaseless emptiness, she stares at the ground below, filled with fears, tears and laments, and wonder, ‘What has she done?’. If you ask me that, I can only say, ‘Nought, have I done!’ Akin to how a hunter would play a hidden lute to lure a creature, and then without grace, full of betrayal, would seize its life, by beating the drum, a man graced me and then parted away. If you can search for him in the nation of nine and bring him back to me, I will be filled with joy. Secretly searching for the one, who has made my soft arms thin away, wanting to bring him back, my heart has left. You come behind me saying, ‘He will return and embrace you’. I say to you, ‘Do not worry that she’s heartbroken’ and ‘Do not be anxious that she’s confused’. Fear not, for he is like my very life, and if something bad had happened to him, won’t my life reveal it to me? O sun, who destroys all evil! Hearing that you shower your enmity on those, who tread not on the righteous path, I have come pleading to you, requesting you to not show your fury on the one, who parted from me, ruining my heart, for if you do, it’s me that you will destroy! Devastating me, in this time of the day when the sun appears, akin to tender mango shoots, the people of this town wear those shoots and relish their good health and beauty. Those shoots will sprout on me too, if the one who went to the drylands, where sal trees sprout, returns back to me! He is one, who is an expert in extracting blue lotuses; He is also one, who can etch those sugarcanes on my long and soft arms; He can paint thoyyil art on my young bosoms; Like the god of love, he can aim his bow at others and stay back with restraint; He’s a man of many skills, the one who rules over my arms! Akin to my heart that thinks of him, the flowers in the backwaters close their buds; Like my suffering heart, resounds the flutes of those who guard the herd; Like my confused words, the music of the ‘sevvazhi’ lute stammers; Like my light that’s lost, the day withers away; And so, akin to Death, bringing terror, arrives the evening in my world now! Leaving me to wallow in this darkness, you have forsaken me, O graceless sun! May you live long! Not attaining my beloved in this water-filled world, if my life were to end, if it is true that those, who have an honourable heart, and die a flawless death, would attain whatever they wish, however they wish, I will surely attain that glory then! As the town spreads slander, this unceasing suffering makes my eyes, akin to blue lotuses in copious waters, which caused great suffering in him back then, to now spread with pallor in the hue of ridge-gourd flowers! Why doesn’t the king, who protects all life in the land, as his own life, not show to me, the one, who is akin to my sweet life, and protect my life? Onlookers: And so, the one with a sorrowful mind, with a terrible affliction, saw the man, who had parted beyond the mountains, come bow before her feet. Just then, akin to the nations that the Southern king conquers and reigns, she flourished with sweet smiles and regained her lost beauty!” Time to delve into the core. 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 express the emotions of the moment. In this version, the lady opens the tale by speaking the words of the others around her, who remark on the pallor of her skin, by relating it to the victory of gold over sapphire and the coating of buttercup pollen on tender mango shoots. A tangible image of the lady’s transformation! Then, these others talk about how the lady is filled with emptiness and keeps staring at the ground below, with no interest in anything, always crying, fearing and worrying. Sounds to me like a classic case of depression. However this same lady does not remain in that state, but starts speaking out her heart, talking about a mythical creature called ‘Asunam’, mentioned in many Sangam verses, which loves the sound of gentle music, but dies the instant it hears harsh beats of a drum. Just the way a hunter would lure the creature with sweet music and then beat his drums, the man had first loved her and then parted away, she says. She seeks the help of these elders to search for the man in the faraway country of nine territories and bring him back to her. Wonder which part of the world the lady is referring to! Then, the lady turns to those others and asks them not to worry about the welfare of the man for if anything were to happen to him, her life would reveal it to her, for he was her very life, she connects! A feeling that’s often repeated in love, across space and time! She pleads to the righteous sun not to show its wrath on the man for abandoning her, saying attacking him is like destroying her. She looks around at those who are happy with their mates and remarks that she too would be like them if the man returns from the drylands. Turning her attention to the many skills of the man, she delights in remembering all the sweet things he has done for her in the past. Again, as lament fills her heart, she sees elements of herself in her surroundings, in the closing of buds, the flutes of cowherds, the stuttering music of a lute, and the light that is fading in the evening. She fights with the sun for abandoning her, as the darkness of the evening surrounds. Then talks about how even death would bring her glory because of her chastity and loyalty to her love. Again, she turns to remark about how slander causes her eyes to turn the colour of ridge-gourd flowers, and ends her lament, by wondering why the king doesn’t bring back the man and protect her life. Now, the onlookers conclude the verse summarising the lady’s sorrowful state and then portraying the moment her man came and bowed before her, and to vividly sketch the lady’s transformation, they choose a political simile, stating how all the nations conquered by the Pandya king flourishes, and akin to that, the lady seemed to thrive with new born smiles and regained beauty! To me, the highlight of this verse is the expression of the intricate movements of a heart in sorrow, connecting it to space and time, travelling to the past and present, to the tangible and intangible, and somehow, soaring above the suffering of the moment!…

