AKAM 253
- Tiṇai:
- pālai
- Author:
- Nakkīrar
- 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- V. M. Subramanya Ayyar (1975) [IFP, unpublished]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:
- 2006/04/05
- Table of contents (by lines):
- 1-3 talaivi's thoughts on her despair
- 4-7 Public scandal and a simile to explain that.
- 8 talaivi apprehending her end to be near.
- 10-11 erumai's men capturing enemy's cows at night
- 12-16 The queer custom of Cowherds.
- 17-20. The deeds of erumai's men and the river ayiri in his country.
- 21-26 talaivaṉ certain to remember talaivi's beautiful form and her charming looks.
- Colophon(s):
- The friend spoke to, and consoled, talaimakal who became changed during the separation of talaivaṉ
- Syntactical link:
- see below
- Difficult words:
- see below
- Variant readings:
- see below
- Notes:
- see below
TRANSLATION
- Friend ! May you live long (9)
- Do not immerse yourself in grief (8)
- brooding over many things such as the following : ``My body is fast approaching its end (2)
- as the pale yellow colour spreads day by day (1);
- My mother is also looking at me frowningly (3);
- The public scandal (3)
- is greater than the sweet and vociferous roar (7)
- accompanied by the dances performed out of joy having become victorious in the long city of Kūtal which is rich in gold (6)
- when pacumpūṇ pāṇṭiyaṉ who conquered and annexed many regions (10)
- having driven away in battle Koṅkar who wore flowers made of gold (4);
- Here I (1)
- will not live probably even for a few days (8).
- Though (our lover) has crossed the river ayiri (அயிரி) (20)
- which is situated in the good country to the north of tamiḻnāṭu (9)
- belonging to erumai of (19) (எருமை) (a chieftain) of great (19) fame (19)
- and leader of the vaṭukar of unequalled prowess of shoulders, (18),
- who lifted the big herds of cows with their calves and filled them in the village common place to its utmost capacity (17)
- after having captured them in the cattle-sheds (16)
- which were guarded by a big crowd of cowherds (12>
- who carry their solid (16)
- food crammed to their utmost capacity in the hollow and wide vessels of bamboos(15),
- having tied them to the rough neck of the moving hump of bulls to hang low (14).
- Those bulls gather together with them the herd of cows (13)
- knowing the long sound made by the cowherds (12)
- The vaṭukar drive away many herds after destroying the enemy's battle-fronts (11)
- at dead of the dark night when it is difficult to move about (18)
- He will remember (21)
- without forgetting the looks which seem to be at war with the ear-rings in which brilliant precious stones are set in the middle (26)
- of your beautiful face which resembles the moon (25)
- in the sky in which is fixed a small circular mark (24)
- your shoulders like bamboos (21),
- breasts like immature cocoanuts (22),
- yellow spots which have just appeared (22)
- and flowing black tresses of luxuriant growth which seem to break the slender waist (23)
SYNTACTICAL LINK
VARIANT READINGS
DIFFICULT WORDS
- கணம்
- - group.
- பயிர்
- - call.
- துளங்கு இமில்
- - moving hump.
- பிணர் எருத்தம்
- - rough neck.
- தாழ்ப் பூட்டிய
- - fixed to hang low.
- அம்தூம்பு அமைக்கலம்
- - the vessel of hollow bamboo.
- கமம் செலப் பெய்த
- - crammed to its utmost capacity.
- துறுகாழ் வல்சியர்
- - having solid food.
- தொழு வறை
- - cattle shed.
- குரும்பை
- - immature cocoanuts.
- ஒண்சூட்டு
- - brilliant precious stone set in the middle of the ear-ring
- பொருத
- - appear to be at war with the ear-ring
NOTES
The war between koṅkar and pacumpūṇṭiyaṉ is found in Kuṟuntokai stanza, 393.
There it is mentioned that when the commander of the pāṇtiyaṉ's army atikaṉ fell with his elephant, the Koñkar raised an uproar out of joy.
The Koñkar should have pursued the pāṇṭiyaṉ's army upto Kūṭal and there, being his own capital, the pāṇṭiyaṉ drove them back and performed a dance, being jubilant about his victory;
cf. akam, 162, 231, 266, 338.
The queer custom of cowherds carrying their food in the hollow of bamboos tied securely to the neck of bulls is mentioned in akam stanza 31 -11.
The river, ayiri, is mentioned in akam, stanza, 177.
Only here we find that it was situated in the region ruled by erumai. It was to the north of the border of tamiḻ nāṭu.
The moon in which tilakam is set is a non-existing thing. It is compared to the forehead of talaivi on which tilakam is set.
According to Tamil grammar it is called "இல்பொருள் உவமையணி
In "திலகமொடு' ஒரு is an expletive particle.