Aganaanooru 187 – Seeing the faraway path

In this episode, we listen to a lady’s lament, as depicted in Sangam Literary work, Aganaanooru 187, penned by Maamoolanaar. Set in the ‘Paalai’ or ‘Drylands landscape’, the verse presents a stack of similes to sketch this landscape. தோள் புலம்பு அகலத் துஞ்சி, நம்மொடுநாள் பல நீடிய கரந்து உறை புணர்ச்சிநாண் உடைமையின் நீங்கி, சேய் நாட்டுஅரும் பொருள் வலித்த நெஞ்சமொடு ஏகி,நம் உயர்வு உள்ளினர் காதலர் கறுத்தோர்தெம் முனை சிதைத்த, கடும் பரிப் புரவி,வார் கழற் பொலிந்த வன்கண் மழவர்பூந் தொடை விழவின் தலை நாள் அன்ன,தரு மணல் ஞெமிரிய திரு நகர் முற்றம்புலம்புறும்கொல்லோ தோழி! சேண் ஓங்குஅலந்தலை ஞெமையத்து ஆள் இல் ஆங்கண்,கல் சேர்பு இருந்த சில் குடிப் பாக்கத்து,எல் விருந்து அயர, ஏமத்து அல்கி,மனை உறை கோழி அணல் தாழ்பு அன்னகவை ஒண் தளிர கருங்கால் யாஅத்துவேனில் வெற்பின் கானம் காய,முனை எழுந்து ஓடிய கெடு நாட்டு ஆர் இடை,பனை வெளிறு அருந்து பைங் கண் யானைஒண் சுடர் முதிரா இளங் கதிர் அமையத்து,கண்படு பாயல் கை ஒடுங்கு அசை நிலைவாள் வாய்ச் சுறவின் பனித் துறை நீந்தி,நாள் வேட்டு எழுந்த நயன் இல் பரதவர்வைகு கடல் அம்பியின் தோன்றும்மை படு மா மலை விலங்கிய சுரனே? In this long and winding path through the drylands domain, we get to hear the lady say these words to her confidante, at a time, when the man had parted away from her, to go in search of wealth: “Slaying the loneliness of my arms, he had slept here for many days, in a state of clandestine union with me. On account of his honour, and with a heart that yearned for the precious wealth to be gained in a faraway country, that lover of mine parted away, thinking of my welfare. After destroying enemies in furious battles, harsh-eyed warriors, clad in sturdy anklets, wielding speeding horses, celebrate the festival of flowers. Akin to the first day of these celebrations, shines the front yard of our wealthy mansion, spread with sands from afar. Won’t it now turn lonely, my friend? In those uninhabited, faraway spaces, filled with dried-up axle-wood trees, spotting tiny hamlets by the hills, to eat the day’s food, in a protected spot, he stays for a while, and then he continues onward to those scrub jungles, where the summer’s heat scorches the black-stemmed ‘Ya’ trees, having dried black sprouts, akin to the hanging beards of house hens, and he walks on those formidable paths through the ruined lands, where people have fled owing to endless battles, where after feeding on the palmyra fronds, a green-eyed elephant closes its eyes and rests, without a sliver of movement, in the morning hour, filled with tender rays, when the sun scorches not, and appears akin to a boat, sailing in the swaying sea, wielded by fisherfolk, intent on their day’s hunt, as they traverse those cool shores, frequented by sword-mouthed fish. Such are the drylands he traverses near huge, cloud-covered mountains now!” Let’s brave this dreary domain and learn more! The lady starts by mentioning how the man had been in a secret love relationship with her for long. But realising the importance of seeking her hand, he had left in search of wealth, she adds. She compares the sand-filled front yard of their mansion to the festivities of victorious warriors, and depicts that now that the man had left, it’s going to turn bleak and lifeless. Then, she goes on to visualise the path the man walks, talking about the dried up axle-wood trees, the scrub-jungles, where the hanging sprouts on ‘Ya’ trees, appear like the black beards of house hens, where people have fled the region, owing to the battles that arose there, where an elephant sleeps appearing like the boat of fisherfolk in the morning sun. In much detail, the lady concludes by visualising how the man would try desperately to find a protected spot to have his day’s meal and trudge on through the endless expanse of the drylands, to win the wealth, seeking to uphold the welfare of his beloved. The thought that came to me when reading and reflecting is that timeless sense of how the pain of those we love seems so vivid and tangible, no matter how far apart in space they may be!