AKAM 245
- 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- V. M. Subramanya Ayyar (1975) [IFP, unpublished]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)
- HTML conversion, text revising & editing:
- jlc
- Date of last revision:
- 2006/03/29
- Table of contents (by lines):
- 1-4 talaivaṉ speaking about talaivi's will power
- 6-6 The life of cruel hunters.
- 7-10 The hunters have nothing to pay for liquor
- 11-12 The hunters command their young sons to bring the tusks of elephants
- 13-19 talaivaṉ staying at the hamlets of hunters and crossing the forest of branching paths; the dry bones feed the camels.
- 20-21 talaivaṉ unwilling to part from talaivi.
- Colophon(s):
- talaimakaṉ desisted from parting (talaivi) having reprimanded his mind which was determined to acquire wealth.
- Syntactical link:
- see below
- Difficult words:
- see below
- Variant readings:
- see below
- Notes:
- see below
TRANSLATION
- My mind (21)!
- you know fully well that the talaivi has the strong will power (3-4)
- to decide to stay in the house (3)
- thinking, ``our talaivar (he) who is always desirous of good things (2)
- went to acquire wealth which is dearer to him than life itself, by righteous means,'' by leaving her (4)
- (at the house) and going to the forest where the chiefs of hunters, who have strong bows and (7)
- lead a life without love (6)
- attack caravans and rob them (6)
- in the paths where the shoots of bamboo wither and shrink as the clouds have failed raining (5).
- When night sets in (7)
- as they have nothing to pay for the price of liquor at the premises of the houses where the women (9)
- who have shoulders with bright lines and stomach adorned with beautiful yellow spots, sell liquor (8)
- (the chiefs) command their young sons who are running about the common hall under trees, by gently stroking on their shabby heads
thereby suggesting to bring the white tusks of wild elephants whose temples are wet with must (rutting elephants) (10);
- after staying at the hamlets where there are formidable war-fronts, crossing at day break the forest with stony branching roads (19)
- where the white bones resembling twigs which dry on the rocks (17)
- appeases the great hunger of swift footed camels (19)
- in those places where the sound of bees which hum like the music of flute (16),
- settling on the bright flowers in the waving branches of red flowered silk cotton tree of long trunk (14)
- which are like the shooting tongues of flame (15);
- (in those trees) which are beautiful to look at and which give shade, you alone must go (21)
- leaving behind talaivi of great beauty and shining complexion (20),
- I shall not come with you (21);
SYNTACTICAL LINK
நெஞ்சம்(21)! மனைவலித்து ஒழியும் மதுகையள் ஆதல்(3) நீ நன்கு அறிந்தனை யாயின் நீங்கி(4)
அருமுனைப் பாக்கத்து அல்கிவைகுறக்(13) கானம் நீந்தி(19) அரிவை ஒழியச்(20) சென்மோ(21); யான்வாரலென்(21).
VARIANT READINGS
- .5. மழையென.
- .6. செல்சமத்தெறியு மன்பில்.
- .11. கோடு சுட்டி.
- .18. கடுங்கால் வேட்டத் தல்குபகி.
DIFFICULT WORDS
- கடைக் கூட்டிய
- - determined to carry out
- கழறிய
- - having reprimanded.
- செலவு அழுங்கியது
- - desisted from parting.
- ஒண்பொருள்
- - wealth earned by righteous means
- மதுகையளாதல்
- - (she) having the strength of will.
- திரங்கு
- - withering and shrinking
- இயவில்
- - in the path.
- செல்சாத்து
- passing caravaṉ.
- எறியும்
- attacking and robbing
- பண்பு
- love
- இளையர் தலைவர்
- -the chieftains of hunters.
- எல்லுற
- - when darkness sets in
- திதலை
- yellow spots.
- அரியல் ஆட்டியர்
- - women who sell liquor
- மகிழ் நொடை
- - the price to be paid for liquor
- நனை கவுள்
- - temples wet with must.
- யானை வெணகோடு சுட்டி
- pointing to bring the white tusks of elephant.
- புன் தலை
- - shabby head
- நீவி
- - stroking.
- வைகுற
- - at day break
- அழல் அகைந்தன்ன
- - like the shooting tongues of flame
- உணங்கும்
- lies dried.
- ததர் வெள் எலும்பு
- - white bones which are like twigs.
- கடுங்கால்
- - swift footed
- கவலைய கானம்
- - forest having branching paths.
- மாமை
- - shining complexion
NOTES
""உயிரினும்.....அவரென'' are the words of talaivi quoted by talaivaṉ.
உயிரினும் சிறந்த ஒண்பொருள், "நன்று புரிகொள்கையா', "மதுகையள்' are used ironically.
வெண்கோடு கட்டிப் புன்தலை நீவும் :- may be taken as swearing by striking on the heads of their sons to pay for the liquor sold on credit in kind in the form of tusks.
Paying elephants' tusks a price for liquor is mentioned in the following also;
""வேட்டுவர்....மதனுடை வேழத்து வெண்கோடு கொண்டு, பொன்னுடை நியமத்துப் பிழி நொடை கொடுக்கும்'',
""வேந்தூர் யானை வெண்கோடு கொண்டு, கட்கொடி நுடங்குமாவணம் புக்குடன், அருங்கன் நொடைமை தீர்ந்தபின்'' (patiṟṟuppattu, 20-9-12, 68-9-12)
This meaning is better than the commentary and is supported by a stanza is puṟapporuḷ veṇpāmālai; it is this - A hunter requests the woman who sells liquor;
not to refuse it to sell on credit. He promises to pay for it in the form of cows which he will bring in the early morning next day
from the enemies. Even now the custom of striking on the heads of their children by parents to vouchsafe for the truth of their statement is prevalent in Tamilnātu