Old Tamil Poetry

Kurunthokai – 95

Clamor of pristine white water falls from lofty hills
echo inside caves in the slope dotted with many a flower;
Her dad is chief of a hamlet in those slopes;
His broad shouldered young daughter’s
water like grace doused my fire like vigor.

மால் வரை இழிதரும் தூ வெள் அருவி
கல் முகைத் ததும்பும் பல் மலர்ச் சாரற்
சிறுகுடிக் குறவன் பெருந் தோட் குறுமகள்
நீர் ஓரன்ன சாயல்
தீ ஓரன்ன என் உரன் அவித்தன்றே.

His friend finds him listless and asks him the reason. He says “See that hill slope dotted with many hued flowers.  Pristine white water falls from those hills and sounds noisily inside the caves. I have fallen in love with the daughter of a hill chieftain from that hilly slope. She is graceful and gentle, just like the water that flows in her hills. I was full of vigor before I met her. Her gentleness has doused my vigor. I am besotted with her now and feeling listless”

Description of nature is inherent part of Sangam poetry. He mentions those flower dotted hill slope and caves to indicate that is where they had made love.

The last two lines make this poem. Read them out loud and relish them.
நீர் ஓரன்ன சாயல்
தீ ஓரன்ன என் உரன் அவித்தன்றே

Her water like grace
doused my fire like vigor.

மால் வரை – Lofty hill
இழிதரும் – falls down
தூ வெள் அருவி – pure white water falls
கல் முகை – crack in rocks / caves
ததும்பும் – sounds / echoes
பல் மலர் – many flowers
சாரல் – hill slope
சிறுகுடி – small hamlet
குறவன் – chief
பெருந் தோட் குறுமகள் – broad shouldered young daughter
நீர் ஓரன்ன சாயல் – water like grace
தீ ஓரன்ன என் உரன் – my fire like strength / vigor
அவித்தன்றே – quenched / doused

Kurunthokai – 168

Like dew covered buds of monsoon jasmine
kept inside broad green palm fronds
blossoming at incessant rainy dawn,
pleasant and fragrant is her glorious figure;
Her coracle like round supple shoulders –
to hug them and let go is beyond me;
If I leave her, to live is even more impossible.

மாரிப் பித்திகத்து நீர்வார் கொழுமுகை
இரும்பனம் பசுங்குடைப் பலவுடன் பொதிந்து
பெரும்பெயல் விடியல் விரித்துவிட் டன்ன
நறுந்தண் ணியளே நன்மா மேனி
புனற்புணை யன்ன சாயிறைப் பணைத்தோள்
மணத்தலுந் தணத்தலு மிலமே
பிரியின் வாழ்த லதனினு மிலமே.

He is in two minds, whether to go away to earn wealth or stay with her. He is arguing with his heart. He says, “Jasmine blooms in monsoon season. The dew covered buds are plucked and kept covered by broad green palm fronds. As it rains during daybreak, the buds blossom into beautiful flowers. My girl is fresh and fragrant like those just blossomed jasmine buds. Her round supple shoulders are like curved coracles. To hug them and let go is beyond me. If I leave her, to be alive is even more difficult for me”

Tamil movie goers might remember the first two lines from மண்வாசனை movie song. “பொத்தி வச்ச மல்லிகை மொட்டு, பூத்திருச்சு வெக்கத்த விட்டு”

Relish the Tamil phrases – ”பெரும்பெயல் விடியல் விரித்து விட்டன்ன நறுந்தண்ணியளே நன் மா மேனி”, ”மணத்தலுந் தணத்தலும் இலமே பிரியின் வாழ்தல் அதனினும் இலமே” , pronounce them out loud.

மாரி – Monsoon
பித்தி – பிச்சிப் பூ – Jasmine
நீர்வார் – dew dripping
கொழு முகை – plump bud
இரும் பனம் – big palm frond
பசுங் குடை – green covering
பொதிந்து – பொத்தி – kept
பெரும்பெயல் – rains
விடியல் – dawn / day break
விரித்து விட்டன்ன – blossoming like
நறும் – fragrant
தண் – cool / pleasant
நன் மா மேனி – beautiful body / figure
புனற்புணை – புனல் + புணை – river going coracle
சாயிறை – சாய் + இறை – curved joints – rounded
பணைத் தோள் – bamboo shoulder / supple shoulder
மணத்தல் – to embrace / hug
தணத்தல் – to leave
இலம் – not possible
பிரியின் – பிரிந்தேன் ஆயின் – if I leave
வாழ்தல் – to live
அதனினும் – even more / definitely

Kurunthokai – 37

He has much love for you; will take care of you too;
Male elephant with its long trunk
strips the bark off toddy palm tree
to quench the hunger of its female;
such tender scenes dot the road he took, my friend!

நசை பெரிது உடையர்; நல்கலும் நல்குவர்;
பிடி பசி களைஇய பெருங் கை வேழம்
மென் சினை யாஅம் பொளிக்கும்
அன்பின-தோழி!-அவர் சென்ற ஆறே.

