In this episode, we look into the distraught emotions of a mother, as depicted in Sangam Literary work, Aganaanooru 7, penned by Kayamanaar. The verse is situated in the ‘Paalai’ or ‘Drylands landscape’ and vividly portrays a scene of separation and seeking.

‘முலை முகம்செய்தன; முள் எயிறு இலங்கின;
தலை முடிசான்ற; தண் தழை உடையை;
அலமரல் ஆயமொடு யாங்கணும் படாஅல்;
மூப்புடை முது பதி தாக்குஅணங்கு உடைய;
காப்பும் பூண்டிசின்; கடையும் போகலை;
பேதை அல்லை மேதைஅம் குறுமகள்!
பெதும்பைப் பருவத்து ஒதுங்கினை, புறத்து” என,
ஒண் சுடர் நல் இல் அருங் கடி நீவி,
தன் சிதைவு அறிதல் அஞ்சி இன் சிலை
ஏறுடை இனத்த, நாறு உயிர் நவ்வி!

வலை காண் பிணையின் போகி, ஈங்கு ஓர்
தொலைவு இல் வெள் வேல் விடலையொடு, என் மகள்
இச் சுரம் படர்தந்தோளே. ஆயிடை,
அத்தக் கள்வர் ஆ தொழு அறுத்தென,
பிற்படு பூசலின் வழிவழி ஓடி,
மெய்த் தலைப்படுதல்செல்லேன்; இத் தலை,
நின்னொடு வினவல் கேளாய்! பொன்னொடு
புலிப் பல் கோத்த புலம்பு மணித் தாலி,
ஒலிக் குழைச் செயலை உடை மாண் அல்குல்,
ஆய் சுளைப் பலவின் மேய் கலை உதிர்த்த
துய்த் தலை வெண் காழ் பெறூஉம்
கல் கெழு சிறுகுடிக் கானவன் மகளே.

Back to the repeating drylands but this time, it’s not a scene involving the parted man and the pining lady. The focus here is the other theme in this landscape, wherein a lady elopes with her beloved, leaving her family at a loss. Here, the lady’s foster mother, says these words, to a doe in the drylands:

“Hearing the words, ‘Your breasts have blossomed; Your sharp teeth have become radiant; Your hair has grown long; You now wear moist-leaved attires; So, do not go wherever you want along with your uproarious playmates, for in this ancient town, there are many spirits that could attack you; Accept the guard around the house and don’t even step into the backyard. You are no longer a naive child but an intelligent maiden, who has come of age, my little daughter!’, fearing that we have learnt of her mistake, her secret relationship, she overcame the strict guard of our fine home with shining lamps, O doe with the fragrant breath, belonging to a herd of sweet-sounding deer!

Like a deer that fleets away on seeing a net cast out, my daughter has left to the drylands with a young man wielding a victorious white spear. And here, akin to how cattle owners would chase relentlessly behind drylands robbers, who have stolen their cattle, to battle with them, I run behind her, and yet I see no sign of her. Can I ask you something? Please answer! That maiden, who wears a lone necklace, made of gold and tiger teeth, and luxuriant sedalia tree leaves as the attire around her fine waist, is the daughter of a forest dweller, who lives in a hill, filled with the soft-headed, white seeds of jackfruit clusters, relished and discarded by male monkeys! Have you seen her at all?”.

Let’s delve deeper into this tale! The mother starts by reminiscing about the words she spoke to her daughter, asking her not to step out of their house, as she had come of age and was no longer a naive little girl, who could go anywhere and play to her heart’s content. The mother also seems to have spooked the girl talking about spirits and what-not! And so, her girl had gone and done what most teenagers would do, which is the opposite of what’s being asked of them! Remember the mother is speaking to a doe she meets, and she uses a simile the creature would understand, placing in parallel the way a deer would run away, when spotting a net nearby, to how her daughter had escaped from their strict guard and eloped with a young man. Then, the mother comes to her own state and equates it to the relentless pursuit of cattle-owners behind robbers, who have stolen their cattle. But to no avail, she says with a wail to the doe, and ends her words by asking if the doe has seen her girl, who is the daughter of a mountain dweller, whose domain is filled with rocky spaces, where the white seeds of jackfruits, spit out from the mouths of male monkeys, abound!

A question arose in my mind about why this particular scene of a male monkey, spitting out seeds after relishing the jackfruit, to describe the mountain country! Could it be a hidden metaphor for the mother’s worry about that’s how her girl would be abandoned by the man she loves? We cannot say for sure, but the verse is nevertheless filled with elements of angst and anxiety that soars in the heart of someone who has lost something precious!