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Kalithogai 142 – Lamenting and Listening 13:17

för 8 weeks sedan13:17

13:17

In this episode, we hear the long lament of a lady, as depicted in Sangam Literary work, Kalithogai 142, penned by Nallanthuvanaar. The verse is situated in the ‘Neythal’ or ‘Coastal Landscape’ and intricately etches the state of mind of a pining woman. 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!…

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Kalithogai 141 – A changed man 6:25

för 8 weeks sedan6:25

6:25

In this episode, we perceive the transformation in a man, as portrayed in Sangam Literary work, Kalithogai 141, penned by Nallanthuvanaar. The verse is situated in the ‘Neythal’ or ‘Coastal Landscape’ and sketches the success story of a man’s mission. அரிதினின் தோன்றிய யாக்கை புரிபு தாம் வேட்டவை செய்து, ஆங்கு, காட்டி மற்று ஆங்கே, அறம் பொருள் இன்பம் என்று அம் மூன்றின் ஒன்றன் திறம் சேரார் செய்யும் தொழில்கள் அறைந்தன்று அணி நிலைப் பெண்ணை மடல் ஊர்ந்து, ஒருத்தி அணி நலம் பாடி வரற்கு ஓரொருகால் உள்வழியள் ஆகி, நிறை மதி நீருள் நிழல் போல், கொளற்கு அரியள் போருள் அடல் மாமேல் ஆற்றுவேன் என்னை மடல்மாமேல் மன்றம் படர்வித்தவள் வாழி, சான்றீர்! பொய் தீர் உலகம் எடுத்த கொடிமிசை மை அறு மண்டிலம் வேட்டனள் வையம் புரவு ஊக்கும் உள்ளத்தேன் என்னை இரவு ஊக்கும் இன்னா இடும்பை செய்தாள் அம்ம, சான்றீர்! கரந்தாங்கே இன்னா நோய் செய்யும்; மற்று இஃதோ பரந்த சுணங்கின் பணைத் தோளாள் பண்பு? இடி உமிழ் வானத்து, இரவு இருள் போழும் கொடி மின்னுக் கொள்வேன் என்றன்னள் வடி நாவின் வல்லார் முன் சொல் வல்லேன் என்னைப் பிறர் முன்னர்க் கல்லாமை காட்டியவள் வாழி, சான்றீர்! என்று, ஆங்கே, வருந்த மா ஊர்ந்து, மறுகின்கண் பாட, திருந்திழைக்கு ஒத்த கிளவி கேட்டு, ஆங்கே, பொருந்தாதார் போர் வல் வழுதிக்கு அருந் திறை போல, கொடுத்தார் தமர். One more in the series of songs about the man pleading for the lady! The words can be translated as follows: “ Man: In this rare to attain human life, people live on, doing whatever pleases them. Of the three virtues, namely justice, wealth and pleasure, when one is not attained by a person, there are certain tasks they resort to. And, primary among them, is climbing onto a decorated palmyra horse and singing about the fine beauty of a maiden. Just once she entered within me, and now, akin to the shadow of the full moon on water, she has become hard to attain. That maiden has made me, the one who has fought in wars many, mounted on a victorious horse, to now climb on a mere palmyra horse and ride it to the town centre. May she live long, O wise elders! Hard to attain like the flawless orb that soars above this faultless world is the maiden I love. Behold that maiden, who has now rendered to me, the one wants to protect the world entire, the terrible suffering of pleading before others, O wise elders! By abstaining from me, she has inflicted me with an unbearable affliction. Is this fitting the good nature of this town’s maiden, with spreading pallor spots and bamboo-like arms? Akin to saying that I can capture the flash of lightning that splits the darkness in the skies that resound with thunder, she has become impossible to reach. That maiden has made me, one who is capable of holding my own before those who speak with perfect tongues, to now show my foolishness before others. May she live long, O wise elders! Onlookers: And so, as he rode the horse with angst, and sang in the streets about the maiden, wearing well-etched jewels, hearing these words, akin to how enemies rendered copious tributes, fearing the battle-worthy Vazhuthi, the kin of that maiden offered her in marriage to the man!” Let’s delve into the details. The verse is situated in the context of the man’s love relationship with the lady, prior to marriage, and here, the man tells his side of the story, followed by the conclusion of the onlookers. The man starts by talking about human lives and how there are certain specific actions that people undertake when they are denied even one of the three facets of life, such as justice, wealth or pleasure. Then, he talks about how one such desperate action is the act of climbing on to a palmyra horse to sing about the beauty of a maiden. Then, he goes on to say how the lady has become rare to attain like the shadow of the moon in water, like the sun that soars above the world, and a flash of lightning in the dark, echoing skies. He mentions how he used to be someone who fought in wars riding a fiery horse, who wished to render with generosity to the world around, and one who shone with intelligence and skill even in the company of great men with perfect tongues. But now, after meeting the lady, he was reduced to one, who had to climb on an illusory symbol of failure – a palmyra horse and had to beg to others, exposing his foolishness before the townspeople. Now, the onlookers take the centre stage and say that when the man went about singing so, in the streets, the lady’s kin heard about it, and just the way, the enemies of the Pandya King would rush to surrender, and offer gifts and tributes to the king, when he lays siege to them, they too immediately rendered the hand of their girl in marriage to the man. Looks like the man got what he wanted. But is that something the lady too wanted? Is anyone asking that question in that age? Isn’t it interesting how something we would dismiss today as a mad man’s outpouring has been taken so seriously by the people around? And this tells us, without a doubt that what seems so important to the people of an era is rarely seen the same way in the eyes of the future!…