She is pining for him. Her friend consoles her saying “Don’t worry. He has much love for you. He will definitely come back and take care of you. When a female elephant suffers from hunger in the parched way, male elephant strips the bark off toddy palm tree with thin branches and lets the sap flow and quench its partner’s hunger. Such tender scenes dot the road in which he traveled. They will remind him of his duty to you. So he will definitely be back and take care of you”

Toddy Palm Tree / Wine Palm tree (கூந்தப்பனை in Tamil) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caryota_urens is a flowering palm tree.

நசை – love
நல்கல் – protect / care
நல்குவர் – will give
பிடி – female elephant
களைஇய – remove / satiate / quench
பெருங்கை – long trunk
வேழம் – male elephant
மென் சினை – thin branch
யாஅம் – யா மரம் – Toddy Palm Tree / Wine Palm Tree
பொளி – strip
அன்பின – affectionate / tender
ஆறு – way / road

Kurunthokai – 2

O’ exquisitely winged bee,
You judiciously suck honey!
Tell me not what I wish to hear,
But truth as you know crystal clear:
This girl who I’m rightfully in love with,
– She of peacock’s grace, and perfect teeth –
Do you know of flowers more fragrant than her tresses.

கொங்கு தேர் வாழ்க்கை அஞ்சிறைத் தும்பி!
காமம் செப்பாது, கண்டது மொழிமோ:
பயிலியது கெழீஇய நட்பின், மயில் இயல்,
செறி எயிற்று, அரிவை கூந்தலின்
நறியவும் உளவோ, நீ அறியும் பூவே?

They are meeting secretly. She is shy, he is desperate. He gets close to her and smells her hair. He sees a bee buzzing around the flower string in her hair. He asks the bee “O’ bee with beautiful wings! You are selective in choosing honey flowers to suck. I have a doubt. Tell me the truth as you’ve known. Don’t tell me what I want to hear because you are in my country. This girl whom I am in love with is grace ful like a peacock. Her teeth are even and perfect. Is there any flower that you have seen that is more fragrant than the hair of this girl?”

I have taken some liberties in translation and sacrificed form to make the poem read fluently in English. There is no ‘crystal clear’ in the original poem.

Most of the Tamils would have heard this beautiful poem, but in a different context. In Thiruvilayadal Puranam, written in 16th century, this poem is imagined as the one given by Shiva to poet Dharumi to present in Pandiyan’s court to clear his doubt. Which is opposed by Pandiyan’s minister Nakkeeran; since he questioned the poem penned by Shiva himself, Nakkeeran was burnt to ashes by Shiva. All I can say is it was a product of fertile imagination. The 1965 ‘Thiruvilayadal’ movie further cemented this story.

கொங்கு – honey
தேர் – select
அஞ்சிறை – அம் + சிறை – beautiful wing
காமம் – desire
செப்பாது – don’t tell
மொழிமோ – tell
பயிலியது – to get to know
கெழுமை – rightful
நட்பு – love
இயல் – style / nature
செறி – close
எயிறு – teeth
அரிவை – Girl
நறியவும் – more fragrant

Kurunthokai – 313

Whiskered tern in his vast seashore
picks and feeds on fish from flooded inky estuary,
then dwells in nearby fragrant grove; 
With him have I bonded;
this bond won’t be undone;
it’s hard to unravel, fastened forever.

பெருங் கடற் கரையது சிறுவெண் காக்கை
நீத்து நீர் இருங் கழி இரை தேர்ந்து உண்டு,
பூக் கமழ் பொதும்பர்ச் சேக்கும் துறைவனொடு
யாத்தேம்; யாத்தன்று நட்பே;
அவிழ்த்தற்கு அரிது; அது முடிந்து அமைந்தன்றே.

He hasn’t come to meet her for long. Her friend disparages him for making her grieve. She talks to her friend in support of him. “It is true that he hasn’t come to meet me. Doesn’t mean that he has forgotten me. Whiskered terns in his vast seashore come to the flooded inky black estuary to hunt for fish. After picking up the fish and eating it, they go back and dwell in nearby fragrant groves. With him have I hooked up. Our love is strong and won’t unravel easily. It is set forever, a permanent bond. Will be hard for others to undo it”

‘Tern hunting fish and going back to the grove’ is a metaphor. They have met secretly near the estuary at night. But she is sure, like how the tern goes back to the grove, he too will take her to his home as wedded wife. Tern doesn’t hunt indiscriminately. It picks and chooses. Likewise he too chose only her.

‘Hard to unravel’ is a veiled warning to her friend. “Don’t badmouth him to me. You won’t be able to change my mind about him”

Whiskered Tern (from Wikimedia)

சிறுவெண் காக்கை – Whiskered Tern
நீத்து நீர் – Excess Water (flooded)
இருங் கழி – dark sanded estuary
பூக் கமழ் – flower smelling (fragrant)
பொதும்பை – grove
சேக்கும் – dwells
யாத்தல் – tied / bonded
முடிந்து – tied / fastened
அமைந்து – settled / permanent / forever