Save me from my love sickness – Narrinai 63
I came across this beautiful poem. When I was reading the commentary I understood the brilliant structure of this poem. So put in some effort to give the essence of the poem with a neat word to word translation.
63. நெய்தல்
உரவுக் கடல் உழந்த பெரு வலைப்பரதவர்
மிகு மீன் உணக்கிய புது மணல் ஆங்கண்,
கல்லென் சேரிப் புலவற் புன்னை
விழவு நாறு விளங்கு இணர் அவிழ்ந்து உடன் கமழும்
அழுங்கல் ஊரோ அறன் இன்று; அதனால்,
அறன் இல் அன்னை அருங் கடிப் படுப்ப,
பசலை ஆகி விளிவதுகொல்லோ-
புள் உற ஒசிந்த பூ மயங்கு அள்ளல்
கழிச் சுரம் நிவக்கும் இருஞ் சிறை இவுளி
திரை தரு புணரியின் கழூஉம்
மலி திரைச் சேர்ப்பனொடு அமைந்த நம் தொடர்பே?
அலர் அச்சத்தால்தோழி சிறைப்புறமாகச் செறிப்பு அறிவுறீஇயது.-உலோச்சனார்
What her girl friend said,
the lover within earshot,behind a fence
On the new sand
where fishermen,
their big nets
ripped apart by an angry sea,
dry their great hauls of fish
in a humming neighborhood
of meat smells,
a laurel tree blossoms
all at once in bright clusters
fragrant as a festival,
but this unfair town
is noisy with gossip.
And what with an unfair Mother too
keep strict watch over us,
will our love just perish here
in sallow patches,
this love for our man
of the seashore
where petals
loosened by the traffic of birds
mix with the mud of the backwaters,
where the big-maned chariot horses galloping there
are washed clean
by the waves of the sea?
Poet:Ulocannar
Translated by A.K.Ramanujan
Situation:
Thalaivan and Thalaivi have met each other , fallen in love. The have made secret night meetings(most probably made love). Then the girl is struck by love sickness. The mother of the girl notices it and keeps her in a house arrest(gossips are . This makes it difficult for the Thalaivan to meet Thalaivi. Thalaivi here urges the Thalaivan who is hiding behind trees to be bold and come forward and marry her .
To understand the structure of the poem , I felt that it is necessary to understand the whole poem line by line. So I have broken my head for a week(surely an exaggeration) and given here a word by word translation
1.உரவுக் -கடல்- உழந்த- பெரு -வலைப்பரதவர்
In constant motion-sea-(caused)suffer-(to the)big-net-(using)parathavar(resident of mullai tract )
2.மிகு -மீன் -உணக்கிய -புது -மணல் -ஆங்கண்,
huge quantity(of) – fish-(being)dried-(in)new- sands – there(that place),
3.கல்லென் சேரிப் புலவற் புன்னை
sound of excitement-(in the)coastal village- (with) smell of fish -(where) punnai tree
4.விழவு நாறு விளங்கு இணர் அவிழ்ந்து உடன் கமழும்
(with)festival(like)-fragrance- renowned-cluster of flowers- opens(blossoms)- emits fragrance
5.அழுங்கல் ஊரோ அறன் இன்று; அதனால்,
loud noisy – village – (which is)virtue – no (virtue less);that’s why,
6.அறன் இல் அன்னை அருங் கடிப் படுப்ப,
virtue-less-mother(’s)-(has set)fear(ful)-trap
7.பசலை ஆகி விளிவதுகொல்லோ-
paleness(love sickness)-become-extinct-will it (would the love(of chieftain of the sea) get extinct in love sickness)
8.புள் உற ஒசிந்த பூ மயங்கு அள்ளல்
birds-with force(sit and)-bend (the branches)under weight-flower-(is)tossed-(into)mud(dy)
9.கழிச் சுரம் நிவக்கும் இருஞ் சிறை இவுளி
marsh/backwater-salt (salty backwater)-remain-(on)tight bond- horse (muddy marsh on horse bound to the chariot)
10.திரை தரு புணரியின் கழூஉம்
waves-cause(by)-sea-cleanse(mud on the horse) by wash
11.மலி திரைச் சேர்ப்பனொடு அமைந்த நம் தொடர்பே?
abundance-sea-chieftain of the sea-happened-our -relationship(love).(should come as continuation of the line with paleness)
Now check the first line,
The sea which is in constant motion causes big suffering to the Parathavars who use big fishing nets.
Emotion of the line: Suffering
Now the second line,
Huge quantity of fishes dried in the new sands of their village
Emotion of the line : Happiness – though they suffered in the sea , their hard work is payed off with huge quantity of the catch they have brought home. A enduring a suffering has resulted in great pleasure.
