Aganaanooru 188 – Spectacle or Substance?

In this episode, we perceive a curious technique of persuading another, as portrayed in Sangam Literary work, Aganaanooru 188, penned by Veerai Veliyan Thithanaar. The verse is situated amidst the blooming Kino trees of the ‘Kurinji’ or ‘Mountain Landscape’ and hides a throbbing heart amidst the drum beats of thunder. பெருங் கடல் முகந்த இருங் கிளைக் கொண்மூ!இருண்டு உயர் விசும்பின் வலன் ஏர்பு வளைஇ,போர்ப்பு உறு முரசின் இரங்கி, முறை புரிந்துஅறன் நெறி பிழையாத் திறன் அறி மன்னர்அருஞ் சமத்து எதிர்ந்த பெருஞ் செய் ஆடவர்கழித்து எறி வாளின், நளிப்பன விளங்கும்மின்னுடைக் கருவியை ஆகி, நாளும்கொன்னே செய்தியோ, அரவம்? பொன் எனமலர்ந்த வேங்கை மலி தொடர் அடைச்சி,பொலிந்த ஆயமொடு காண்தக இயலி,தழலை வாங்கியும், தட்டை ஓப்பியும்,அழல் ஏர் செயலை அம் தழை அசைஇயும்,குறமகள் காக்கும் ஏனல்புறமும் தருதியோ? வாழிய, மழையே! A sound and light show awaits us in this quick trip to the mountains, as we listen to the confidante say these words to a rain cloud, when the man listens nearby, as he pretends not to notice him: “O rain cloud, after gathering from the great seas along with a huge group of your kin, you climb on the right and envelop the dark, high sky. Then, resounding, akin to a war drum covered in leather, you descend down, accompanied by flashes of lightning, which are akin to swords, pulled out of the sheaths, by brave warriors, who rise up in the furious battlefield, in aid of their discerning king, who with his rightful rule, never sways from the path of justice.  That which you do all day, is it just futile uproar? Weaving a garland of brimming Kino flowers that have bloomed, akin to gold, along with her radiant playmates, wearing the beautiful red leaves of the ‘Ashoka’ tree, akin to fire, the young mountain maiden walks around, so pleasing to the eyes, flapping her ‘thazhalai’ device and shaking her ‘thattai’ rattle device. Won’t you shower upon that millet field she so protects? May you live long, O rain cloud!” Let’s listen closely to the subtle sounds of emotion amidst the din of a mountain shower! The confidante starts by talking to a cloud, mentioning its past of joining along with its relatives and drinking up from the oceans of the world. Then, those clouds seemed to have arrived there, and were resounding with thunder. This sound, the confidante places in parallel to the roar of war drums. Then, she moves on to the other eye-catching element that always accompanies or precedes this sound, namely lightning, and to visualise this, she brings forth the unsheathed swords of warriors in the battlefield, and not just any warriors but those who rise in support of a just and discerning king. Sound check, light check! The confidante now comes to the centre-piece and asks the rain cloud, if all this is just a useless show. Then she goes on to describe the lady, who along with her playmates, wearing garlands of fully-bloomed Kino flowers, and ‘Seyalai’ tree leaves, was walking around, swaying her rattle and other musical instruments, so as to chase away the parrots and protect the millet fields. The confidante concludes by questioning the raincloud whether at all it had any plans of showering on that millet field the lady was protecting. While this may seem like random, playful words said to a raincloud, each one reverberates with a hidden meaning. First, let’s note how the confidante casually remarks about the Kino flower garlands that the lady wears. This is to tell the man that the auspicious time of the year, when the harvest was done and marriage plans were set in motion, had begun, for Kino flowers marked this transition in their lives. The confidante intends to convey to the man that he had been thinking only about the temporary pleasures of trysting, spreading fleeting moments of joy in the lady’s life, akin to lightning. This had led to the thunderous uproar of slander to spread in town. With her pointed question to the cloud as to whether it would only flash and dazzle or whether it would provide the useful effect of watering the millet fields with its rain shower, the confidante nudges the man to take concrete steps to bring forth the useful end of a happy married life with the lady. And thus we see, beneath the layer of simple words, lies a complex meaning, intending to change the heart of a person and the life of a couple. While we may prefer direct and blunt communication in our modern world, don’t you think there is a thoughtful melody of affection in the subtle aesthetics of this ancient poetry?