Aganaanooru 38 – The appearance of absence

In this episode, we listen to how a hidden message is subtly conveyed, as portrayed in Sangam Literary work, Aganaanooru 38, penned by Vadama Vannakkan Peri Saathanaar. Set in the ‘Kurinji’ or ‘Mountain Landscape’, the verse paints picturesque images to etch the past and present. விரி இணர் வேங்கை வண்டு படு கண்ணியன்,தெரி இதழ்க் குவளைத் தேம் பாய் தாரன்,அம் சிலை இடவது ஆக, வெஞ் செலல்கணை வலம் தெரிந்து, துணை படர்ந்து உள்ளி,வருதல் வாய்வது, வான் தோய் வெற்பன்.வந்தனன் ஆயின், அம் தளிர்ச் செயலைத்தாழ்வு இல் ஓங்கு சினைத் தொடுத்த வீழ் கயிற்றுஊசல் மாறிய மருங்கும், பாய்பு உடன்ஆடாமையின் கலுழ்பு இல தேறி,நீடு இதழ் தலைஇய கவின் பெறு நீலம்கண் என மலர்ந்த சுனையும், வண் பறைமடக் கிளி எடுத்தல்செல்லாத் தடக் குரல்குலவுப் பொறை இறுத்த கோல் தலை இருவிகொய்து ஒழி புனமும், நோக்கி; நெடிது நினைந்து;பைதலன் பெயரலன்கொல்லோ? ஐ தேய்கு‘அய வெள் அருவி சூடிய உயர் வரைக்கூஉம் கணஃது எம் ஊர்’ எனஆங்கு அதை அறிவுறல் மறந்திசின், யானே. The mighty mountains beckon us with their lush green stories of romance. Here, the confidante says these words to the lady, while passing on a pointed message to the man, listening nearby: “Wearing a head garland of Kino flowers, swarming with bees, and a chest garland of honey-dripping, wide-petaled blue waterlilies, carrying an exquisite bow on his left and well-chosen speeding arrows, thinking about his mate, the lord of the sky-high mountains will surely come here. When he does, he will see the swing, tied with a rope on the unbending, tall branch of the luxuriant ‘Seyalai’ tree, standing still, unused; the spring, where beautiful, long-petaled blue lotuses have bloomed like eyes, appearing unshaken, since we have not dived and played in it; the millet field, with the once-thick crop ears that bent the stalks with their weight, too heavy to be carried by those naive parrots with wide wings, completely harvested, appearing barren, with just tiny stubbles; Seeing all this, he will think for long and then part away with suffering, won’t he? Let my beauty be ruined! For Alas! I forgot to remind him then and there that, ‘Atop the tall mountain clad with a picturesque, white cascade, within calling distance, is our village!’” Time to take in the flower-filled mountain springs and understand more! The confidante starts by presenting an image of the man, wearing garlands of Kino flowers on his head and a garland of blue lilies on his chest, and carrying a bow and strong arrows too. This lord of the mountains is sure to come to the mountain spaces, thinking of his love, she says, and adds that when he does so, he’s in for quite a disappointment. The familiar places, where he had trysted with his beloved, would appear different now, for instance, the swing tied to the tall Ashoka tree, the one he used to push the lady on, would be absolutely still, with no one to adorn it; Likewise, the springs, wherein he once dived and played with the lady, will now be crystal clear, without any ripples, for the lady had not been there for long; And finally, the millet fields would have only stubble for those heavy crop ears would all be harvested, the confidante elaborates. Going from one spot to another, the man’s heart is going to get heavier and heavier and he’s going to leave with dejection, she predicts. Finally, the confidante concludes with a curse upon herself for the reason she forgot to tell the man where their town was, just on that tall mountain with a white cascade, within calling distance. In essence, the confidante means to tell the listening man that the harvest was done and the lady could no longer tryst with him in all those familiar spaces. From one angle, this can be seen as an invitation to the man for a tryst by night with the lady or it could be the confidante’s way of nudging the man to turn in the direction of a permanent union with the lady. Beyond the usual chants of ‘Marry her, Marry her’, what shines in this verse, is the way the abstract quality of absence is sketched so tangibly in the appearance of places! A feeling that endures across space and time in the parting away of someone we love, and its echo on the outer world, once shared with them!