வேரல்‌ வேலி வேர்‌கோட் பலவின்‌
சாரல்‌ நாட! செவ்வியை ஆகுமதி
யார்‌ ௮ஃது அறிந்திசினோரே சாரல்‌
சிறுகோட்டுப்‌ பெரும்‌பழம்‌ தூங்கி யாங்கிவள்‌
உயிர்‌ தவச்சிறிது காமமோ பெரிதே
– கபிலர்‌, குறிஞ்சித் திணை

Veral veli verkot palavin
Saaral nada! Sevviyai aakumathi
Yaar akthu arinthisinore saaral
SiRukottu perumpazham thoongi yaangival
Uyir thavacchiridhu kaamamo peridhe

Oh Lord of the hills where bamboos fence the jackfruits growing in the roots
Marry this girl soon, find an auspicious time!
Her love and passion for you is great, and her hold on life is tenuous
Like a big jackfruit hanging from a fragile branch
– Kapilar, Kurinji Thinai (Hilly Landscape)

This is one of the brilliant poems from Kurunthokai. It is the imagery, the simile that elevates this poem.

The friend of the heroine is admonishing the hero. Probably there are secret trysts between them, which are getting rarer and rarer. It is easier on the hero, but the heroine is wasting away. And he needs to take the next step to save her.

Imagine a huge jackfruit hanging from a fragile branch, a twig. It is a not a question of if the fruit is going to fall to the ground but when. Her life is too hanging by a thread, she cannot live separated from him. Her love is immense, she is pining for him all the time and this all consuming passion is making her hold on life progressively tenous.

The friend of the heroine is bringing in a beautiful contrast. The hero owns lands where jackfruits goes on roots. There is no question of those fruits falling on the ground. The hero is the root-grown jackfruit, his passion is not eating him away. But the heroine is the fragile-branch-grown jackfruit, there is no life for her without him. A marriage as soon as possible is the only way to save her.

The poem refers to hills, slope, jackfruit trees. Hence the classification as a hilly landscape poem.

Kapilar has been referred to before, he is one of the most famous poets of the Sangam age.

Category: Kurunthokai Page

வேரல்‌ வேலி வேர்‌கோட் பலவின்‌
சாரல்‌ நாட! செவ்வியை ஆகுமதி
யார்‌ ௮ஃது அறிந்திசினோரே சாரல்‌
சிறுகோட்டுப்‌ பெரும்‌பழம்‌ தூங்கி யாங்கிவள்‌
உயிர்‌ தவச்சிறிது காமமோ பெரிதே
– கபிலர்‌, குறிஞ்சித் திணை

Veral veli verkot palavin
Saaral nada! Sevviyai aakumathi
Yaar akthu arinthisinore saaral
SiRukottu perumpazham thoongi yaangival
Uyir thavacchiridhu kaamamo peridhe

Oh Lord of the hills where bamboos fence the jackfruits growing in the roots
Marry this girl soon, find an auspicious time!
Her love and passion for you is great, and her hold on life is tenuous
Like a big jackfruit hanging from a fragile branch
– Kapilar, Kurinji Thinai (Hilly Landscape)

This is one of the brilliant poems from Kurunthokai. It is the imagery, the simile that elevates this poem.

The friend of the heroine is admonishing the hero. Probably there are secret trysts between them, which are getting rarer and rarer. It is easier on the hero, but the heroine is wasting away. And he needs to take the next step to save her.

Imagine a huge jackfruit hanging from a fragile branch, a twig. It is a not a question of if the fruit is going to fall to the ground but when. Her life is too hanging by a thread, she cannot live separated from him. Her love is immense, she is pining for him all the time and this all consuming passion is making her hold on life progressively tenous.

The friend of the heroine is bringing in a beautiful contrast. The hero owns lands where jackfruits goes on roots. There is no question of those fruits falling on the ground. The hero is the root-grown jackfruit, his passion is not eating him away. But the heroine is the fragile-branch-grown jackfruit, there is no life for her without him. A marriage as soon as possible is the only way to save her.

The poem refers to hills, slope, jackfruit trees. Hence the classification as a hilly landscape poem.

Kapilar has been referred to before, he is one of the most famous poets of the Sangam age.

Category: Kurunthokai Page

அமிழ்து பொதி செந்நா அஞ்ச வந்த
வார்ந்து இலங்கு வை எயிற்றுச் சில்மொழி அரிவையைப்
பெறுகதில் அம்ம, யானே! பெற்றாங்கு
அறிகதில் அம்ம, இவ்வூரே! மறுகில்,
”நல்லோள் கணவன் இவன்” எனப்
பல்லோர் கூற, யாஅம் நாணுகம் சிறிதே
– கபிலர், குறிஞ்சித்திணை

Transliteration:
Amizhdu podhi sennaa anja vandha
Vaarndhu ilangu vai eyitru silmozhi arivaiyai
Perugathil amma yaane! Petraangu
Arigathil amma, ivvoore! Mrugil
“Nallol kanavan ivan” ena
Pallor koora yaaam naanugam siridhe

If I cannot win over this young maiden of few words,
with sharp teeth and a tongue full of elixir
I will make this whole town know of my unrequited love
And when we are married, when the people of the town say
“He is the husband of that good woman”,
We both will be slightly embarassed
– Kapilar, Kurinji Thinai (Hilly Landscape)

This poem needs a bit of background. In the ancient times, there was a custom called “Madalerudhal” – it literally mean “riding the folded (palm) leaves”. The hero, if his love is not returned, will ride a horse made out of palm leaves publicly. It is a last resort, it was considered as a public humiliation for the man, and a little embarrassing to the woman. The hero, by being willing to publicly undergo a humiliation for the sake of his love, is showing the girl nothing else matters to him when weighed against the possibility of winning her. I don’t know when the practice died out, but I don’t think there are references to it after the Sangam age, so perhaps a no later than 500 A.D.

