AKAM 278
- Tiṇai:
- Kuṟiñci
- Author:
- Kapilar
- 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- V. M. Subramanya Ayyar (1975) [IFP, unpublished]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:
- 2004/10/22
- Table of contents (by lines):
- 1-6 The clouds surrounding the big mountain peaks like elephants.
- 7-9 Friend expecting floods in her village.
- 10-15 Friend longing to bathe in the floods, which come from the mountain belonging to talaivaṉ,
at midnight, as to make the eyes red.
- Colophon(s):
- The friend spoke to talaimakaḷ when talaimakaṉ was standing at the appointed secret place at night by the side of the fence
- Syntactical link:
- see below
- Difficult words:
- see below
- Variant readings:
- see below
- Notes:
- see below
TRANSLATION
- As the large number of clouds which have taken the water amply in abundance from the eastern sea (1),
- ascend clockwise and look like the elephants which have been arranged in a row (3)
- in the army of kings who have drums and several weapons (2),
- emit lightning like the straight flag held on a staff, to cleave the sky (4),
- produce roaring noise of thunder (5).
- Tommorrow (7)
- it is definite that the stream which resembles the shining sword will spread in all places (7),
- dash against the tender shafts of big bamboos, so as to bend them (8) ,
- and reach the bathing ghat of vast space in our village (10),
- pushing from its position the wooden horse (குதிரைமரம்) (9)
- (If the floods arrive) shall we bathe at midnight (11)
- in the water which came touching the beautiful and high mountains belonging to (15)
- talaivaṉ who gave us never decreasing distress (14)
- to make our beautiful complexion comparable to sapphire, to vanish (13),
- to make our cool eyes like ice to become red (11)
- and to remove the distress we hate (12)?
SYNTACTICAL LINK
(தோழி)! வானம்(1) பெருமலை மீமிசை முற்றின ஆயின்(6), நாளை அருவி(7)
நம் மூர் முன் துறை(10) வருவது(9); (வந்தால்) துயரம் செய்தோன்(14) அணிகிளர் நெடுவரை ஆடியநீர்(15)
படர் அகலக்(12) கண் சிவப்ப(11) மூழ்குவம் கொல்லோ(12)?
VARIANT READINGS
- .6. பெருவரை.
- .11. சிவப்பப்பன்னாள்.
DIFFICULT WORDS
- குணகடல்
- - modern Bay of Bengal.
- கொள்ளை வானம்
- - clouds with water in abundance.
- பணை
- - war drum.
- பல்படைத் தானை
- - army possessing several weapons.
- தோல் நிரைத்தன்ன
- - like the elephants which are arranged in a row.
- வலன் ஏர்பு
- - rising up clock wise.
- கோல் நிமிர் கொடியின்
- - like the flag that is fastened straight to the staff.
- வசிபட மின்னி
- - with lightnings that seen to cleave the sky.
- முற்றின ஆயின்
- - as they have surrounded the peaks
- வான் இலங்கு அருவி
- - streams that shine like sword.
- தாஅய்
- - having spread.
- அம் கழை
- - shaft of bamboo.
- ஒழியத் தீண்டி
- - dashing to bend them.
- பரி
- - big logs of wood used to dam the stream.
- உந்தி
- - having pushed them from their position
- முனி படர்
- - our detestable suffering
- அகல
- - to be removed from us.
- ஆய் நலம்
- - beautiful complexion.
- தணிவருந் துயரம்
- - distress that never decreases.
NOTES
As tamiḻnāṭu receives its rains during the north-east monsoon it is mentioned as குணகடல் முகந்து
muracu is an important percussion instrument for kings; it is said to be of three kinds;
""முரைசு மூன்று ஆன்பவர்'' (கலித்தொகை, 132-4); ""சிமிழ்குரல் முரசம் மூன்றுடனாளும்.....தண்கோல் வேந்தே'' (புறநானூறு. 58-12-13)
Elephants are compared to sable clouds in the following also :-
""ஒளிறுவாட் பொருப்பன் உடல் சமத்திறுத்த, களிறு நிரைத்தவை போற்கொண்மூ'' (பரிபாடல், 22-1-2);
""நெய்யணி குஞ்சரம் போல இருங்கொண்மூ, வைகலும் ஏரும் வலம்'' (கார் நாற்பது. 12);
தோல் will also mean shield; ""நெய்யணி நேடுவேல் எஃகிலை இமைக்கும், மழைமருன் பஃறோல் மாவண் சோழர்'',
""மாளியம்பின் மழைத்தோற்பழையன்'' (அகம். 123-9-10, 186-15.)
பரி - a technical word used for a log of wood set up in a river to dam it,
""பரி நிறுத்து வார்'' (திருவிளையாடற் புராணம், மண் சுமந்த படலம் 5.);
""பரித்திரன் நிறுத்து மென்பார்'' (திருவாதவூரர் புராணம், மண்கமந்தசருக்கம், 21
If one bathes for a long time in the water the eyes will become red; ""நீர் நீடாடிற் கண்ணும் சிவக்கும்''
(Kuṟuntokai, 354-1);
This idea will be found in Kovai in the tuṟai, ""சுனைவியந்துரைத்தல்''
The friend said ""Though the talaivaṉ has parted from us and has not given us his chest to be embraced by us,
as a reseult of which we lost all our beauty, we will be satisfied with having embraced him
if we bathe in the water that comes touching his mountain.''
By these words talaivi's excessive longing was hinted.
The effect of the friend saying these words is that talaivaṉ should marry talaivi soon.
The shining sword is compared to the mountain stream;
""வரைத்தாழ்பு, வாள் நிறங் கொண்ட அருவித்தே'' (கலித் தொகை, 42-10-11).