AKAM 138

Tiṇai:

Kuṟiñci

Author:

eḻūūppaṉṟi nākaṉ kumaraṉār

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V. M. Subramanya Ayyar (1975) [IFP, unpublished]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:

2004/11/06

Table of contents (by lines):

(1-3) The foster-mother mistaking the sickness of tālaivi to be due to other causes

(5-13) Doubting the propriety of the performance of veṟi upon the advice of vēlaṉ and female diviner

(15) talaivaṉ making it clear since a long time that he would marry talaivi

(16-20) talaivi's heart thinking of the dangers in the way in which talaivaṉ comes in the dense darkness, on the top of the hill.

Colophon(s):

When talaimakaṉ was standing outside the fence, talaimakaḷ told the companion as if she was talking to her.

Syntactical link:

see below

Difficult words:

see below

Variant readings:

see below

Notes:

see below

• My confident and loving companion ! Listen to what I have to say (1).
• I suffered a little bit as clear tears gathered in my eyes coated with collyrium comparable to blue nelumbo (குவளைமலர்). (2-3)
• On seeing this our mother doubted that it might be due to the fact of myself being possessed by spirits, which have nothing to do with my illness (4).
• The female diviner and vēlaṉ adorned themselves with the green and fragrant leaves of margosa together with blue nelumbo (நீலம்) flowers (4-5).
• They performed veṟi (13)
• to the accompaniment of insttruments producing pleasing music, which were played with rhythmic beating of time (9),
• their sound resembling the sound of springs that descend down roaring from the inaccessible heights of potiyil (பொதியில்) (7)
• which belongs to teṉṉavaṉ (தென்னவன்) who has an army which conquered in a fair battle his opponents (6)
• They worshipped murukaṉ (முருகன்) with folded hands and invited him who has an eminence combined with awe (10),
• praised his katampu (கடம்பு) and elephant (his mouth) (11)
• and adorned their hands with tender palmyra leaves and garlands of Kaṭampu (கடம்பு) flowers, (12)
• They did this, (13)
• bending very often their bodies (11),
• throughout the night (12)
• Is that proper ? (13)
• My heart is always thinking about the path that causes distress by its fissures which do not facilitate easy walking (19-20)
• our talaivar who since a very long time made it clear to you that he would get into matrimony (13-4),
• comes at the appointed secret place at midnight in that path situated on the top of the hill, in the dense darkness which makes this place difficult to approach, it is easy for one to lose one's way (15-6)
• (In that darkness) the cobra spits out its beautiful gem in its hood, to help it to catch its prey (17)
• In that path it mistakes out of confusion as its gem the bee (தும்பி) which hums in the fresh flowers of malabar glory lily (காந்தள்) which has slippery petals, due to its bright colour (17-9).

தோழி(1)! நன்மலைநாடன்(14) குறிவரல் அரைநாள்(15) கூரிருள்(16) இன்னா நீளிடை என் நெஞ்சு நினையும்(20); அதனால் உண்கண் பனிமல்க(2) வருந்திய செல்லற்கு அன்னை(3) பிறிதொன்று ககுத்தளைக; (கட்டுவச்சியும் வேலனும்) முருகு மனைத்தலீஇ(10); ஆடினர் ஆதல் நன்றோ(13)?

• .11. பாடித்தொலைங்குபு.
• .12-13. பாடிளைத கைக் கொண்டாடிளாதனன்றோ வன்றே நீடு.

The bee which drinks the honey in the malabar glory lily is compared to the coin of dice; cf. akam, 108-15-17.