In this episode, we listen to a man’s fervent plea, as portrayed in Sangam Literary work, Aganaanooru 54, penned by Matroor Kizhaar Makanaar Kotrankotranaar. Set amidst the showers and flowers of the ‘Mullai’ or ‘Forest landscape’, the verse etches exquisitely the urge to return home to a loved one.

விருந்தின் மன்னர் அருங்கலம் தெறுப்ப,
வேந்தனும் வெம்பகை தணிந்தனன். தீம் பெயற்
காரும் ஆர்கலி தலையின்று. தேரும்
ஓவத்தன்ன கோபச் செந் நிலம்,
வள் வாய் ஆழி உள் உறுபு உருள,
கடவுக. காண்குவம் பாக! மதவு நடைத்
தாம்பு அசை குழவி வீங்குசுரை மடிய,
கனைஅல்அம் குரல காற் பரி பயிற்றி,
படு மணி மிடற்ற பய நிரை ஆயம்
கொடு மடி உடையர் கோற் கைக் கோவலர்
கொன்றைஅம் குழலர் பின்றைத் தூங்க,
மனைமனைப் படரும் நனை நகு மாலை,
தனக்கென வாழாப் பிறர்க்கு உரியாளன்
பண்ணன் சிறுகுடிப் படப்பை நுண் இலைப்
புன் காழ் நெல்லிப்பைங் காய் தின்றவர்
நீர் குடி சுவையின் தீவிய மிழற்றி,
”முகிழ் நிலாத் திகழ்தரும் மூவாத் திங்கள்!
பொன்னுடைத் தாலி என் மகன் ஒற்றி,
வருகுவைஆயின், தருகுவென் பால்” என,
விலங்கு அமர்க் கண்ணள் விரல் விளி பயிற்றி,
திதலை அல்குல் எம் காதலி
புதல்வற் பொய்க்கும் பூங்கொடி நிலையே.

Back in the lush forest amidst the rains, and in this one, we encounter the familiar theme of a man urging his charioteer to rush homeward, with these words:

“When those new kings showered their precious tributes, the furious enmity of our king was appeased. The sweet shower of the rainy reason also falls with a loud roar. On this red earth, where velvet bugs, akin to a painting, scurry about, making impressions of the wide wheels, rolling them firmly, ride on, O charioteer! Accompanied by their herders, who hold curved sticks in their hands, and have flutes, made of the golden shower tree’s seed pods, hanging on their backs, so as to feed their calves, which have a delightful gait, now tied with ropes to posts, and let their bulging udders deflate, letting out sweet-sounding grunts, walking with much haste, with their bells resounding loudly, herds of cattle rush home, in the evening hour, when buds bloom.

The one who lives not for himself but for the sake of others, is the noble ‘Pannan’, and he rules over the town of ’Sirukudi’. When those who taste this town’s green gooseberry with small seeds, from the thin-leafed tree, and then drink water afterwards, they would feel an exquisite sweetness on their tongues. Speaking with such a sweetness, my lady with radiant, beautiful eyes would say, ‘O budding, young moon, shining so luminously, if you will come close to my son, who wears a golden necklace, I will feed you milk’, gesturing with her fingers, so delicately. Let’s go see this state of my beloved, akin to a flower vine, having a delicate waist, adorned with beauty spots, as she says these tall tales to my son!”

Let’s run behind those red velvet bugs that pop up in the rain and learn about the man’s state of mind! The man starts by saying how his mission is complete, now that the king is no longer in a warring mood, as the enemy kings have paid their tributes to his satisfaction. Besides, the rainy season was announcing its arrival with the loud roars and gentle showers. As we have seen in many earlier verses, when the first rains fall, these red velvet bugs scurry about, exploring the world outside, and the man points to how these bugs look like paintings on the red soil, and asks his charioteer to ride firmly, leaving the impressions of wheels, and rush homeward. Then, he goes on to talk about how it’s the evening time, when cows that have gone grazing, with their herdsmen holding sticks and carrying flutes made of hollow seed pods, are in a rush to get back home to feed their calves and release the bulging pressure of their udders. Here, the man places a sweet subtext by projecting his burning urge to be back with his beloved on the emotion of those cows seeking out their calves at the end of the day. 

The man, then seemingly digresses, and talks about a noble leader by the name of ‘Pannan’, a person who was apparently renowned for his life of serving others, and mentions that the name of this leader’s town is ‘Sirukudi’. Continuing, the man brings before our eyes the moment when a person would eat a gooseberry fruit from this town and then drink water afterwards. As those who have had this experience will know very well, our tasteless water turns so deliciously sweet just then. This is what the man wants to draw as a parallel to his lady’s voice, as she calls out to the moon to come play with her son, and if the moon did, she would feed the moon too, she says, in playful voice, to entertain her son. The man connects back and concludes by saying to his charioteer that he dearly wants to listen to these stories that his wife would be telling his son, asking him to rush on, homeward! Though it’s an emotion we have encountered many a time, it’s interesting how the verse is stitched with the yearning of animals, the fame of historic characters, timeless experiences of relishing sweetness in a unique way, threading that with the lovely memory of a beloved, and finally, presenting to us a well-woven tapestry of emotions in an exquisite texture!