Aganaanooru 80 – The Path from Dark to Day

In this episode, we perceive an indirect technique of persuasion, as depicted in Sangam Literary work, Aganaanooru 80, penned by Marunkoor Kizhaar Perunkannanaar. The verse is situated amidst the trees and vines of the ‘Neythal’ or ‘Coastal landscape’ and sketches a well-etched portrait of an ancient shore. கொடுந் தாள் முதலையொடு கோட்டுமீன் வழங்கும்இருங் கழி இட்டுச் சுரம் நீந்தி, இரவின்வந்தோய்மன்ற தண் கடற் சேர்ப்ப!நினக்கு எவன் அரியமோ, யாமே? எந்தைபுணர் திரைப் பரப்பகம் துழைஇத் தந்தபல் மீன் உணங்கற் படுபுள் ஓப்புதும்முண்டகம் கலித்த முதுநீர் அடைகரைஒண் பல் மலர கவட்டு இலை அடும்பின்செங் கேழ் மென் கொடி ஆழி அறுப்ப,இன மணிப் புரவி நெடுந் தேர் கடைஇ,மின் இலைப் பொலிந்த விளங்கு இணர் அவிழ் பொன்தண் நறும் பைந் தாது உறைக்கும்புன்னைஅம் கானல், பகல் வந்தீமே. In this quick trip to the seas, we meet with the confidante and hear her say these words to the man, when he comes to tryst with the lady, by night: “Traversing narrow paths through the huge backwaters, frequented by crocodiles having curving legs and sharks as well, you have been coming here in the dark of the night, O lord of the cool seas! It shouldn’t be that difficult to see us! Wielding your tall chariot, resounding with the sound of bells, tied on your horses, with your chariot wheels, cutting the slender, red-hued vines of the beach morning glory, having many radiant flowers and twin-lobed leaves, on the shores of those ancient waters, densely filled with water-thorn bushes, to that beautiful orchard filled with laurel wood trees, with resplendent leaves and radiant flower clusters, showering cool, fresh, fragrant, golden pollen, if you were to come by day, you can easily find us, chasing away birds that come near the heaps of fish that father brought from his hunt in the wide seas, filled with foaming waves!” Ready for a swim with sharks and crocodiles? Here we go! The confidante starts by pointing out how the man has been coming in the deadly hour of night through a dangerous path in the backwaters, teeming with crocodiles and sharks too, to meet with the lady. Then she asks the man why take all this risk and come at such a time through such a place. It’s not very hard to meet the lady, she adds. The confidante then describes  the man’s tall chariot and horses tied to it, resounding with bells many, and concludes by telling him, if at all the man decided to come by day, wielding his chariot, cutting the red vines of the beach morning glory, blooming alongside the water thorn, on the shores, heading towards the beautiful orchard of ‘Punnai’ trees with shining leaves, white flowers and golden pollen, then the man could easily see the lady, for she would be right there, chasing away the birds that come to steal away from the heap of fish that father brought from his hunt in the seas. In essence, the confidante tells the man to come claim the lady at a time when she would be in the company of many others. This is another way of telling the man to give up his temporary trysting and ‘Marry her, marry her’! The highlight of this verse is the way the words delight both the naturalist and the anthropologist in each of us, with its vivid portrait of the various dimensions of life on a coastal landscape from another era!