Kalithogai 60 – Pleading for the man

Sangam Lit

In this episode, we listen to an animated conversation between two women, as portrayed in Sangam Literary work, Kalithogai 60, penned by Kabilar. The verse is situated in the ‘Kurinji’ or ‘Mountains landscape’ and presents a situation, where the confidante pleads the man’s case in the court of the lady’s mind!

தோழி
சுணங்கு அணி வன முலை, சுடர் கொண்ட நறு நுதல்,
மணம் கமழ் நறுங் கோதை மாரி வீழ் இருங் கூந்தல்,
நுணங்கு எழில், ஒண் தித்தி, நுழை நொசி மட மருங்குல்,
வணங்கு இறை வரி முன்கை, வரி ஆர்ந்த அல்குலாய்!
‘கண் ஆர்ந்த நலத்தாரை, கதுமென, கண்டவர்க்கு
உள் நின்ற நோய் மிக, உயிர் எஞ்சு துயர் செய்தல்
பெண் அன்று, புனையிழாய்!’ எனக் கூறி தொழூஉம்; தொழுதே,
கண்ணும் நீராக நடுங்கினன், இன் நகாய்!
என் செய்தான் கொல்லோ இஃது ஒத்தன் தன்கண்
பொருகளிறு அன்ன தகை சாம்பி உள்உள்
உருகுவான் போலும் உடைந்து?

தலைவி
தெருவின்கண் காரணம் இன்றிக் கலங்குவார்க் கண்டு, நீ,
வாரணவாசிப் பதம் பெயர்த்தல், ஏதில
நீ நின்மேல் கொள்வது எவன்?

தோழி
‘அலர்முலை ஆய்இழை நல்லாய்! கதுமென,
பேர் அமர் உண்கண் நின் தோழி உறீஇய
ஆர் அஞர் எவ்வம் உயிர் வாங்கும்;
மற்று இந் நோய் தீரும் மருந்து அருளாய், ஒண்தொடீ!
நின் முகம் காணும் மருந்தினேன்’ என்னுமால்;
நின் முகம் தான் பெறின் அல்லது, கொன்னே
மருந்து பிறிது யாதும் இல்லேல், திருந்திழாய்!
என் செய்வாம்கொல், இனி நாம்?

தலைவி
பொன் செய்வாம்!
ஆறு விலங்கித் தெருவின்கண் நின்று ஒருவன்
கூறும் சொல் வாய் எனக் கொண்டு, அதன் பண்பு உணராம்,
‘தேறல் எளிது’ என்பாம் நாம்

தோழி
‘ஒருவன் சாம் ஆறு எளிது’ என்பாம், மற்று

தலைவி
சிறிது, ஆங்கே ‘மாணா ஊர் அம்பல் அலரின் அலர்க’ என,
நாணும் நிறையும் நயப்பு இல் பிறப்பு இலி

தோழி
பூண் ஆகம் நோக்கி இமையான், நயந்து, நம்
கேண்மை விருப்புற்றவனை, எதிர் நின்று,
நாண் அடப் பெயர்த்த நயவரவு இன்றே.

A change of pace to a dialogue-oriented format in this verse! The words rendered can be translated as follows:

“Confidante:
With beautiful bosom decked with beauty spots, flame-like fragrant forehead, dark tresses akin to descending clouds, adorned with a fragrant garland, a slender waist, filled with radiant and intricate pallor spots, a curving and lined forearm, loins with exquisite lines, you are, O maiden! Saying to me, ’O maiden wearing well-etched ornaments, it isn’t feminine nature to be unmindful of the deep suffering that arises in a person, tormenting their very life, when they behold the exquisite beauty of the woman’s form before them suddenly’, he pleaded to me. When he pleaded, his eyes filled with tears and he trembled with emotion, O maiden with a beautiful smile. Do you know what else he did? He seemed to have the majesty of a battle elephant. But he stood there with moist eyes, showing how he was anguished and broken deep within!

Lady:
Seeing someone who cries for no reason in the street, akin to those in the city of Varanasi, who take up the pain of others, why do you burden yourself with the feelings of a stranger?

Confidante:
Saying, ‘O beautiful maiden with a blooming bosom and well-etched ornaments! Instantly, your friend’s beautiful, big, kohl-streaked eyes caused great suffering and drained out my life entire. However, you are not kind to render the cure for this deadly affliction, O maiden wearing radiant bangles. And that cure is to see her face’. So he pleaded to me. He thinks other than attaining the grace of your face, there is no other cure, O maiden wearing well-carved ornaments! What shall we do now?

Lady:
Nought, we shall do now! Straying from the normal, a man stands on the street and speaks something. Taking that as the truth, without realising its true nature, you seem to tell me, ‘It’s better to understand him’.

Confidante:
So, should I say, ‘It’s better to let him die’?

Lady:
There’s also the concern of how slander will rise in town because of our acceptance. However, he doesn’t have the goodness to even think a little about that. He won’t die!

Confidante:
Gazing at your beautiful form, adorned with jewels, without taking his eyes away, with desire, he seeks your relationship. It’s not good nature to shamelessly move away from such a person, without rendering your grace!”

Time to delve into the details. The verse is situated in the context of a man’s love relationship with a lady, prior to marriage, and depicts a discussion between the confidante and the lady. The confidante starts by praising the lady’s beauty, no doubt echoing the words said by the man to her about the lady’s beauty. He seems to have complained to the confidante about how when he looked at the lady, he felt a deep affliction rise in him, bewitched by her presence, and remarked that it’s not becoming for the lady’s femininity if she did not care about that. Then, she goes on to etch in detail the way he stood there, tearful, quivering with feeling, and tells the lady that the man, who was like an elephant, was reduced to this state, after falling in love with the lady and not seeing her reciprocate his feeling. When the confidante finishes this statement, the lady remarks with apathy, asking her friend why she should bother about some person on the street, who was shedding tears for no reason. Did the confidante think that she was a person from the town of Varanasi, where people were known to take up the pain and burden of others? This simile seems to depict an ancient understanding in Sangam society about religious beliefs in the northern part of the subcontinent.

Moving on, the confidante continues her case saying how the man said the only cure for his deep suffering was seeing affection on the lady’s face, and the confidante asks the lady what they should do. The lady in turn sarcastically asks the confidante, ‘Should we do exactly as he asks?’, implying they should do nothing. She remarks he’s not behaving in a normal manner and he’s speaking random stuff and the confidante seems to support him and asks the lady to understand him. To this, the confidante pointedly asks the lady should she just let him die. And to that, the lady points out how the man seems not to care about the slander that would rise in their town if they accept him and declares that he will not die for sure. The confidante has the last word, advising her friend saying it was not a just thing to disregard the emotions of someone, who sought her out with so much love. And thus, we witness an interesting exchange between two women and understand the role of a confidante in bringing together the man and the lady and make love bloom in their lives. Whether such a depiction is rooted in the reality of Sangam culture or whether it ha been imaginatively created to present the timeless conflict in a woman’s heart when accepting a man’s advances is something fascinating to ponder upon!