Aganaanooru 284 – Hamlet that beckons the heart

In this episode, we perceive the eagerness to be back with a beloved, as portrayed in Sangam Literary work, Aganaanooru 284, penned by Idaikaadanaar. The verse is situated amidst the leaping hares of the ‘Mullai’ or ‘Forest landscape’ and paints a portrait of this domain and its denizens. சிறியிலை நெல்லிக் காய் கண்டன்னகுறு விழிக் கண்ண கூரல் அம் குறு முயல்முடந்தை வரகின் வீங்கு பீள் அருந்துபு,குடந்தை அம் செவிய கோட் பவர் ஒடுங்கி,இன் துயில் எழுந்து, துணையொடு போகி,முன்றில் சிறு நிறை நீர் கண்டு உண்ணும்புன் புலம் தழீஇய பொறைமுதல் சிறு குடி,தினைக் கள் உண்ட தெறி கோல் மறவர்,விசைத்த வில்லர், வேட்டம் போகி,முல்லைப் படப்பைப் புல்வாய் கெண்டும்காமர் புறவினதுவே காமம்நம்மினும் தான் தலைமயங்கியஅம் மா அரிவை உறைவு இன் ஊரே. In this trip to these pleasing lands, we observe spirited beings in action, as we listen to the man say these words to his charioteer, at a time when he is returning after completing his mission: “Having small eyes, akin to fruits of the small-leaved gooseberry, are those beautiful little hares with sharp fur. After munching on thick clusters of curved millet crops, these creatures with prominent ears, leap inside the vines. Then, rising from their sweet sleep, along with their mates, they drink up water, placed in brimming vessels, in the front yard of homes in hamlets, surrounding these forest lands near the hills. Here, after drinking up millet toddy, brave men with sharp arrows and tautly tied bows, leave on a hunt, and bringing back deer, they feed on it, in the jasmine-covered forest lands. Near this picturesque forest, is the village, where that beautiful, dark-skinned maiden, throbbing with even more passion than me, lives!” Let’s hop along with those hares and learn more! The man starts by focusing on this very creature and he associates the hare’s eyes with gooseberry fruits. After that picture-perfect plant-animal simile, he talks about how these hares feed on millet crops, rest under bushes, and then rising from sleep, go on to drink the water placed in pots, in front of homes in those little hamlets. Then he talks about the people living there, the hunters who bring back their catch of deer, and about how, spreading on those red lands, they cut and feast on their game. The man concludes by saying his beloved lives in a village near this beautiful forest, talking about how she would be brimming over with more yearning and love, than even him.  In these words, we can infer the subtle notes of the man’s eagerness to see the lady’s lovely town and be back in her company again. Like the happy hare, the man too intends to rest and rejoice with his beloved and drink from their together cup of joy!