In this episode, we perceive the anguished questions in the mind of the lady, as portrayed in Sangam Literary work, Kalithogai 68, penned by Maruthan Ilanaakanaar. The verse is situated in the ‘Marutham’ or ‘Farmlands landscape’ and sketches the illusory nature of the man’s relationship.

பொது மொழி பிறர்க்கு இன்றி முழுது ஆளும் செல்வர்க்கு
மதி மொழி இடல் மாலை வினைவர் போல், வல்லவர்
செது மொழி சீத்த செவி செறு ஆக,
முது மொழி நீரா, புலன் நா உழவர்
புது மொழி கூட்டுண்ணும், புரிசை சூழ், புனல் ஊர!

‘ஊரன் மன் உரன் அல்லன் நமக்கு’ என்ன, உடன் வாளாது,
ஓர் ஊர் தொக்கு இருந்த நின் பெண்டிருள் நேராகி,
களையா நின் குறி வந்து எம் கதவம் சேர்ந்து அசைத்த கை
வளையின்வாய் விடல் மாலை மகளிரை நோவேமோ

‘கேள் அலன், நமக்கு அவன்; குறுகன்மின்’ என, மற்று எம்
தோளொடு பகைபட்டு நினை வாடு நெஞ்சத்தேம்?
‘ஊடியார் நலம் தேம்ப, ஒடியெறிந்து, அவர்வயின்
மால் தீர்க்கும் அவன் மார்பு’ என்று எழுந்த சொல் நோவேமோ

முகை வாய்த்த முலை பாயக் குழைந்த நின் தார் எள்ள,
வகை வரிச் செப்பினுள் வைகிய கோதையேம்?
சேரியால் சென்று, நீ சேர்ந்த இல் வினாயினன்,
தேரொடு திரிதரும் பாகனைப் பழிப்பேமோ

ஒலி கொண்ட சும்மையான் மண மனை குறித்து, எம் இல்,
‘பொலிக’ எனப் புகுந்த நின் புலையனைக் கண்ட யாம்?

என ஆங்கு
நனவினான் வேறாகும் வேளா முயக்கம்
மனை வரின், பெற்று உவந்து, மற்று எம் தோள் வாட,
‘இனையர்’ என உணர்ந்தார் என்று ஏக்கற்று, ஆங்கு,
கனவினான் எய்திய செல்வத்து அனையதே.

It’s the lady lament yet again! The words can be translated as follows:

“Without ever saying the land belongs to others, there rule mighty kings, who extend their dominion over all land. Such kings act in accordance with the knowledgeable words of advisors. Akin to these wise people, weeding out unnecessary words, with ears as fields, ancient words of wisdom as water, tongue as plough, poets till and harvest new verses together, in your town, surrounded by forts and flowing with streams, O lord!

Saying, ‘The lord of the town renders no support to us’, your courtesans talk among themselves. Do you think I too am like those women, who are equal in number to the people of an entire town? Should I begrudge the woman, who minds not these words, and comes here to strike against my door with her hands, to announce her arrival with the sound of her bangles?

Saying, ‘He has no connection with me. Do not come here’, I send her away, and then, suffer with languishing arms and a heart that fades with memories of you! Should I begrudge the words of the town that rises saying , ‘He makes the beauty of those who love him fade away, akin to a tree felled at the root, and he leaves to end the angst of other women’!

As your garland, which embraced the bosoms of others, akin to buds, laughs at me, am I to become a garland that it is concealed within a decorative box? Should I blame your charioteer who roams with his chariot inside the quarters of courtesans, asking which is the house that you are at?

Hearing the uproarious loud sounds at my house, thinking this is the house, where the man’s happily married, the bard renders a blessing upon it to flourish! What should I say to this?

And so, at times, in reality, when you come home and render your loveless embraces, I’m delighted even by that. At all other times, my arms fade and worry that others would see the way you are with me. That’s why, to me, embracing your chest is akin to the wealth that is gained in a dream!”

Let’s delve into the nuances. The verse is situated in the context of a love-quarrel between the man and the lady, owing to the man’s seeking of courtesans, and these words are rendered by the lady to the man. She starts with a rather interesting description of the man’s town, saying it’s a place, where poets are known to harvest verses, with their tongue as the plough, their ears as the field, and the wisdom of ancients as their water, weeding out all that’s unnecessary. For these poets, she stacks another simile of ministers, who counsel conqueror kings. A neat metaphor for that work of the poets in line with the theme of this ‘Marutham’ or ‘Farmlands’ region.

Next, she goes on to talk about the courtesans in the man’s life and the way they bicker over him, and renders a comparative statistic saying the number of courtesans the man has is equivalent to the number of people in a town! Is that an angry exaggeration or an astute observation? Then, she talks about how one of these courtesans dares to come home and knock at her door, thinking the man is within, announcing that she’s there by the sound of her bangles. The lady then talks about how she sends away the woman saying the lord is no relation to her, and then she laments about how people in town talk about the man’s conduct of going away to other women. She then wonders if she’s to fade and wither like a garland kept concealed in a box, while the man’s garland, which embraced other women, laughs at her in mockery! She then brings the sight of the man’s charioteer who knocks on different houses in the neighbourhood of the courtesans to see where the man is, highlighting his promiscuity. She also nods her head in disbelief about the action of a bard, who renders a blessing on her house, thinking the man is happily married and lives there, as if to say, what is he even thinking! In conclusion, the lady mentions how the man comes home at times and she declares that embracing him is just like the wealth that a person earns in their dream, lost when the eyes wake open! 

A verse which made me ponder upon the connection between the land and the nature of the people therein. Here’s a fertile land, which yields plenty, and plenty into the pockets of a few men, who possess it all. Since there’s much wealth, there would be strife and war inherent here. In the wars and conflicts that follow, many men are lost. Of the few that remain, there would result in immense wealth and power accumulation in the hands of these few. This would inevitably result in the social prevalence of many women seeking the shade of that one with plenty. And so, we see direct evidence of how a land-owning agricultural society transforms into a patriarchy and becomes detrimental to the worth of women!