Here the hero is talking to the friend of the heroine. He is slightly threatening her. The young maiden doesn’t speak a lot, so perhaps she hasn’t expressed her love for the hero. He is waiting for elixir laden kisses. He is implying that if she doesn’t return his love, he is willing to undergo the humiliation of “madelerudhal” and let the whole town know of his one sided love. He is sure that after hearing of this threat, the heroine would be convinced anyway and their marriage is a certainty. But there will always be the slight stain of what he had to go through to win her, causing them both some embarrassment in the future.

I don’t think highly of this poem, the only thing interesting to me is the reference to an extinct social mores. Without an explanation from the scholars, it would be hard to understand to this poem.

Why is this poem classified as belonging to hilly landscapes? No idea.

I mentioned Kapilar in the previous verse too. He is one of the most well known poets of the Sangam era.

Category: Kurunthokai page

அமிழ்து பொதி செந்நா அஞ்ச வந்த
வார்ந்து இலங்கு வை எயிற்றுச் சில்மொழி அரிவையைப்
பெறுகதில் அம்ம, யானே! பெற்றாங்கு
அறிகதில் அம்ம, இவ்வூரே! மறுகில்,
”நல்லோள் கணவன் இவன்” எனப்
பல்லோர் கூற, யாஅம் நாணுகம் சிறிதே
– கபிலர், குறிஞ்சித்திணை

Transliteration:
Amizhdu podhi sennaa anja vandha
Vaarndhu ilangu vai eyitru silmozhi arivaiyai
Perugathil amma yaane! Petraangu
Arigathil amma, ivvoore! Mrugil
“Nallol kanavan ivan” ena
Pallor koora yaaam naanugam siridhe

If I cannot win over this young maiden of few words,
with sharp teeth and a tongue full of elixir
I will make this whole town know of my unrequited love
And when we are married, when the people of the town say
“He is the husband of that good woman”,
We both will be slightly embarassed
– Kapilar, Kurinji Thinai (Hilly Landscape)

This poem needs a bit of background. In the ancient times, there was a custom called “Madalerudhal” – it literally mean “riding the folded (palm) leaves”. The hero, if his love is not returned, will ride a horse made out of palm leaves publicly. It is a last resort, it was considered as a public humiliation for the man, and a little embarrassing to the woman. The hero, by being willing to publicly undergo a humiliation for the sake of his love, is showing the girl nothing else matters to him when weighed against the possibility of winning her. I don’t know when the practice died out, but I don’t think there are references to it after the Sangam age, so perhaps a no later than 500 A.D.

Here the hero is talking to the friend of the heroine. He is slightly threatening her. The young maiden doesn’t speak a lot, so perhaps she hasn’t expressed her love for the hero. He is waiting for elixir laden kisses. He is implying that if she doesn’t return his love, he is willing to undergo the humiliation of “madelerudhal” and let the whole town know of his one sided love. He is sure that after hearing of this threat, the heroine would be convinced anyway and their marriage is a certainty. But there will always be the slight stain of what he had to go through to win her, causing them both some embarrassment in the future.

I don’t think highly of this poem, the only thing interesting to me is the reference to an extinct social mores. Without an explanation from the scholars, it would be hard to understand to this poem.

Why is this poem classified as belonging to hilly landscapes? No idea.

I mentioned Kapilar in the previous verse too. He is one of the most well known poets of the Sangam era.

Category: Kurunthokai page

மாசறக்‌ கழீஇய யானை போல
பெரும்‌ பெயல்‌ உழந்த இரும்‌பிணர்‌ துறுகல்‌
பைதல்‌ ஒருகலை சேக்கும்‌ நாடன்‌
நோய் தந்தனனே தோழி
பசலை ஆர்ந்த நம்‌ குவளையம்‌ கண்ணே
– கபிலர், குறிஞ்சித்திணை

Transliteration:
Maasara kazheeiya yaanai pola
Perumpeyal uzhandha irumpinar thuRugal
Paidhal orukalai sekkum naadan
Noi thandhanane thozhi
Pasalai aarndha nam kuvalaiyam kanne

My friend,
My lily like eyes have lost their luster
Longing for the one
From the country of jutting rocks washed by rain
That look like elephants that have been washed super clean
– Kapilar, Kurinji Thinai (Hilly Landscape)

Kapilar is one of the well known poets of the Sangam era. He was the friend of kings and chieftains, notably that of Paari, a byword for his genorosity, one of the 7 great generous chieftains of the ancient days. Paari vallal (Paari, the generous giver) is literally the icon of giving in Tamil Nadu, the same way Karna is referred as the icon of giving all over India.

I don’t rate this poem highly. It follows the two part motif, and there is ambiguity about the rock motif. The heroine is suffering from lovesickness – the first part. The second part describes the country of the hero as usual. It is nice image, comparing black rocks to newly washed elephants. Newly washed elephants would be black, not gray due to accumulated dust. But in my view, not a remarkable poem.

There is some ambiguity about the rock reference. Some scholars interpret this as the heroine pining for the place where she and the hero met or may be even had sex. The verse doesn’t explicitly mention it as a meeting place.

5 lines in this poem, 3 lines are still understandable to modern Tamils, they use words used in ordinary conversation. Not bad, eh?

I have translated “pasalai” as lovesickness. It literally means a tinge of green and is understood to mean sexual longing. It is another recurrent motif about longing. But I have never seen anyone turn green because of longing, though.

Why is this Kurinji Thinai? Rocks belong in the hilly landscape, and there are references to elephants.

Category: Kurunthokai Page

Related Pages: Kapilar on Wiki