Aganaanooru 18 – Swimming in love’s wild river

In this episode, we perceive the dangers in trysting, as depicted in Sangam Literary work, Aganaanooru 18, penned by Kabilar. Set amidst the wild streams of the ‘Kurinji’ or ‘Mountain Landscape’, the verse presents a persuasive plea for a change in action. நீர் நிறம் கரப்ப, ஊழுறுபு உதிர்ந்து,பூமலர் கஞலிய கடு வரற் கான் யாற்று,கராஅம் துஞ்சும் கல் உயர் மறி சுழி,மராஅ யானை மதம் தப ஒற்றி,உராஅ ஈர்க்கும் உட்குவரு நீத்தம்கடுங்கண் பன்றியின் நடுங்காது துணிந்து,நாம அருந் துறைப் பேர்தந்து, யாமத்துஈங்கும் வருபவோ? ஓங்கல் வெற்ப! ஒரு நாள் விழுமம் உறினும், வழி நாள்,வாழ்குவள்அல்லள், என் தோழி; யாவதும்ஊறு இல் வழிகளும் பயில வழங்குநர்நீடு இன்று ஆக இழுக்குவர்; அதனால்,உலமரல் வருத்தம் உறுதும்; எம் படப்பைக்கொடுந் தேன் இழைத்த கோடு உயர் நெடு வரை,பழம் தூங்கு நளிப்பின் காந்தள்அம் பொதும்பில்,பகல் நீ வரினும் புணர்குவை அகல் மலைவாங்கு அமைக் கண் இடை கடுப்ப, யாய்ஓம்பினள் எடுத்த, தட மென் தோளே. Back to the region brimming with the wealth of nature, a delight to traverse, and in this instance, the confidante takes the centerstage and tries to shift the man’s approach to trysting with his lady.Her words are: “Hiding the hue of water, wilted mature flowers fill the rapid, wild forest stream. Swirling against a raised rock upon which a crocodile naps, and capable of dashing against a mad elephant in musth and pulling it within its treacherous whirlpool, the wild river roars and races on. Swimming in such a river, akin to a harsh-eyed boar that knows not fear, with daring, you cross that fear-evoking shore and come here at midnight! Is this right, O lord of the high mountains? If you were to face some deep distress on any one day, the next day, my friend shall live not! Even those who traverse known paths that have no dangers whatsoever, may slip and find themselves in difficulty. And so, it’s sure we would be filled with unbearable sorrow; If you were to come at day to the grove in the tall hills around our village, filled with curving honey combs, hanging fruits and flowering flame-lilies, by day, then you will get to embrace her curving soft arms, akin to smooth bamboo stalks between nodes, flourishing in the wide mountains. Indeed then, those arms that mother has reared with much care, you will embrace!” Time to swim in these mountain streams! The confidante starts by describing a wild river that flows through. This rapid stream is completely covered by fallen flowers along the stream’s path, and it flows with such speed, dashing against rocks that crocodiles sleep on, and with a force that pulls even huge elephants in musth into its swirls. While that is so, the man seems to lack any fear whatsoever, for he comes swimming across this very stream to tryst with the lady at night, the confidante connects. What an exceptional swimmer the man must be to traverse a river that can pull a tusker within! The confidante continues saying that if at all some mishap were to fall the man’s way, the lady had no way of going on and she adds philosophically saying, even people who walk on safe paths that they have taken for a long time may slip and fall sometimes, so you don’t tell us that this is nothing to you! After declaring the risks in the current situation, the confidante seemingly gives an alternative to the man, and concludes by asking him to tryst with the lady by day in their hill groves, filled with honeycombs, fruits and flowers, promising the man that he would get to embrace the lady’s arms, reared with much love by mother. While this seems so thoughtful on the part of our girl, actually she has offered the man an impossible alternative, meaning the fear of discovery, by all those who frequent those groves, to collect honey or pluck fruits or gather flowers, is phenomenally high, and she implies that the only path of progress for the man was to transition from temporary trysting to permanent union with the lady. Through this, the confidante shows her skills in communication by presenting the problem, a seeming alternative and then, letting the person concerned come up with the true solution. A master-class in the art of subtle persuasion!