Third line,
The village buzzing with excitement is filled with smell of the fish
Smell: Stinking fish smell
Fourth Line,
Festival like fragrance emitted by the blossomed clusters of the punnai flowers
Smell: Fragrance – The stinking smell of the fish is offset by the festival like fragrance of the punnai flowers.
(Source-http://www.flowersofindia.net/catalog/slides/Sultan%20Champa.jpg)
Now lets jump to line 9,
The muddy backwater stays on the horse bound to the chariot
Appearance: Dirtiness – horse with mud all over it.
Line 10,
is washed away by the waves caused by the sea
Appearance: Cleanliness. The mud in the body of the horse while walking in the muddy swarms is cleansed by the waves of the sea.
Now lets come to other part,
Line 5,
The virtue less village is noisy with gossips.
cause: Gossips about the girl in the village.
Line 6,
The unfair mother keeping her in strict watch(fearful trap)
Effect: Girl being house arrested.
Now the finishing effect:
Line 7,
will the love with the chieftain die with the paleness of her body
Explanation: due to love sickness the women’s skin has become pale. Like the skin getting lighter day by day would her love also gets faded every day?
Line 8,
The birds by their force bend the branch and make the flowers fall down in the muddy backwaters
Explanation: Compare this to line 5 and 6. The villagers (birds) by their gossips(force) make mother house arrest the girl(bend the branch) and make the girl fall into love sickness(flowers falling down into the muddy back waters)
Now let me assemble different parts of the puzzle in the right place:
The suffering of fishermen are eased by their catch(huge quantity of fish).
The stinking smell of the fishes are nullified by the fragrance of the punnai flowers.
The dirtiness of the horse washed clean by the waves of the sea.
All these three lines suggest that any suffering can be eased out by certain other actions.
So comes the last line,
Love with the Chieftain of the land abundant with sea shores.
So if the Chieftain becomes bold enough (to ask for marriage to her parents or to elope) and raise like a wave of the sea he could wash away the,
flowers from the muddy backwater(i.e put end to all gossips in the village)
and hence
the paleness(love sickness) of his lover.
By uttering this poem she urges the Thalaivan to come and meet her or to take a bold step in consideration with their future.
This poem has beautiful structure which flows naturally and at the same time conveying the inner tension and emotion without any hindrance. I hope by this step by step approach I have able to clearly make you readers understand the importance of each line in the beautifully structured poem.
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Reference:
Literary conventions of akam poetry by Kamil Zvelebil
Narrinai commentary by Narayanaswami iyer
Poems on Love and war – A.K.Ramanujan
Tamil Lexicon
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Walking on a tight rope!- Kurunthokai 7
Every time I come across the visual imagery of the Sangam poems , I am awestruck by the brilliance of the poet. They are able connect the nature and the acts in the day to day life, which we can never think of. The beauty of all these imagery (other than being such delightfully) are situational. Imagery used in each poem has some connection to the mood of the poem.
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Kurunthokai 7- What the passers – By Said
…
This bowman has a warrior’s band
on his ankle;
the girl with the bracelet on her arm
has a virgin’s anklets
on her tender feet.
They look like good people.
In these places
the winds beat
upon the vakai trees
and make the white seedpods rattle
like drums for acrobats
dancing on the tightropes.
poor things,who could they be?
and what makes them walk
with all the others
through these desert ways
so filled with bamboos?
Poet : Perumpatumanar
Translated by A.K.Ramanujan
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Situation:
Thalaivan and Thalaivi are in love. Thalaivi with burning passion shows sign of love sickness and the symptoms are witnessed by her mother and house arrests her. Either at this stage or at stage when her parents see a bride groom for her or a stage where she is very ashamed to confess to her parents she is in love, the lovers decide to elope. This poem is uttered by passers by in the palai region when they see the young lovers eloping.
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Commentary:
Description of Thalaivan:
The Thalaivan is having a bow and a warrior anklet, this is to signify that the Thalaivan was a brave man and he is prepared to fight any one trying to stop them eloping.
Its important we look into the actual word for the warrior anklet
n. < கழல்-. [K. M. kaḻal.] 1. Anklet given as a token of honour to a warrior; வீரக்கழல். ஒண்பொறிக் கழற்கால் (பதிற் றுப். 34, 2).
This shows that the Thalaivan was an accomplished warrior .
Description of Thalaivi:
The young girl is wearing a bracelet and an anklet.
Lets see the two words employed here,
, n. < தொடு²-. 1. Curve, bend; வளைவு. தொடிவளைத் தோளும் (சிலப். 10, 128). 2. Bracelet; கைவளை. (பிங்.) குறுந்தொடி கழித்தகைச் சாபம் பற்றி (புறநா. 77). 3. Armlet;தோள்வளை. நீப்ப நீங்காது வரின்வரை யமைந்து . . . போக்கில் பொலந்தொடி (நற். 136). 4. Armlet, warrior’s armlet; வீரவளை. வலிகெழு தடக்கை தொடியொடுசுடர்வர (மதுரைக். 720).
