Kalithogai 120 – Before and After

Sangam Lit

In this episode, we infer emotions from intricate similes about human nature, as depicted in Sangam Literary work, Kalithogai 120, penned by Nallanthuvanaar. The verse is situated in the ‘Neythal’ or ‘Coastal Landscape’ and brings forth the transformation at the cusp of an event.

அருள் தீர்ந்த காட்சியான், அறன் நோக்கான், நயம் செய்யான்,
வெருவுற உய்த்தவன் நெஞ்சம் போல், பைபய
இருள் தூர்பு, புலம்பு ஊர, கனை சுடர் கல் சேர
உரவுத் தகை மழுங்கித் தன் இடும்பையால் ஒருவனை
இரப்பவன் நெஞ்சம் போல், புல்லென்று, புறம் மாறிக்
கரப்பவன் நெஞ்சம் போல், மரம் எல்லாம், இலை கூம்ப
தோற்றம் சால் செக்கருள் பிறை நுதி எயிறாக,
நால் திசையும் நடுக்குறூஉம் மடங்கல் காலை,
கூற்று நக்கது போலும், உட்குவரு கடு மாலை!

மாலை நீ உள்ளம் கொண்டு அகன்றவர் துணை தாராப் பொழுதின்கண்,
வெள்ள மான் நிறம் நோக்கிக் கணை தொடுக்கும் கொடியான் போல்,
அல்லற்பட்டு இருந்தாரை அயர்ப்பிய வந்தாயோ?

மாலை நீ ஈரம் இல் காதலர் இகந்து அருளா இடன் நோக்கி,
போர் தொலைந்து இருந்தாரைப் பாடு எள்ளி நகுவார் போல்,
ஆர் அஞர் உற்றாரை அணங்கிய வந்தாயோ?

மாலை நீ கந்து ஆதல் சான்றவர் களைதாராப் பொழுதின்கண்,
வெந்தது ஓர் புண்ணின்கண் வேல் கொண்டு நுழைப்பான் போல்,
காய்ந்த நோய் உழப்பாரைக் கலக்கிய வந்தாயோ?

என ஆங்கு,
இடன் இன்று அலைத்தரும் இன்னா செய் மாலை,
துனி கொள் துயர் தீரக் காதலர் துனைதர
மெல்லியான் பருவத்து மேல் நின்ற கடும் பகை
ஒல்லென நீக்கி, ஒருவாது காத்து ஆற்றும்
நல் இறை தோன்ற, கெட்டாங்கு
இல்லாகின்றால் இருளகத்து ஒளித்தே.

Descriptions of an evening and its impact on parting continue in this series of ‘coastal’ domain songs. The verse can be translated as follows:

“A person who has an appearance utterly lacking in compassion; One who does not abide by justice; One who does not do good by others; One who causes fear in the heart of others; Akin to the heart of this person, darkness envelopes slowly. Making the town brim with loneliness, the thick-rayed sun reaches the mountain. Akin to the heart of one, who has lost his old greatness, and because of his suffering, pleads to another, the trees have turn listless. Then, akin to the heart of a miser, who hides his wealth, the trees appear with closed and drooping leaves. As the crescent moon climbs looking like the teeth of the impressive red sky, appearing as if Death was having a good laugh, making all four directions tremble, like the end of time, arrives the fear-inducing, stern evening!

“O evening, in a time, when my companion, who has parted away with my heart, has not yet returned, akin to a cruel man, who aims an arrow at a deer caught in the floods, have you come to torment the tortured?

O evening, seeing that my lover lacking kindness has parted away, without rendering his grace, akin to those who mock and laugh at others defeated in a war, have you come to agonise the anguished?

O evening, in a time when the wise one, who is my pillar, has not yet ended my suffering, akin to one, who stabs a fire-burn wound with a spear, have you come to overwhelm the oppressed?”

And so, without finding elsewhere to go, the evening brought great distress to the lady. But the moment her strong and determined lover arrived as her companion and ended her sorrow, akin to how the fierce enemies of a weak king, who had laid siege, thinking it’s the right time, are scattered away, when a strong king appears and supports the other king, utterly ruined turns the evening, which scuttles and hides in fear in the heart of the darkness!”

Let’s delve into the details. The verse is situated in the context of a man’s parting prior to marriage and here, a narrator remarks on the effect of an evening on a lady. The narrator starts by describing the arrival of an evening. To do that, the natures of individuals are brought to the fore. The first description is about the heart of a compassion-less, unjust, unkind, fear-evoking person, and this is placed in parallel to darkness that spreads in that time of the day. Then, the heart of a person, who is reduced to a state of begging to another, is placed in parallel to how the trees start looking dull, without their life-giving sun. One more heart simile appears and now it’s the heart of a miser, who hides the plenty he has, and this is placed in parallel to the drooping trees with closed leaves in that dark hour. To add another simile, the crest moon is presented as the teeth on the red sky’s face and this image is connected to the laughing face of Death that seems raise its head, as the evening enters the scene.

Seeing the arrival of the evening, the lady describes how like a hunter aiming his arrow at a deer thrashing in the floods, like people who mock and laugh at those others, who have lost in a battle, like one who takes a spear and pierces it through a burn wound, the evening seems to assail and assault her agony that is brimming over, because her man is not beside her. After rendering these words of the lady, the narrator brings forth yet another simile of the way the enemies of a weak king, who had gathered around, thinking this is the right time to attack, are routed and ruined utterly, when a strong king rises in support of the besieged king. Likewise, when the man arrived as the companion to the lady and ended her suffering, the evening seemed to run and hide in fear, the narrator concludes.

Although the verse lacks any tangible connection to the sea or other coastal elements, the verse etches the contrast of emotions before and after the arrival of the man, and also, presents a string of fascinating similes to connect human nature and the time of the day. Marvellous indeed is the creativity of these Sangam poets who are able to see subtle connections between all things in life!