AKAM 283

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V. M. Subramanya Ayyar (1975) [IFP, unpublished]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)
Date of last revision:
2005/03/11
Table of contents (by lines):
1-3 Talaivaṉ gently stroking the hairs and shoulders of talaivi, and her eagerness to elope with talaivaṉ.
4-5 The ladies in the small villages bringing small quantity of food articles driving away the deer that came to eat them.
6-8 The sound made by the rock-horned owl in a distant place compared to the sound produced when food articles are ground in a wooden mill. The travellers become sorrowful on hearing that sound.
8-10 The way should be such as not to be said to be difficult for travelling, as the trees would put forth tender leaves from the trunk onwards.
11-12 The clouds shower rain to make the heat to subside
13-17 Friend wishing the ways to be pleasant as the grass has put forth fresh blades and cochineals are spreading everywhere.
Colophon(s):
The friend who decided in favour of elopement of talaivi told talaimakaṉ so.
Syntactical link:
see below
Difficult words:
see below
Variant readings:
see below
Notes:
see below

TRANSLATION


SYNTACTICAL LINK

(தலைவ)! பெருவிதுப்புறுவி(3) நின்னொடு செலற்கு(17), ஆறுகள் ஏகுதற்கு(8) அரிய ஆகும் என்னாமை(9) வானம் தளி பொழிந்தென(12) நன்னெடுங் பறணனத்து(13) மூதாய் வரிப்பத்(15) தணிந்து இனிய ஆகுவ(16).


VARIANT READINGS


DIFFICULT WORDS

நன்னெடுங்கதுப்பு
- good and long tresses.
பெருந்தோள்
- big shoulders.
நீவி
- having stroked gently
பெருந்தோள்
- the talaivi who had a great longing for that.
இன்னா நீப்பு
- in the separation which will bring misfortune.
பல்கவர் மருப்பின் முதுமான்
- old stag with several forked horns.
போக்கி
- having driven off.
திரிவையின்
- like the grinding mill.
தெவிட்டும்
- making a sound
சேட்புலக் குடிஞை
- rock horned owl living in a distant place.
பைதல் மென் குரல்
- mournful low voice.
ஐது
- minutely.
புலம்பும் ஆறு
- ways which give pain
ஏகுதற்கு அரிய ஆகும் என்னாமை
- without being difficult to travel.
கரிமரம்
- charred trees
கண் அகை இளங்குழை
- tender leaves that are put forth in them.
கால் முதல் கவினி
- to appear beautiful having put forth from the trunk onwards.
விசும்புடன் இருண்டு
- the whole sky having become dark.
பசுங்கண் வானம்
- the cloud that had in it coolness.
தளி
- drops.
பல்
- grass.
நுகும்பு
- unexpanded tender blades.
ஊட்டுறு பஞ்சி
- cotton dyed with red colour.
பிசிர்
- fine fibre.
மூதாய்
- cochineal.
தண்ணிலம் வரிப்ப
- to beautify the cool earth.
தணிந்து
- the heat being decreased.
இனிய ஆகுக
- Let it become pleasant.

NOTES

அஞ்சிய - means being afraid of separation and therefore having agreed to elopment.

It will be very difficult for talaivai to be separated from you who lavished such love on her as to gently stroke her hairs and shoulders. Being afraid of separation from you I consented to elopement. Such being my position, the talaivi was more eager than myself for elopment.

As the sound of the rock horned-owl comes from a distant place it is called மென்குரல்

புல் may also mean trees such as date, and palmyra whose outer part is hard.

After rainfall the red coloured cochineal will spread themselves and make the earth beautiful.

In line 6 all have the reading திரிவயின் and the commentators It makes no sense. திரிவையின் - should be the correct reading.

In chariots is compared to the sound produced by the திரிமரம் into which millet and other grains are put and ground; ""திரிமரக் குரலிசை கருப்ப''

The sound of the distant rock horned-owl is compared here to the sound produced when food grains are put into the wooden grinding machine and rotated.

Though talaivi goes in the company of talaivaṉ she leaves her bosom friend, her circle of playmates and places she was familiar with for a very long time; it is a literary convention to consider that aspect also as pālai.

As elopement bring misfortune to the friend, the mother and other peoplem it is called "இன்னா நீப்பு' by the friend of talaivi.