Kalingathup Parani 26
O’ women who caress imaginary nail marks in your breasts
That Kulothungan made last night in your dreams
And think joyfully “his love is entirely mine now”!
Please open your door!
எனத டங்கஇனி வளவ துங்கனருள்
எனம கிழ்ந்துஇரவு கனவிடைத்
தனத டங்கள்மிசை நகந டந்தகுறி
தடவு வீர்கடைகள் திறமினோ.
In this poem, the poet asks the women to open their doors and hear the valour of the Chola army. The women who are in love with the King Kulothunga Cholan dream that they made love to him in the night and are happy thinking “He is mine now”. They are so taken up with this illusion that they caress imaginary nail marks in their breasts that they think was made during previous night’s love making. They are still stuck in their dreams. The poet asks them to come out of their dreams and open their doors.
Kalingathu p Parani is a short literary work (சிற்றிலக்கியம்) written by Poet Jayamkondar in 12th century. It is written in praise of Kulothunga Cholan’s general Karunakara Thondaiman who invaded and conquered Kalinga country (present day Orissa). Poems 21-74 are the bard calling the women of Kanchi (present day Kancheepuram, the town of Karunakara Thondaiman) to open their doors and hear the valor of their hero. These 54 poems are erotic in nature. The next chapters of the work are gory descriptions of battle field and the ghosts getting together for a feast of dead bodies.
Parani is a form of poetic work that is sung in praise of a warrior. It is generally named after the battle. Since this about the battle of Kalinga, it is called Kalingathup Parani.
எனதடங்க – எனது அடங்க – entirely mine
வளவன் – Chola King
துங்கன்- Kulothungan
அருள் – grace / love
கனவு – dream
தனம் – breasts
நக நடந்த குறி – marks made by nails
கடை – door
திறமின் – open
Old Tamil Poetry 