Thodi is either a bracelet or an armlet worn by the women. Now lets look into the orther ornament ,
சிலம்பு cilampu (page 1435)
2. [M. cilambu.] Tinkling anklets worn by women; மகளிர் காலணிவகை. ஒன்றின வோவவ ளஞ்சிலம் படியே (ஐங்குறு. 389).
This Silambu has special significance. I dont know how many people know this.
Please do not confuse this with the silambu of silapathikaram. Both are different. This silambu had special significance. Like present day metti which is used to signify that the women is married , the silambu in Sangam period was used to signify the women is unmarried(or virgin).
I have to mention about this custom here,
சிலம்புகழிநோன்பு cilampu-kaḻi-nōṉpu :
, n. < சிலம்பு +. Ancient ceremony preliminary to marriage, probably consisting in removing the anklets of a bride; மணவினைக்குமுன் பெண் ணிற்கு நடத்தும் சிலம்புகழற்றுதலாகிய சடங்குவகை. (ஐங்குறு. 399, உரை.)
There are at least 3 to 4 poems which tell about this custom. I am planning to write a detailed blog by next week.
And for now , we can understand that the girl is not married (probably a virgin).
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Significance of the description of the lovers:
The description seems to have certain significance here, the on lookers see the kalal the warrior anklet and the silambu the virgin anklet. Onlookers now understand that the man is a Honorable and famed warrior and the young girl is a virgin. They are passing through palai (very dreadful and infertile land). The Thalaivan is prepared for a fight in case any one is there to oppose( with his bow). This makes them understand that these two are lovers , who are eloping to get married. Hence they feel sorry for them and utter the words
‘நல்லோர் யார்கொல்? அளியர்தாமே’
They look like good people.poor things,who could they be?
அளியர் – இரங்கும் இயல்பினர்.
இரங்கு-. 1. Mercy, grace, commiseration; தயை. இரக்கமுடை யிறை யவனூர் (தேவா. 145, 9). 2. Pity, compassion; melting of heart, as of a mother at the sight of her child in distress, or of a cow for her calf;
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Visual Imagery:
Now comes my favourite part , the visual imagery.
ஆரியர்
கயிறு ஆடு பறையின், கால் பொரக் கலங்கி,
வாகை வெண் நெற்று ஒலிக்கும்.
In these places
the winds beat
upon the vakai trees
and make the white seedpods rattle
like drums for acrobats
dancing on the tightropes.
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The white seed pods gets swayed by the wind and it creates sound like the drums used while the Aryan acrobats perform their dance on the tight ropes. If you actually see the visual of the white seedpods of the vakai tree you will understand visual imagery the poet has infused into it.
Here is the picture of the white seedpods of the vakai tree,
source -http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_oH7YVmRWh-s/SASv-kgyFwI/AAAAAAAABGw/QGqlfdqy7X4/s400/Albizia+julibrissin+seed+pod.jpg
Now just visualize the wind hitting the white seedpods and they start swaying across the branch with the force of the wind. It will be swaying and its only support from being blown away is its attchemnt to the branch of the tree.
Now I have two visuals for you, luckily I could get the exact description of what the poet meant .
See this video,
See the young boy having a drum and Rajesh Khanna performing the tight rope walk and dance. The boy is actually using band drum, so get more authetic here is Vathiyar M.G.R’s clip with nagesh playing the dolak(closest to description given by the poet).
If you have seen it carefully u can visualise the swaying of the white seedpods of the tree while the wind hits it is very very close to the way the rope dancer swing themselves across the ropes. This is very beautifully captured by the poet by his beautiful imagery within his simile.
How this imagery adds to the mood of the poem?
The lovers are now walking a tight rope.The thalaivi has come out of her home, the Thalaivan is taking her away, their life is very unstable and one wrong step can land them in trouble.
I hope I have explained you properly enough to make you imagine the imagery the poet has infused into his beautiful poem.
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Some words for your knowledge,
கால்³ kāl
, n. < கால்-. [T. gāli.] 1. Wind, air, any of the vital airs; காற்று. கால்கடிப் பாகக் கடலொலித் தாங்கு (பதிற்றுப். 68, வேய்² vēy
வேய்¹-. 1. Bamboo. See மூங்கில், 1. வேய்ப்பெயல் விளையுட் டேக்கட் டேறல் (மலைபடு. 171). 2. Bamboo rod; மூங்கிற்கோல்.
பொரு -தல் poru-4. To blow, as the wind; வீசுதல். குரூஉப்புகை பிசிரக் கால்பொர (பதிற்றுப். 15, 6).-
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Reference:
Literary conventions of akam poetry by Kamil Zvelebil
Kuruntholai Urai- U.V.Swaminathan Iyer
Interior landscapes – A.K.Ramanujan
Tamil Lexicon
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