In this episode, we perceive a persuasive promise, as portrayed in Sangam Literary work, Aganaanooru 127, penned by Maamoolanaar. Set in the ‘Paalai’ or ‘Drylands landscape’, the verse sketches a noble portrait of the man.

இலங்கு வளை நெகிழச் சாஅய், அல்கலும்,
கலங்குஅஞர் உழந்து, நாம் இவண் ஒழிய
வலம் படு முரசிற் சேரலாதன்
முந்நீர் ஓட்டிக் கடம்பு அறுத்து, இமயத்து
முன்னோர் மருள வணங்குவில் பொறித்து,
நல் நகர் மரந்தை முற்றத்து ஒன்னார்
பணி திறை தந்த பாடுசால் நன்கலம்
பொன்செய் பாவை வயிரமொடு ஆம்பல்
ஒன்று வாய் நிறையக் குவைஇ, அன்று அவண்
நிலம் தினத் துறந்த நிதியத்து அன்ன
ஒரு நாள் ஒரு பகற் பெறினும், வழிநாள்
தங்கலர் வாழி, தோழி! செங் கோற்
கருங் கால் மராத்து வாஅல் மெல் இணர்
சுரிந்து வணர் பித்தை பொலியச் சூடி,
கல்லா மழவர் வில் இடம் தழீஇ,
வருநர்ப் பார்க்கும் வெருவரு கவலை
மொழி பெயர் தேஎத்தர் ஆயினும்,
பழி தீர் காதலர் சென்ற நாட்டே.

We not only travel to the drylands but also get to visit the capital city of a famous king, in this instance, as we hear the lady’s confidante say these words to the lady, at a time when the man continues to remain parted away:

“Leaving us to suffer with sorrow and angst day after day, making you lose your health, as your shining bangles slip away, your flawless lover, who parted away to that faraway country, where other languages are spoken, and where wearing the soft, white flower clusters of the black-trunked, red-branched burflower tree, on their thick, curly hair, adorning it, illiterate highway robbers, holding on to a bow on their sides, keep a lookout for wayfarers, in those fear-evoking paths, even if he were to obtain the fine jewels, golden statues and diamonds, which were offered as tribute in the centre of the fine city of Maranthai, by the enemies of the great Cheralathan, who owns victorious battle drums, and who sailed the oceans to sever the sacred burflower tree of his enemies, and akin to his ancestors, imprinted their clan mark of the curving bow in the Himalayas; even if that great wealth were to be heaped on an immeasurable extent of land, spread out as if it was left behind for the land to feast on; even if your lover were to get all this in one day, one hour, he shall not stay back for another day, my friend, may you live long!”

Let’s catch a glimpse of the flower-clad highway robbers and learn more! The confidante’s words to the lady can be seen as a rendition of three parts. The first part focuses on where the man has left to, and she mentions that it’s a faraway place, where other languages are spoken, one filled with paths, where highway robbers, who are said to be uneducated, and are described as decorating their curly locks with burflower tree’s buds, as they stand to keep a watch for wayfarers. Since we associate flowers with softness, it’s rather hard for us to connect these fear-evoking men of the drylands and their interest in wearing flowers on their tresses. But it’s just an aspect of those times, wherein people in different regions identified themselves by wearing certain flowers of that land, a practice ingrained in the culture then.

Returning, the confidante’s second part talks about a renowned Chera King Imayavaramban Neduncheralathan, who had the fame of installing their clan emblem of a bow in the distant Himalayas, underscoring the extent of his victory and fame. Apparently enemies came and heaped jewels, golden statues and diamonds by the cartloads in the centre of this king’s capital city of Maranthai. Now, the confidante’s third and final part connects these two disparate facts and concludes by saying to the lady that even if the man were to attain that wealth, heaped in Cheralathan’s Maranthai, that too even if it were spread to an extent of land denoted by the huge number of ‘Aambal’, and even if all this wealth were to come to the man within the short time of a day, an hour, even then, the man will not leave the lady to suffer and stay back in that place.

In essence, though it’s wealth the man had gone in search for, once he has attained what he was looking for, the man will not be tempted by anything else, to delay his return home is the message conveyed by the confidante. By painting such a glorious image of the man, connecting him to the exploits of a famous king, the confidante hopes to bring cheer and positivity back into the pining lady’s heart. If you ask me, a friend like that is worth more than all that wealth, won by the victorious Cheralathan indeed!