In this episode, we perceive words of persuasion, as portrayed in Sangam Literary work, Aganaanooru 118, penned by Kabilar. The verse is situated amidst the roars of drums and tigers in the ‘Kurinji’ or ‘Mountain landscape’ and points the way forward in a subtle manner.
கறங்கு வெள் அருவி பிறங்கு மலைக் கவாஅன்,
தேம் கமழ் இணர வேங்கை சூடி,
தொண்டகப் பறைச் சீர் பெண்டிரொடு விரைஇ,
மறுகில் தூங்கும் சிறுகுடிப் பாக்கத்து,
இயல் முருகு ஒப்பினை, வய நாய் பிற்பட,
பகல் வரின், கவ்வை அஞ்சுதும்; இகல் கொள,
இரும் பிடி கன்றொடு விரைஇய கய வாய்ப்
பெருங் கை யானைக் கோள் பிழைத்து, இரீஇய
அடு புலி வழங்கும் ஆர் இருள் நடு நாள்
தனியை வருதல் அதனினும் அஞ்சுதும்.
என் ஆகுவள்கொல்தானே? பல் நாள்
புணர் குறி செய்த புலர்குரல் ஏனல்
கிளி கடி பாடலும் ஒழிந்தனள்;
அளியள்தான், நின் அளி அலது இலளே!
A short trip to the mountains where we hear the confidante say these words to the man:
“Near the radiant mountain slopes, where white cascades resound, wearing honey-fragrant clusters of Kino flowers, they dance together with beautiful women, to the beat of ‘thondakam’ drums, in the streets of our little hamlet. Having an appearance, akin to God Murugu, followed by strong dogs, if you were to come by day, we fear the slander that would follow;
A male elephant, with a huge and curving trunk, escapes capture, and takes its dark mate and calf to safety, thereby maddening a killer tiger, which roams around with fury, in the deep darkness of midnight. If you were to come by, all alone, at that time, we fear that even more.
But what is to become of her? In the millet fields with drying stalks, where you trysted together for many days, she no more sings songs to chase away parrots. She is to be pitied indeed, for she has nothing to lean on but your grace!”
Let’s take in the sights of the dancing mountain folk and the fleeing elephant family and learn more! The confidante starts by saying if the man were to come by day, adorned with Kino flower clusters, appearing like God Murugan himself, when mountain men would dance along with their women, to the beat of thondakam drums, he would be discovered and slander would spread. If instead, he were to come at night, all alone, when an elephant has just escaped from the attack of a tiger, leaving the beast to fume over, and wait for another prey, that would cause even more anxiety in the lady, the confidante mentions. Then she talks about how the lady is to pitied so much because there’s going to be no more singing to chase away parrots in the millet fields, the favourite trysting spot of the man and the lady this far, and concludes by saying the lady is to be pitied for she relies on seeing the man and receiving his graces more than anything else.
In a nutshell, the confidante says to the man, ‘Don’t come by night, Don’t come by day; Lady’s locked up; No more trysting for you’. Through this, she intends to convince the man that the only course of action is to seek a permanent union with the lady. Again, a clever negotiation technique by presenting the risks and losses in the present course of action, nudging another without explicitly commanding to choose the right path!
