In this episode, we perceive the lady’s angst, as portrayed in Sangam Literary work, Kalithogai 46, penned by Kabilar. The verse is situated in the ‘Kurinji’ or ‘Mountains landscape’ and narrates the thoughts revolving around a missed rendezvous.

வீயகம் புலம்ப, வேட்டம் போகிய
மாஅல் அம் சிறை மணி நிறத் தும்பி,
வாய் இழி கடாத்த வால் மருப்பு ஒருத்தலோடு
ஆய் பொறி உழுவை தாக்கிய பொழுதின்,
‘வேங்கை அம் சினை’ என விறற் புலி முற்றியும்,
பூம் பொறி யானைப் புகர் முகம் குறுகியும்,
வலி மிகு வெகுளியான் வாள் உற்ற மன்னரை
நயன் நாடி நட்பு ஆக்கும் வினைவர் போல், மறிதரும்
அயம் இழி அருவிய அணி மலை நல் நாட!

ஏறு இரங்கு இருள் இடை இரவினில் பதம் பெறாஅன்,
மாறினென் எனக் கூறி மனம் கொள்ளும் தான் என்ப
கூடுதல் வேட்கையான், குறி பார்த்து, குரல் நொச்சிப்
பாடு ஓர்க்கும் செவியோடு பைதலேன் யான் ஆக

அருஞ் செலவு ஆர் இடை அருளி, வந்து அளி பெறாஅன்,
வருந்தினென் எனப் பல வாய்விடூஉம் தான் என்ப
நிலை உயர் கடவுட்குக் கடம் பூண்டு, தன்மாட்டுப்
பல சூழும் மனத்தோடு பைதலேன் யான் ஆக

கனை பெயல் நடு நாள் யான் கண் மாற, குறி பெறாஅன்,
புனையிழாய்! என் பழி நினக்கு உரைக்கும், தான் என்ப
துளி நசை வேட்கையான் மிசை பாடும் புள்ளின், தன்
அளி நசைஇ ஆர்வுற்ற அன்பினேன் யான் ஆக

என ஆங்கு,
கலந்த நோய் கைம்மிக, கண் படா என்வயின்
புலந்தாயும் நீ ஆயின், பொய்யானே வெல்குவை
இலங்கு தாழ் அருவியோடு அணி கொண்ட நின் மலைச்
சிலம்பு போல், கூறுவ கூறும்,
இலங்கு ஏர் எல் வளை, இவளுடை நோயே.

Here’s an interesting attempt at persuading the man! The words can be translated as follows:

“Making flowers lament, letting go of its desire, sapphire-hued bees with large, beautiful wings, surround a male elephant, with a shining white tusk and musth pouring from its mouth, and a tiger having alluring spots as they fight against each other. Buzzing around the strong tiger, thinking that it’s an alluring branch of the ‘Indian Kino tree’, and nearing the spotted face of the elephant, mistaking it for the pollen of flowers, akin to wise and good people, who seek out the virtue in the minds of warring kings, who clash with force and fury, wishing to turn them into friends, the bees buzz back and forth between the fighting beasts in your picturesque mountain country, filled with descending cascades, O lord!

“As I suffered with great pain, listening for the sound of a falling chaste tree flower, awaiting the signal, with much desire, he would come walking in the thick darkness of the night, as thunder descends, and not attaining the joy of union, he would say, ‘The lady has changed’ and feel disappointed!

As I suffered with great pain, with my heart pondering on many things, awaiting him, making vows to great gods above, he would come graciously upon the formidable and challenging path, and not attaining my graces, he would say, ‘The lady has made me distressed’, and speak of much sorrow!

As I seek with deep love the graces he would endow, akin to a bird that sings above, desiring a drop of the rain, he would come amidst the heavy downpour at midnight, and as I stood at another place, not succeeding at his tryst, he would say to you, ‘The lady is to be blamed’, O maiden wearing well-etched ornaments!”

And so,
As the affliction that has fused as one in her becomes unbearable, I could not sleep at all. At least with a lie of blaming and disparaging me, win her heart, O lord. For akin to the echoing slopes in your adorned mountain, flowing with radiant cascades, that maiden wearing shining and beautiful bangles will reflect only what you say, and so her affliction too, will recede away!”

Let’s delve into the details. The verse is situated in the context of a man’s love relationship with his lady prior to marriage, and speaks in the voice of the confidante to the man containing the thoughts expressed by the lady to the confidante earlier. As custom, the confidante starts with a description of the man’s mountain country, and here, she presents a dynamic image and a profound simile. The scene she shows to us is that of an elephant in musth, fighting with a tiger. While these two powerful animals may seem like the protagonists of this scene, the confidante shifts the focus to the beautiful, sapphire-hued bees. Instead of going about their usual task of feeding on the nectar of real flowers, these bees seem to have got distracted by the sight of the tiger and had mistaken the animal of a branch of the flower-filled Kino tree, and on the other side, seeing the spotted face of the elephant, they think that it’s the pollen of flowers! Confused, they seem to move back and forth between the two clashing beasts, and for this scene, the confidante presents a simile of wise people, possibly poets and philosophers of that age, who would turn messengers between two warring kings, trying to calm their ire, bridge their gaps, and find friendship even. The confidante uses the image of bees buzzing between the beasts to describe the man’s mountain country.

Then, the confidante starts rendering the words said by the lady to her about the man. Apparently, the lady had been waiting to tryst with the man at night. But, for various reasons such as the wrong signal or the wrong place, that trysting did not happen. Because of this, the lady worries that the man would blame her, and talk of how much sorrow the lady has brought to him, even as she herself is tormented by the pain of not meeting him. Taking this message to the man, the confidante asks him to utter a falsehood saying the reason for that missed tryst was the confidante herself. If he were to say that, the lady would echo that as the truth, like the man’s mountain slopes, and soon the lady’s illness would recede, the confidante concludes.

While the statements expressed here do not appear so at all, this is a rather interesting technique by the confidante to persuade the man to marry the lady. Why because the man’s honour will prevent him from saying such a lie to the lady and understanding the lady’s love and her suffering, when she does not see him, the man would choose to seek the permanent path of happiness and take steps to claim the lady’s hand. That’s the bullseye our confidante is aiming for! And like the bees that buzz back and forth between the elephant and the tiger, it’s the confidante fluttering between the two lovers to make their life one of joy.

Returning to that exquisite simile of wise messengers who go back and forth between warring kings so as to cultivate understanding in-between each other and give up the hateful act of war, it’s heartening to know that even two thousand years ago, in a world all about honour and victory, there were people who stood for peace! And today, like many, I wish for people and nations to embody the qualities of this beautiful bee mentioned in this verse, so as to be a bridge between the warring countries in the Middle East and Europe, so that soon, peace shall come to be!