In this episode, we perceive the communication of a hidden message, as portrayed in Sangam Literary work, Aganaanooru 180, penned by Karuvoor Kannampaalanaar. The verse is situated amidst the sand dunes and flower orchards of the ‘Neythal’ or ‘Coastal landscape’ and narrates an incident and its consequences.
நகை நனி உடைத்தால் தோழி! தகை மிக
கோதை ஆயமொடு குவவு மணல் ஏறி,
வீ ததை கானல் வண்டல் அயர,
கதழ் பரித் திண் தேர் கடைஇ வந்து,
தண் கயத்து அமன்ற ஒண் பூங் குவளை
அரும்பு அலைத்து இயற்றிய சுரும்பு ஆர் கண்ணி
பின்னுப் புறம் தாழக் கொன்னே சூட்டி,
நல் வரல் இள முலை நோக்கி, நெடிது நினைந்து,
நில்லாது பெயர்ந்தனன், ஒருவன்; அதற்கே
புலவு நாறு இருங் கழி துழைஇ, பல உடன்
புள் இறை கொண்ட முள்ளுடை நெடுந் தோட்டுத்
தாழை மணந்து ஞாழலொடு கெழீஇ,
படப்பை நின்ற முடத் தாட் புன்னைப்
பொன் நேர் நுண் தாது நோக்கி,
என்னும் நோக்கும், இவ் அழுங்கல் ஊரே.
In this little trip to the seashore, we get to hear the lady say these words to her confidante, pretending not to notice the man listening nearby, but making sure he’s in earshot:
“It makes me laugh out aloud, my friend! Along with my esteemed playmates, clad in garlands, I had climbed on a sand dune, and then was relaxing by building sand houses in that flower-filled orchard. Just then, a speeding, sturdy chariot stopped there. Stepping down, bringing a bee-buzzing head garland, tied tightly with buds of shining blue-lilies that had been blooming in a cool pond, a man tied it to the tresses hanging low on my back, without me seeking that. Then, he took a look at my uplifted, young bosom, stood there thinking for a long time and parted away without staying longer. After searching the flesh-reeking, dark backwaters, along with their flock, birds rest upon the spiny tall branches of the pandanus, fused with the tiger claw, standing next to the laurel-wood tree, with a curving stem, in our hamlet. Just for that unexpected moment with the man, this uproarious, slanderous town looks at me and looks at the gold-like pollen of the laurel wood tree alike!”
Ready for a walk upon the pristine sands of an ancient shore? Here we go! The lady starts by remarking that something seemed ridiculously funny to her. Then she goes on to tell what that incident is, talking about how one day, she had been playing with her mates on the heaped sand in the fragrant orchards by the sea. At that time, a chariot that was whizzing by, stopped near them. A man stepped down, with a garland of blue lilies in his hand. Then, coming near the lady, he seemed to have tied it on her braids, hanging low on her back. The lady insists that she didn’t want that or ask for that. Then she talks about how the man had stood looking at her bosom, thought and sighed for a bit, and left without a word. This was all that happened, and the townsfolk are pointedly looking at me and the golden pollen of the laurel wood tree, the lady concludes.
That seems like a puzzle to you, no doubt! What’s the connection between pollen and the lady and why should this make the lady laugh with exasperation? The answer lies in the association between the golden pallor spots that spread on a lady’s skin and the pollen of this tree. The lady must have got into a relationship with the man and was perhaps yearning for him when he was gone. This would result in the appearance of those spots, leading to gossip and slander in town, the lady implies. These words are said for the benefit of the man, listening nearby, to echo the troubles the lady’s facing and nudge him to seek her hand and put an end to this misery!
If at all these ancient poets are to be believed, imagine what mental gymnastics those in love in that era had to go through to simply understand what was in the mind of the other! On the other hand, perhaps such contortions of the mind are something natural and needed for those in love, no matter where or when they live, with only the ‘why’ changing every time!