Aganaanooru 293 – The road to desolation

In this episode, we perceive the angst of a woman at the turn of events, as depicted in Sangam Literary work, Aganaanooru 293, penned by Kaavanmullai Poothanaar. Set in the ‘Paalai’ or ‘Drylands landscape’, the verse etches the desolate spaces of this domain in detail. இலை ஒழித்து உலறிய புன் தலை உலவைவலை வலந்தனைய ஆக, பல உடன்சிலம்பி சூழ்ந்த புலம் கெடு வைப்பின்,துகில் ஆய் செய்கைப் பா விரிந்தன்னவெயில் அவிர்பு நுடங்கும் வெவ் வெங் களரி,குயிற் கண் அன்ன குரூஉக் காய் முற்றி,மணிக் காசு அன்ன மால் நிற இருங் கனி,உகாஅய் மென் சினை உதிர்வன கழியும்வேனில் வெஞ் சுரம் தமியர் தாமேசெல்ப என்ப தோழி! யாமே,பண்பு இல் கோவலர் தாய் பிரித்து யாத்தநெஞ்சு அமர் குழவி போல, நொந்து நொந்து,இன்னா மொழிதும் என்ப;என் மயங்கினர்கொல், நம் காதலோரே? In this trip to the drylands, we get to see the usual sights of abandonment, as we listen to the lady say these words to her confidante, when she learns of her man’s intention to part away so as to seek wealth: “Upon a parched, dull-headed tree, which has dried up, losing all its leaves, akin to a spun net, spiders have woven their cobwebs in those wastelands. Akin to the spread of threads on a loom when stitching a garment, the sun’s rays shimmer in that sweltering drylands space.  Small, young fruits of the toothbrush tree in the shape of a cuckoo’s eyes mature and turn into dark purple fruits, appearing akin to precious gems, and these fall from the soft branches of the tree, in the heat of summer in those arid spaces. They say he’s going to part away alone thither, my friend! About me, they say that in the manner of a young calf, which desires to be with its mother, but is separated by herders, lacking culture, I will suffer and suffer, and speak many disparaging things. Why did that lover of mine fall prey to such an illusion?” Time to take a walk through these formidable spaces again! The lady starts by talking about the drylands, and to do that she focuses on the cobwebs spun around a dried-up tree, as if a net has been cast upon it. Then she turns her attention to the scorching sun’s rays and places that in parallel to the threads in a loom at a weaver’s place. The similes continue and she equates the fruits of the toothbrush tree, first to a cuckoo’s eyes when unripe and then to precious gems when ripe. She mentions how these lie scattered in the heat of the summer. All these facets have been recorded to say that’s where the man is heading, all alone, according to the townsfolk. Then she mentions how these same townsfolk are saying that now the lady will cry and wallow like a calf separated from its mother by those cruel cattle herders. The lady concludes by wondering why the man had become so confused and chose this path that leads nowhere! Other than the usual lament about a man parting away, the essence of this verse lies in its picture perfect similes to capture both the spread of the land and the suffering of the mind!