Old Tamil Poetry

Kurunthokai – 8

What the courtesan said:

The man from the town where fish in canals
grab sweet ripened mangoes that fall off trees,
talks much when he’s in my house,
but in his house,
like an image in a mirror repeating
the actions of one in front of it,
acts as per the wish of his son’s mother.

பரத்தை கூற்று:

கழனி மாஅத்து விளைந்து உகு தீம் பழம்
பழன வாளை கதூஉம் ஊரன்
எம் இல் பெருமொழி கூறி, தம் இல்,
கையும் காலும் தூக்கத் தூக்கும்
ஆடிப் பாவை போல,
மேவன செய்யும், தன் புதல்வன் தாய்க்கே.

Courtesans (பரத்தை) appear often in Sangam poetry. Most of the agrarian landscape (மருதம் திணை) poems are about the interactions between him, her and the courtesan.

In this poem the courtesan mocks him for making tall promises when with her, but losing his voice in front of his wife. He becomes a mirror image of his wife and does what she wants him to do. The first part of the poem about his town seems superfluous at first. What’s the need to bring in mango trees and fish? What she implies is “In his town they are lazy and don’t pluck the fruit, letting it fall into canals. Similarly he is lazy and waits for things to happen on their own”. Also saying son’s mother is a derisive way of calling the wife an old hag.

Kurunthokai – 119

Like an alluringly striped snakelet
of a small white snake
that torments a wild elephant –
this lass, with rice grain like bright teeth
and bangle laden arms – torments me.

சிறு வெள் அரவின் அவ் வரிக் குருளை
கான யானை அணங்கியா அங்கு-
இளையள், முளை வாள் எயிற்றள்,
வளையுடைக் கையள்-எம் அணங்கியோளே.

She leaves him after a night of passion. He says though she looks delicate, her love causes him much pain. It is like a snakelet (young snake) troubling a mighty wild elephant. Like how the poison of the small snake troubles the mighty elephant, lust for her troubles him who was previously untamed. He sees her first (young girl), she comes near him and smiles (sparkling teeth), and then she embraces him (bangled arms).

Monocled cobra. Pic : venomstreet.com

Stripes on a snakelet are enticingly beautiful. Snake hood has been used as metaphor for mound of Venus in many Tamil poems. Now if you read the poem again, it becomes more explicit.

அ வரி – beautiful stripe. சிறு வெள் அரவு – small white snake (U Ve Saminatha Iyer in his commentary says it is கோதுமை நாகம் – monocled cobra). அணங்கு – affliction, sufferinng, lust.

Kurunthokai – 20

அருளும் அன்பும் நீக்கி, துணை துறந்து,
பொருள்வயிற் பிரிவோர் உரவோர் ஆயின்,
உரவோர் உரவோர் ஆக!
மடவம் ஆக, மடந்தை, நாமே!

If those who leave their spouse,
forsaking love and affection
in search of wealth, are wise,
let him be wise!
We’ll be idiots, my friend!

Her husband has left her in search of wealth. She cribs to her friend “how can he leave me and go? May be he is strong enough to withstand the pain of love. If this is the wise thing to do, let him be wise. I, a simple minded girl cannot bear to be away from him. If this sounds idiotic, let me be an idiot”