AKAM 279
(279) pālai
Difficult words
- நட்டோர்
- - Friends
- இன்மை
- - poverty
- கேளிர் துன்பம்
- - the sufferings of relations
- ஒட்டாது உறையுந்ர்
- - enemies
- பெருக்கம்
- - prosperous life
- சுணங்கு
- - yellow spreading spots indicative of beauty
- செறிய வீங்கிய
- - big and close to each other
- முலை முற்றம்
- - the expanse of the breasts
- கடவாதோர்
- - those who are unable to leave them
- கங்குலும் பகலும்
- - night and day
- உன்னம் இயைந்து இயைந்து
- - often arising in the mind
- உரம் சுடு சூர் எரி
- the all abundant fire of anxiety
that consumes the mind
- ஆள் வினை மாரியின் அவியா
- - having put it out with the rain of effort
- நாளும்
- - every day
- கடறு உழந்து இவணமாக
- - when we are here suffering in this forest
- படர் உழந்து
- - having suffered pain
- யாங்கு ஆகுவள் கொல்
- - what will become of her ?
- தீந்தொடை விளரிநரம்பின்
- - fastened string of yāḻ which produces viḷari,
a mourning note
- நயவருசீறியாழ்
- - sweet music produced by small yāḷ
- பொங்கர்
- - branches
- மகிழ்குரல் குயில்
- - the kuyil which sings out of joy
- புணர்துயில் எடுப்பும்
- - wakes up from the joining sleep
- புனல் தெளி காலையும்
- - even in the spring when water is clear as crystal
- நம்முடை மதுகையளாகி
- - having us as her strength
- மென் மெல இயலி
- - walking very slowly
- கையறு நெஞ்சினள்
- - having a mind utterly helpless
- மை ஈர் ஓதி
- - hair as black as the cloud
and smeared with scented oil
- மாயோள்
- - beautiful lady.
- Lines 1-5 Those who are unable to part
from their sweet-hearts are incapable of doing certain good things.
- Lines 6-9 Talaivaṉ, after mature consideration
about earning money stays in the forest, parting from talaivi.
- Lines 10-14 Talaivaṉ feeling sorry for talaivi during spring
- Lines 14-17 talaivaṉ thinking of talaivi's utter
helplessness even when she was in his company.
Translation
- (My mind!) When I thought,
`Those who are incapable of leaving
the expanse of the soft breasts of their sweet-hearts
which are big and close to each other (5)
- on which there are spots of beauty shining
and resembling in colour gold (4)
- will put up patiently with living idly
in the same place (3)
- even after seeing the poverty of friends,
the sufferings of relations, and the increasing prosperity
of enemies". I extinguished (8)
- the big fire of anxiety which is kindled
in the mind, consumes the zeal, and rises often
in the mind (7),
- at night which has the sound of naḷ
and daytime (6),
- with the rain of effort (8).
- Every day (8)
- when we are suffering in this forest
and stay separated from our talaivi (9)
- at this season when the water is crystal clear
and the voice of the joyful indian cuckoo
which perches on the branch of profuse flowers, (12)
- combines with the (10)
- string of the small lovable yāḻ (11)
- from which is produced a sweet and mournful note viḷari (11)
- wakes up people from joining sleep (13)
- our beautiful lady-love who has tresses
like sable clouds and smeared with scented oil, (17)
- who has us as her prop and strength (14)
- and walks very slowly like the beautiful female swan of (15)
- beautiful gait, (14)
- will always be with a prostrate mind
even in our company (16),
- what will become of her, (10)
- who has suffered pain ? (9)
Syntactical link :- (நெஞ்சே)!
மென்முலை முற்றம் கடவாதோர்(5) நட்டோர் இன்மையும் கேளிர் துன்பமும்(1),
ஒட்டாது உறைநர் பெருக்கமும் காணூஉ(2) ஒருபதி வாழ்தல் ஆற்றுப(3)
என(5) உனமனம் பொத்திய உரம் சுடு கூர் எரி(7) ஆள்வினை மாரியின் அவியா(8),
நாளும்(8) கடறு உழந்து இவணமாக(9), மை ஈர் ஓதி மா யோள்(17)
படர் உழந்து(9) யாங்கு ஆடுவள் கொள்(10)?
Talaimakaṉ who was on his way to acquire spoke to his mind
iruṅkōṉ ollaiyāyaṉ ceṅkaṇṇaṉār
Notes:- There is one variant reading
in line 12 as ""நறை மலி பொங்கர்''
There is a variant reading in the author's name also (iruṅkōkkaṇṇaṉar).
The ideas contained in lines 1-5 is also found
in akam, 231, ll.1-3:
They are ""செறுவோர் செம்மல் வாட்டலும் சேர்ந்தோர்க்கு,
உறுமிடத்து உவக்கும் உதவி ஆண்மையும், இல்இருந்து அமைவோர்க்கு
இல் என்று எண்ணி''.
Talaivaṉ scoffed at people of excessive sexual pleasure
who idle their time without earning.
The adverbial participle
அவியா(8)
will go along with உழந்து(8)
in கடறு உழந்து
yāḻ and Kuyil stand for their music
and sweet sound. Both of them wake up people
from their sleep; it is called
துயிலெடைநிலைபாடுதல்.
The season when water becomes clear is spring,
நம்முடை.......மாயோள்:-
These lines indicate that even before talaivaṉ
parted from talaivi, she, out of fear that he will part
from her, is always by his side never leaving him alone.
When such is her state what will be her state,
in this spring season, when sulky people give up that
and join together ? Talaivaṉ spoke thus to his mind and felt sorry.
variant readings:- $$ட.8.மாரியின் வீயா.
$$ட.12.நறைமலி பொங்கர்.