In this episode, we listen to a mother’s lament, as portrayed in Sangam Literary work, Aganaanooru 49, penned by Vannappura Kantharathanaar. Set in the ‘Paalai’ or ‘Drylands landscape’, the verse depicts an act of elopement from the mother’s perspective.

‘கிளியும், பந்தும், கழங்கும், வெய்யோள்
அளியும், அன்பும், சாயலும், இயல்பும்,
முன்நாள் போலாள்; இறீஇயர், என் உயிர்” என,
கொடுந் தொடைக் குழவியொடு வயின்மரத்து யாத்த
கடுங் கட் கறவையின் சிறுபுறம் நோக்கி,
குறுக வந்து, குவவுநுதல் நீவி,
மெல்லெனத் தழீஇயினேனாக, என் மகள்
நன்னர் ஆகத்து இடைமுலை வியர்ப்ப,
பல் கால் முயங்கினள்மன்னே! அன்னோ!
விறல் மிகு நெடுந்தகை பல பாராட்டி,
வறன் நிழல் அசைஇ, வான் புலந்து வருந்திய
மட மான் அசா இனம் திரங்கு மரல் சுவைக்கும்
காடு உடன்கழிதல் அறியின் தந்தை
அல்குபதம் மிகுத்த கடிஉடை வியல் நகர்,
செல்வுழிச் செல்வுழி மெய்ந்நிழல் போல,
கோதை ஆயமொடு ஓரை தழீஇ,
தோடு அமை அரிச் சிலம்பு ஒலிப்ப, அவள்
ஆடுவழி ஆடுவழி, அகலேன்மன்னே!

In this visit to the drylands, mother takes the spotlight and shares these words at the juncture, when her daughter, the lady, had eloped away with the man:

“She, who used to love her parrot, ball and playing beans; She, who has a nature of grace, love, kindness and all other good qualities, did not appear her usual self. Wondering, ‘What’s this? Such ruin has fallen upon my life’, akin to how a harsh-eyed cow tied to a tree, would look at its young calf, with curving thighs, I looked at the small of her back, came near her, stroked her rounded forehead, and embraced her gently, and my daughter, with beads of sweat appearing in between her beautiful bosoms, hugged me again and again, then! She walks with that strong man, as he praises her greatly, and makes her rest in the rare shade of that land, which the sky seemed to have quarrelled with, and where herds of naive deer had nothing to taste but dried-up clusters of hemp. Alas! If only I had known that she would elope away with him, then when she was here in her father’s wide mansion, filled with plenty, wherever, wherever she went, be it playing ‘orai’ games with her garlanded playmates, or running about with her neatly-set, pebble-filled anklets resounding, akin to a shadow, however, however she played, I wouldn’t have parted from thither!”

Time to see the past and present of this precious daughter! Mother starts by talking about how her daughter was a young girl, who adored talking to her parrot, and playing with her ball and scattering beans as pawns in a game. Not just that, she sketches the lady as a person with all good qualities, such as kindness, compassion and affection. One day, noticing that the lady was not her usual self, mother starts worrying. To describe how she was looking at her daughter, she brings in the apt simile of a tied-up cow staring yearningly at its calf. Mother continues by saying how without saying anything, she went near her girl, stroked her forehead and hugged her. What love and care from this ancient mother! The lady too turned and hugged her with much affection, mother recollects. From that sweet memory of affection shared, mother turns to talk about how all that’s no more for the lady has eloped away with the man, who now takes her through the harsh drylands, where even deer have nothing to eat but dried-up hemp. Mother reflects on how the man must be taking her daughter with much care, helping her to rest wherever they can. In thinking well of the man, mother hides the hope that her daughter has chosen the right mate in life.

Returning, we find mother saying if only she had known this would happen, she would have gone wherever the lady went, just like a faithful shadow, and whether she was playing games with her friends or running about with her anklets tinkling, there, everywhere, mother too would have followed her and not taken her eyes off her.

The verse exquisitely captures the regret we feel at the loss of someone precious, which makes us think about all the things we wish we had done with them when they were around. Reading this verse, reminded me of the poem ‘When Great Trees Fall’ by Maya Angelou, about the loss of great personalities in our lives, and these lines specifically,

“Our memory, suddenly sharpened,
examines,
gnaws on kind words
unsaid,
promised walks
never taken.”

A timeless emotion echoing in different languages from different cultures, reiterating the powerful truth about the oneness of humanity at the core!