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Kalithogai 140 – A Case for Compassion 7:15

för 8 weeks sedan7:15

7:15

In this episode, we listen to the man's angst-ridden words, as depicted in Sangam Literary work, Kalithogai 140, penned by Nallanthuvanaar. The verse is situated in the 'Neythal' or 'Coastal Landscape' and portrays an instance of passionate persuasion.

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Kalithogai 139 – Plea to the Wise 7:56

för 8 weeks sedan7:56

7:56

In this episode, we perceive a man's plea to the wise, as portrayed in Sangam Literary work, Kalithogai 139, penned by Nallanthuvanaar. The verse is situated in the 'Neythal' or 'Coastal Landscape' and depicts the suffering of a man, smitten by love.

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Kalithogai 138 – Palmyra horse to Paradise 9:13

för 9 weeks sedan9:13

9:13

In this episode, we listen to a man's story of winning over his love, as depicted in Sangam Literary work, Kalithogai 138, penned by Nallanthuvanaar. The verse is situated in the 'Neythal' or 'Coastal Landscape' and portrays a public ritual, undertaken as the last resort by young men in love.

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Kalithogai 137 – Fire of parting 6:16

för 9 weeks sedan6:16

6:16

In this episode, we perceive the burning angst of a lady, as portrayed in Sangam Literary work, Kalithogai 137, penned by Nallanthuvanaar. The verse is situated in the 'Neythal' or 'Coastal Landscape' and paints a picture of pain born out of pleasure.

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Kalithogai 136 – Gamble not with her love 5:46

för 9 weeks sedan5:46

5:46

In this episode, we observe the changing stance of the lady's joy, as depicted in Sangam Literary work, Kalithogai 136, penned by Nallanthuvanaar. The verse is situated in the 'Neythal' or 'Coastal Landscape' and showcases the sport of gambling in the Sangam era.

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