In this episode, we hear words of consolation rendered to a grieving heart, as portrayed in Sangam Literary work, Aganaanooru 25, penned by Ollaiyoor Thantha Boothappaandiyan. Set in the ‘Paalai’ or ‘Drylands landscape’, the verse highlights the picturesque changes in the season of spring.

நெடுங் கரைக் கான்யாற்றுக் கடும் புனல் சாஅய்,
அவிர் அறல் கொண்ட விரவு மணல் அகன் துறைத்
தண் கயம் நண்ணிய பொழில்தொறும், காஞ்சிப்
பைந் தாது அணிந்த போது மலி எக்கர்,
வதுவை நாற்றம் புதுவது கஞல,
மா நனை கொழுதிய மணி நிற இருங் குயில்
படு நா விளி யானடுநின்று, அல்கலும்
உரைப்ப போல, ஊழ் கொள்பு கூவ,
இனச் சிதர் உகுத்த இலவத்துஆங்கண்,
சினைப் பூங் கோங்கின் நுண் தாது பகர்நர்
பவளச் செப்பில் பொன் சொரிந்தன்ன,
இகழுநர் இகழா இள நாள் அமையம்
செய்தோர் மன்ற குறி” என, நீ நின்
பைதல் உண்கண் பனி வார்பு உறைப்ப,
வாராமையின் புலந்த நெஞ்சமொடு,
நோவல், குறுமகள்! நோயியர், என் உயிர்!” என,
மெல்லிய இனிய கூறி, வல்லே
வருவர், வாழி தோழி! பொருநர்
செல் சமம் கடந்த வில் கெழு தடக் கைப்
பொதியிற் செல்வன், பொலந்தேர்த் திதியன்,
இன் இசை இயத்தின் கறங்கும்
கல்மிசை அருவிய காடு இறந்தோரே.

One of those curious drylands verses that shirk the usual depiction of a barren summer, and instead, focus on the blooms of nature in the season of spring. Here, the lady’s confidante renders these words to the lady, as the man continues to be on mission in a faraway land.

“As the heavy floods of the forest river by the tall banks recede, upon wide river shores with radiant sand, fused with many kinds of silt, flourish groves, nourished by cool ponds. The fresh pollen of Portia trees, growing in the groves, spreads on the flower-filled river sands, which wafts with the scent of many new marriages. The sapphire-hued dark cuckoo which had been pecking at mango shoots, as if it’s saying something important all day, sings aloud with its quivering beak, in its timeless tradition. As fine pollen of the buttercup flower falls from the branches upon the flowers of the silk-cotton tree, shed by swarms of bees, it appears akin to gold dust in the coral boxes of merchants. This is such a time in the season of spring, when even those, who wish to separate, would not dare to be apart, and this was the time he promised he would be back. Thinking so, with your suffering-filled kohl-streaked eyes, pouring with tears, and a heart lamenting that he’s still not back, worry not!

Saying sweet and gentle words, ‘O young maiden, May my life that hurt you be filled with suffering’, he will return very soon, may you live long, my friend! The man who left to those jungles, filled with cascades descending from mountains, roaring like the sweet music of drums, proclaiming the victories of Thithiyan, the one with the golden chariot, the ruler of the Pothiyil mountains, the one renowned for the bow in his strong arms that have quelled enemies in battlefields many, will return indeed!”

Let’s explore the connection between blooming flowers and the barren spread of the drylands now! The confidante starts by describing all the changes around them. Floods have receded, and the rich and mixed silt of the streams, are now peppered with the pollen of Portia trees. She talks about how the sands therein waft with the scent of happy unions, saying love’s in the air. She then points to the ceaseless call of a blue-hued cuckoo, and the falling of buttercup pollen on silk cotton flowers, and tastefully placing it in parallel to a merchant’s box made of coral, filled with gold dust. This casual simile reveals not only the perceptive power of these poets but also the trade and wealth of the thriving merchant profession in those times.

Returning, we learn that all these changes are because the season of spring had arrived. It was a terrible season to be apart, the confidante acknowledges, and also recollects that the man said he would be back now. After taking the lady’s side of things thus far, the confidante assures the lady that the man would return very soon and speak appeasing words of love to the lady. She concludes with a description of the drylands he went to, where the cascades seem to be pouring down from mountains, resounding exactly like the drums of King Thithian, the ruler of Pothiyil mountains, known for his golden chariots and sturdy bows that has routed enemies many!

In essence, it’s a gentle song that thoughtfully acknowledges that the reason for a person’s worry is valid, and then goes on to promise that relief is on its way. By visualising the removal of suffering, the confidante makes the present easier for the lady, and renders us a lesson in the art of consolation!