Kalithogai 126 – Assumptions and Revelations

In this episode, we perceive picturesque images from the sea, as depicted in Sangam Literary work, Kalithogai 126, penned by Nallanthuvanaar. The verse is situated in the ‘Neythal’ or ‘Coastal Landscape’ and presents the assumptions and revelations in the mind of a parted maiden. பொன் மலை சுடர் சேர, புலம்பிய இடன் நோக்கி,தன் மலைந்து உலகு ஏத்த, தகை மதி ஏர்தர,செக்கர் கொள் பொழுதினான் ஒலி நீவி, இன நாரைமுக்கோல் கொள் அந்தணர் முது மொழி நினைவார் போல்,எக்கர் மேல் இறைகொள்ளும், இலங்கு நீர்த் தண் சேர்ப்ப! அணிச் சிறை இனக் குருகு ஒலிக்குங்கால், நின் திண் தேர்மணிக் குரல் என இவள் மதிக்கும்மன்; மதித்தாங்கே,உள் ஆன்ற ஒலியவாய் இருப்பக் கண்டு, அவை கானற்புள் என உணர்ந்து, பின் புலம்பு கொண்டு, இனையுமே நீர் நீவிக் கஞன்ற பூக் கமழுங்கால், நின் மார்பில்தார் நாற்றம் என இவள் மதிக்கும்மன்; மதித்தாங்கே,அலர் பதத்து அசைவளி வந்து ஒல்க, கழி பூத்தமலர் என உணர்ந்து, பின் மம்மர் கொண்டு, இனையுமே நீள் நகர் நிறை ஆற்றாள், நினையுநள் வதிந்தக்கால்,தோள் மேலாய் என நின்னை மதிக்கும்மன்; மதித்தாங்கே,நனவு எனப் புல்லுங்கால், காணாளாய், கண்டதுகனவு என உணர்ந்து, பின் கையற்று, கலங்குமே என ஆங்கு,பல நினைந்து, இனையும் பைதல் நெஞ்சின்,அலமரல் நோயுள் உழக்கும் என் தோழிமதி மருள் வாள் முகம் விளங்க,புது நலம் ஏர்தர, பூண்க, நின் தேரே! The confidante is at it again, speaking up for her friend! The words can be translated as follows: “The flame has retired to the golden mountain, leaving the land around in loneliness. Seeing this, to brighten the dull world, the esteemed moon rises up in that red-rayed time of the day. At this time, noiselessly, a flock of sea birds rest upon the sand dunes, akin to priests, with tridents, meditating on wise words, O lord of shores brimming with cool and radiant waters! When flocks of birds with beautiful feathers call out, she would assume that it’s the sound of bells on your sturdy chariot; When she assumes so, seeing that the sounds recede and fade, she would realise that those are the seabirds, and filled with loneliness, she would feel sorrowful. When flowers soar above the waters and send out their fragrance, she would assume that it’s the scent of the garland on your chest; When she assumes so, as the swaying wind then brings the scent of flowers to her, she would realise these are blooms of the backwaters, and filled with melancholy, she would feel sorrowful. When she feels unable to restrain her heart within her huge mansion and lives in her thoughts, she would assume that you caressed her arms. When she assumes so and hugs you, thinking this is real, then not seeing you, she would realise that it was a dream and filled with helplessness, she would feel sorrowful. And so, with many such thoughts, a heart filled with sorrow, my friend laments with this suffering-filled affliction. To make her moon-like face bloom, to brighten her fresh beauty, you have to ready your horses, O lord!” Let’s explore the nuances. The verse is situated in the context of a man’s parting prior to marriage, and here, the confidante renders these words to the man. She starts with the serene image of dusk falling upon the land and a flock of sea birds resting on the sands, and she likens this image to that of priests meditating on the wisdom of the past. After this description of the man’s land, the confidante goes on to present three different scenes, wherein we see the lady mistaking the sound of birds as the bells on the man’s chariot, the fragrance of new flowers as the scent of the man’s garland, and the image of her embracing the man in her thoughts as something real. When she realises that what she heard, smelled and sensed are just the birds, blooms and a dream, she is filled with sorrow, the confidante tells the man, conveying to him, the state of the lady he loves, with these vivid images. She ends by persuading him to tie-up his horses and race towards the lady’s home, to make the lady’s face glow once again. The sights, sounds and scents and the way they are intertwined with the emotions makes this verse a delight for the senses!