Aganaanooru 42 – Relief of the rains

In this episode, we experience a downpour of joy, as depicted in Sangam Literary work, Aganaanooru 42, penned by Kabilar. Set in the rain-soaked ranges of the ‘Kurinji’ or ‘Mountain Landscape’, the verse talks about the transformative effect of an event. மலி பெயல் கலித்த மாரிப் பித்திகத்துக்கொயல் அரு நிலைஇய பெயல் ஏர் மண முகைச்செவ் வெரிந் உறழும் கொழுங் கடை மழைக் கண்,தளிர் ஏர் மேனி, மாஅயோயே!நாடு வறம் கூர, நாஞ்சில் துஞ்ச,கோடை நீடிய பைது அறு காலை,குன்று கண்டன்ன கோட்ட, யாவையும்சென்று சேக்கல்லாப் புள்ள, உள் இல்என்றூழ் வியன்குளம் நிறைய வீசி,பெரும் பெயல் பொழிந்த ஏம வைகறை,பல்லோர் உவந்த உவகை எல்லாம்என்னுள் பெய்தந்தற்றே சேண் இடைஓங்கித் தோன்றும் உயர் வரைவான் தோய் வெற்பன் வந்தமாறே. In this little trip to the hills, we listen to these ecstatic words said by the confidante to the lady, when the man had returned, after a long hiatus, and given a specific information to pass on to the lady: “Akin to the beautiful and fragrant bud of the wild jasmine flowers, which bloom in the heavy downpour of the rainy season, so abundant that they remain hard to be plucked entirely, are your red-lined, thick-edged, rain-like, moist eyes! You art so, with a complexion, akin to a fresh sprout, O dark-skinned maiden! Imagine a harsh time, when a country turns barren with drought, and ploughs turn to sleep, when summer extends long and slow. At such a time, when the wide ponds, with shores, akin to peaks, which have been abandoned by birds, having nothing within, spreading only scorching heat, are suddenly filled by the pouring down of heavy rains, on a blessed morning hour, think of the joy that so many would experience upon seeing this. I felt as if all this joy had poured within me, when the lord of the sky-soaring peaks, far away, appearing tall with ranges many, came here, just then!” Let’s lose the umbrellas and prepare to be soaked in a mountain rain! The confidante starts by comparing the red-streaked, beautiful eyes of the lady to the ‘Pithigam’, a type of wild jasmine bud that bursts open in the rainy season. She details that these flowers are so abundant that no matter how much one tries, it’s hard to pluck them all and thus endow a sweet fragrance all around. Such beauty is placed in parallel with the lady, who also is said to have skin, like a fresh green sprout! After these descriptions of the lady’s beauty, the confidante turns to a hypothetical situation, but one experienced in other regions quite often. She talks about a harsh summer, when the land has become dry and parched, where the ploughs are sleeping, as if asking ‘What’s the point?’. In such a time, there would be nothing but empty mud beds, in what was once lush ponds, given the cold shoulder by the birds too. Just then, what if the rains decided to descend down and fill these ponds to the brim, asks the confidante, what do you think all the people there would feel! That’s exactly what she felt when the man came and gave her the news that he would claim the lady’s hand soon, the confidante concludes. The joy of people in a rainless land at the sight of a downpour is placed in parallel with the emotion experienced within. The beauty of this simile is that this is something that can be related to, even today. It’s a timeless emotion, especially in the minds of people, who live in desert-like conditions, for some part of the year, waiting for the relief of the rains. Fascinating also how the poet has weaved in the theme of rain throughout the verse, be it in the flowers, the lady’s eyes and in the emotions, and has thus, soaked us in the shower of harmony and beauty!