In this episode, we observe an attempt to change a person’s course of action, as depicted in Sangam Literary work, Aganaanooru 143, penned by Alamperi Saathanaar. Set in the ‘Paalai’ or ‘Drylands landscape’, the verse transports us to the domain of a king’s commander.

செய்வினைப் பிரிதல் எண்ணி, கைம்மிகக்
காடு கவின் ஒழியக் கடுங் கதிர் தெறுதலின்,
நீடு சினை வறிய ஆக, ஒல்லென
வாடு பல் அகல்இலை கோடைக்கு ஒய்யும்
தேக்கு அமல் அடுக்கத்து ஆங்கண் மேக்கு எழுபு,
முளி அரிற் பிறந்த வளி வளர் கூர் எரிச்
சுடர் நிமிர் நெடுங் கொடி விடர் முகை முழங்கும்
வெம் மலை அருஞ் சுரம் நீந்தி ஐய
சேறும் என்ற சிறு சொற்கு இவட்கே,
வசை இல் வெம் போர் வானவன் மறவன்
நசையின் வாழ்நர்க்கு நன் கலம் சுரக்கும்,
பொய்யா வாய்வாள், புனைகழல் பிட்டன்
மை தவழ் உயர் சிமைக் குதிரைக் கவாஅன்
அகல் அறை நெடுஞ் சுனை துவலையின் மலர்ந்த
தண் கமழ் நீலம் போல,
கண் பனி கலுழ்ந்தன; நோகோ யானே.

This trip offers a study in contrast when it comes to the features of the domain, as we listen to these words the confidante says to the man, at a time when he’s planning to part away from the lady, to gather wealth:

“When I said to her, ‘Intending to part away on a mission to gather wealth, the lord plans to go to those formidable drylands near the sweltering mountains, where immensely ruining the beauty of the forests, the harsh sun scorches, and dries up long branches, and the hot summer winds wither many leaves and take them away, with a rustling sound, in those ranges, filled with teak trees, and here, soaring above, a fierce flame, birthed in the dried-up bushes and reared by the wind, rises tall and resounds aloud in the clefts and caves’, just hearing these few words, akin to the cool and fragrant blue lotus, which has bloomed in the spray of the wide and deep spring in the tall peak of the ‘Kuthirai’ mountains, enveloped by clouds, ruled by the army commander of the impeccable, battle-worthy King Vanavan, Pittan, who wears well-etched anklets, wields a victorious sword, and one, who renders fine vessels to those who come seeking with desire to him, her eyes filled with tears! I suffer so!”

Let’s take a walk through those searing spaces and learn more! The confidante tells the man that she happened to go to the lady and tell her that he was planning to leave to the drylands. In her usual style, she presents a vivid view of the drylands, painting the drying branches, withering leaves and soaring wildfire. It was interesting to note the words used to describe this wildfire, by mentioning how it was born in the dried-up bushes but fostered and reared into a force of nature by the winds. The hidden metaphor of a child, born in a family, and raised by the world entire, to become who they become, was intriguing to note. Returning, we find the confidante continuing her narrative, telling the man that the moment she said these words, the lady’s eyes started shedding tears. To etch this image, she summons blue-lotuses, which have apparently bloomed because of the spraying water droplets from a spring nearby, and she locates this place as the domain called ‘Kuthirai mountains’, belonging to a brave commander of King Vannan, a a person named Pittan, renowned for his generosity. The confidante concludes by saying seeing those tear-filled eyes of the lady made her suffer much agony. 

In essence, the confidante means to tell the man that the mere thought of him leaving had reduced the lady to such a state, projecting the implied question, ‘What would befall her, if the man were to actually leave?’. The confidante has intervened on behalf of the lady and hopes to prevent the man from proceeding with his plan of parting with the lady. The lady encapsulates a deeply human sentiment of worrying about something, even before it happens – the downside of our unique powers of imagination. Curious isn’t it that it’s this same human imagination, which has made these poets perceive a child in a wildfire and connect a water-soaked flower to a tear-filled eye!