Akam (121)

Tiṇai:: pālai
Author:: maturai marutaṉiḷanākaṉār
Translation:: V. M. Subramanya Ayyar (1975) [IFP, unpublished]
Original MS location:: IFP Library [TA LIT-CL 180 (1)(2)(3)]
Original data entry (VYAPTI format):: Ramya (1999-2000, IFP)
Date of last revision:: 2005/03/14
Table of contents (by lines):: (1-9) The talaivi staying in the shade of marām (indian oak) (மராம்) whose trunk is smeared with mire by the elephant; (9-10) tālaivi also coming to pālai (பாலை) with talaivaṉ; (11-5) The stag calling its mate, mistaking the second of the basket of palmyra leaves caused by wind, to be the sound of its female deer.
Colophon(s):: talaimakaṉ who heard from the companion that talaimakaḷ too would accompany him, spoke to his mind.
Syntactical link:: see below
Difficult words:: see below
Variant readings:: see below
Notes:: see below

My mind! (1)
In the forest which abounds in black-faced monkeys, called mucu (langur) (15)
and in some places where the startled stag calls to its side the female deer, (14)
mistaking the sound produced by the palmyra leaf-basket which contained in it food eaten by the travelling caravan (12)
who walk in the path ruts [that] are formed by the wheels of maḻavar who inflict pain upon travellers, (11)
as that basket is blown by the whirlwind of great speed (13)
The lady with broad and soft shoulders, people say, shall accompany us (9-10).
So it gives room for a hearty laugh for us (1)
She will relax in the diminishing shade of marām (மராமரம்) which has many lines and which grows by the wayside (8-9)
The strong male elephant (6)
which first washed the soft head of its young female and its calf (5)
and itself became changed in colour as it bathed itself in the turbid and stirred up water mixed with mire (6)
in the small tank which has usually good bathing water (3)
in which a small pit had been dug out in which there is turbid water unfit for drinking (3-4),
in the very high path where scorching summer had reigned supreme for the water to decrease daily, (2-3)
caught hold of by its trunk the white bunches of red stem of marām (மராமரம்) so as to snake them (7).
It rubbed its itching back against the marām (மராம்) of red stem.

நெஞ்சே(1)! முசுவின் கானத்தான்(15) தடமென் தோளி(10) வரி நிழல் அசைஇ(9), நம்மொடு(9) தான் வரும் என்ப(10); நாம் நகை உடையம்(1)

maṇimitaipavaḷam (Pearl intermixed with coral)