Aganaanooru 135 – Like a besieged town

In this episode, we listen to the agony in a lady’s heart, as depicted in Sangam Literary work, Aganaanooru 135, penned by Paranar. Set in the ‘Paalai’ or ‘Drylands landscape’, the verse connects a historic event to a person’s state of mind. திதலை மாமை தளிர் வனப்பு அழுங்க,புதல் இவர் பீரின் எதிர் மலர் கடுப்பப்பசலை பாய்ந்த நுதலேன் ஆகி,எழுது எழில் மழைக் கண் கலுழ, நோய் கூர்ந்து,ஆதிமந்தியின் அறிவு பிறிதுஆகி,பேதுற்றிசினே காதல்அம் தோழி!காய்கதிர் திருகலின் கனைந்து கால் கடுகி,ஆடுதளிர் இருப்பைக் கூடு குவி வான் பூ,கோடு கடை கழங்கின், அறைமிசைத் தாஅம்காடு இறந்தனரே, காதலர்; அடுபோர்,வீயா விழுப் புகழ், விண் தோய் வியன் குடை,ஈர் எழு வேளிர் இயைந்து ஒருங்கு எறிந்தகழுவுள் காமூர் போலக்கலங்கின்றுமாது, அவர்த் தெளிந்த என் நெஞ்சே. It’s a brief foray into the drylands and a deeper trek into the lady’s mind in this one, as we listen to the lady express these words to her confidante, when the man remains parted away: “Making my exquisite dark complexion filled with pale specks, akin to a tender sprout, lose its beauty, akin to ridge gourd flowers on a bush, pallor has spread on my forehead. As my rain-like eyes, with a beauty that invites to be sketched, shed tears, with my affliction soaring, akin to Aathimanthi, who lost her senses, I stand troubled and confused, my loving friend! Owing to the attack of the scorching sun, shaken by heavy winds, pointed white flowers of the Mahua tree, with swaying sprouts, spread atop rocks, akin to dice drilled from conch shells, in the drylands scrub jungle, and that lover of mine has left to this place; And so, akin to how the town of Kaamoor, ruled by Kazhuvul, renowned for his victory in wars, unswerving great fame and sky-soaring parasol of his reign, when that town was attacked together by fourteen Velir kings, fell into disarray, stands troubled my heart that had hoped he wouldn’t part away!” Let’s walk on through sweltering drylands and catch a glimpse of the quivering heart! The lady starts by talking about how her exquisite beauty is all gone and she seems to behaving like the famous character Aathi Manthi, who had utterly lost her head. We have come across this person in many other poems, which talks about her deep suffering when her beloved was swept away by a river. When we ask with concern why the lady is so, she explains that’s because her man had left to the scorching drylands, where the flowers of the Mahua tree lie scattered like dice made of conch shells, upon the rocks. The lady concludes by saying because she is unable to bear the parting, she feels exactly like the town of Kaamoor, ruled by a great king Kazhuvul, when it faced the coordinated attack of fourteen Velir kings- So utterly devastated! Nothing but an expression of deep sorrow felt in parting! Hope this brings some respite to the suffering lady. Moving beyond this oft-repeated theme, such verses make me wonder if these pointed outpourings of the heart were the Sangam poets’ way of sharing historic knowledge, in a striking manner, with the people of then and the future!