AKAM 257
- Tiṇai:
- pālai
- Author:
- Uṟaiyūr maruttuvaṉ tāmōtaraṉār.
- 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- V. M. Subramanya Ayyar (1975) [IFP, unpublished]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:
- 2006/04/21
- Table of contents (by lines):
- (1-5) The talaivi combing her tresses and adorning it with trumpet flowers.
- 6-9 talaivi adorning her tresses with flowers of common cadamba and bees swam on it hut she does not drive them away
- 10-12) talaivaṉ praising talaivi's merry gait.
- 12-14 Travellers placing a ladder on yā tree in order to indicate to them right path as the forest is infested iwht highway robbers.
- 15-18 The elephants wrenching and eating the layer of bark of யா to quench their thirst and spitting the refuse; the dried twigs are used by salt sellers to light fire.
- 19-21 In the mountains the young ones of bear drawing their food from the anthills to make the snakes turn down.
- Colophon(s):
- The talaivan spoke to talaimakaḷ who was eloping with him.
- Syntactical link:
- see below
- Difficult words:
- see below
- Variant readings:
- see below
- Notes:
- see below
TRANSLATION
- In the troublesome places where paths are infested with the enmity of highway robbers (12)
- the (travellers) place a ladder to indicate the safe way to travel (13),
- on the yā tree which has forked leaves (14);
- the (thirsty) elephants wrench the fibrous layer of bark of the big trunk (of yā) to get water (15)
- and after masticating it, spit out the refuse (16)
- which form into twigs (16).
- The twigs serve as material for the salt-sellers to light fire (17)
- in mountains where the young ones of bears (21)
- desirous of food for the night (19)
- take away (20)
- from the small crest of anthills (19)
- on which low jungle is spreading (19)
- and as an effect of this act the white snakes (living in them) turn down glittering (20)
- you do not know to drive away the many small bees (9)
- that swarm densely on your tresses on which honey spreads (8)
- and on which the beautiful flowers of common cadamba which has blossomed completely without any bud (6)
- on which bees encircle, having woven them into a garlands (7)
- and adorned yourself head with them having combed closely your luxuriant tresses (5)
- you are capable of walking (12)
- swinging your shoulders of soft joints to shine (11),
- in order to accompany me in the same path (4)
- and to make your small feet on which are worn anklets into which pebbles are put, to become red (3)
- in the desert (2)
- in summer (1)
- when the bent flowers of trumpet tree (1)
- with honey, though faded spread fragrance (2).
SYNTACTICAL LINK
(குறுமகள்)? வேனில்(1) நாள் சுரம்(2) சீறடி சிலப்ப(3) எம்மொடு ஓராறு படீஇயர்(4) ஓதிபொதுள வாரி(5) அலரி னஇ வேய்ந்த நின்(7)
கூந்தல் குறும்பல மொசிக்கும்(8) வண்டு கடிந்து ஓம்பல் தேற்றாய்(9), பணைத்தோள் விளங்க வீசி(11) நடை வல்லுவைமன்(12).
VARIANT READINGS
DIFFICULT WORDS
- கூனி
- - Having a bend.
- வேனில்
- - summer.
- வாடல்
- - feded flowers.
- அரி
- - pebbles or gems or pieces of metal put into woman's anklets to make them tinkle.
- பொம்மல் ஓதி
- - Luxuriant tresses
- பொதுள வாரி
- - having combed so as to be close.
- ஆய்
- - beautiful
- தைஇ
- - woven into a garland.
- வேய்ந்த
- - having adorned
- மொசிக்கும்
- - swarming densely.
- நுண் கோல் எல் வளை
- - producing group of shining bangles of minute work manship.
- தெளிர்க்கும்
- - sound
- முன்கை
- - wrist.
- மெல்லிறை
- - joints soft to the touch
- வீசி
- swinging
- நடை வல்லுவை
- you are capable of walking.
- கள்வர்
- - highway robbers.
- கவலை
- - branching ways
- சென்னெறி
- - to know the path they want to travel
- மிசை மரம் சேர்த்திய
- - set up with a ladder.
- கவை முறி
- - twin leaf.
- நார்
- கோது
- munched and spat as waste
- ததரல்
- - twigs.
- தீ மூட்டு ஆகும்
- - useful for lighting fire.
- புன் கோடு
- - small crest.
- அரில்
- - low jungle.
- புற்றம்
- - anthill.
NOTES
The first line is found with a slight change in Kuṟuntokai, stanza 147, 1.1.
The trumpet tree blossoms in summer and common cadamba in the same season.
The immense joy with which talaivi accompanies talaivaṉ is described in ll.3-12.
The custom of indicating the right path in a forest of confusing ways, was to sweep the earth and place knots of grass.
This is mentioned in malaipaṭukaṭām ll.392-393.
In this stanza the custom of placing a ladder leaning on the yā tree is mentioned.
The thirsty elephants used to tear off the fibrous layer of the bark of yā tree and after quenching their thirst split out the refuse;
Elephants being partial to yā is found in Kuṟuṇtokai, 37, 255-1-5. 305-4-9, 307-5-7
உமணர் - salt-sellers who sell salt prepared in the salt pans in the sea-shore.
Bears are very partial to thee food stored by white ants in the anthills. This is found in aka 8-1-2, 72-3-5, 307-10-11.
Talaivaṉ was all wonder and praise to see talaivi braving all hardships in accompanying him during the hot season.