AKAM 287
- Tiṇai:
- pālai
- Author:
- Kuṭavāyiṟkīrattaṉār
- 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- V. M. Subramanya Ayyar (1975) [IFP, unpublished]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:
- 2005/02/20
- Table of contents (by lines):
- 1-3 talaivaṉ thinking in the desert about talaivi's condition
- 4-6 The deserted altar in the village temple where offerings are forgotten.
- 7-9 The banyan tree surrounds the altar like a wall of enclosure
and the single aerial root dashed by the western wind drives the pigeons, male and female, from there.
- 9-11 talaivaṉ looking at the stag which licks the back of its mate, when he stays in the shade of the yā tree.
- 12-13 talaivaṉ saying to himself that he is suffering in the evening in the desert.
- Colophon(s):
- Talaivaṉ who was parting from talaivi said to his mind staying in the middle of the desert.
- Syntactical link:
- see below
- Difficult words:
- see below
- Variant readings:
- see below
- Notes:
- see below
TRANSLATION
- In the vast expanse where rain has completely failed (9),
- is the temple on which the creeper calabash (சுரைக்கொடி) spreads, (5)
- and which has a pillar of black bottom, and shaking position (3)
- as a result of the male of the Indian elk rubbing its body against it (4);
- the inhabitants of the small villages of beautiful dwelling places (5)
- forgot to give offerings in the early morning (6)
- and as a result of that the altar constructed of brick has become clean white (6);
- it is surrounded by a banyan tree having a trunk of rough cracked surface like a wall of enclosure (7).
- The solitary large aerial root of that tree dashed by the western wind (8)
- the sound of which makes the twin pigeons, male and female, to flee from there (9).
- The stag licks the back of the beautiful female deer of cylindrical legs, (10).
- We are looking at it staying in the diminishing shade of lines cast by the tall branches of the yā tree of shaking nature (11)
- In the evening which appears like petty chieftains and inflicts pain, (13)
- we are alone and suffer in this never-ending long way (14);
- Will (our talaivi), having collected and closed up all her fingers as in prayer
in the wrist on which are worn bangles (1),
- be suffering (3)
- with the daytime only as her companion with a mind performing penance (12)
- (to see us back) ? She has to be pitied.
SYNTACTICAL LINK
யாம்(14) யாஅத்து(11) வரி நிழல் அசையினம் நோக்க(12), அரம்பு வந்து அலைக்கும் மாலை(13)
நிரம்பா நீளிடை வருந்தும்(14); (நம் காதலி) படிவநெஞ்சமொடு பகல் துணையாக(2) நோம் கொல் ? அளியள்(3).
VARIANT READINGS
- .9. துணைப்புறா இகுக்கும்.
There is an old gloss for நரைக்கணிட்டிகை என்பது பலிபீடம். அரைக்கணிட்டிகை is a variant reading for that.
DIFFICULT WORDS
- தொடி அணி முந்கை
- - the wrist on which are worn bangles.
- தொகு விரல் குவைஇ
- - having closed all the five fingers collecting them.
- முடிவ நெஞ்சமொடு
- - with a mind full of austerities.
- தூங்கு நிலை
- - shaking position
- மரை ஏறு
- - the male of the Indian elk.
- சொறிந்த
- - rubbed.
- மாத்தாள் கந்து
- - a pillar of black bottom.
- சுரை இவர் பொதியில்
- - in the common place where the creeper, calabash spreads.
- சீறூர்
- - the inhabitants of the small village.
- நாள் பலி மறந்த
- - as they forgot to offer the early morning food to god.
- நரைக் கண் இட்டிகை
- - the altar constructed of brick and which is now white.
- புரிசை மூழ்கிய பொரி அரை ஆலத்து
- - in the banyan tree which has a trunk of rough cracked surface and surrounds it like a wall of enclosure.
- ஒரு தனி நெடுவீழ்
- - a long solitary aerial root.
- உதைத்த கோடை
- - the western mind that dashed against it
- துணைப்புறா இரிக்கும்
- - that makes the pigeon which is in the company, of its mate to fly from there.
- மழை தூ நனந்தலை
- - in the expanse where there was no rainfall
- கணைக்கால் அம்பிணை
- - the beautiful deer having a cylindrical leg.
- ஏறு புறம் நக்க
- - the male to lick the back.
- ஒல்கு நிலை யாஅத்து
- - the yā tree of shaking position.
- ஒல்குசினை பயந்த அல்குறு வரி நிழல் அசையினம் நோக்கி
- - we look at it staying in the diminishing shade of many lines cast by the appearing like the petty chieftains.
- நிரம்பா நீள்இடை
- - In this never ending long way.
- வருந்துதும் யாமே
- - we suffer alone.
NOTES
தொகுக விரல் குவைஇ - This is what women do when they are very sad.
பகல் துணையாக: means that there was no other companion.
talaivan said that the talaivi was pitiable because he could not return quickly and remove her sorrow.
கந்து:- a pillar set up in the bottom portion is black it is called மாத்தாள்
The following quotations will explain it better; ""கலிகெழுகடவுள் கந்தம் கைவிடப
""புற்றுடைச் சுவர புதலிவர் பொதியற், கடவுள் போகி கருந்தாட் கந்தத்து'' (அகம். 207-11-12);
""அருந்திறற் கடவுள் திருந்துபலிக்கந்தமும்'', ""இலகொளிக் கந்தமும்'' (மணி மேகலை, 6-60, 24-162).
அம் குடிச் சீறூர்
This refers to its former flourishing state when it had beautiful houses.
As the inhabitants had deserted that place the common place became dilapidated
as there was none to give offerings in the early morning.
So it had become the abode of the Indian elk and calabash also spread over it,
இட்டிகை brick; as the altar is constructed of bricks, it is called இட்டிகை
தூமழை- should be changed into மழைதூ; தூ means failure.
The stag licked the back of the deer to lessen the heat. This sight brought back memories of talaivai to talaivaṉ.
Petty chieftains who suddenly appear on the scene after the death of a great king
and before the ascendancy of his successive, and harass the people for a while, are compared to the evening;
""புன் கண் மாலைக் குறும் பெறிந் தோட்டி'' (சிலப்.4-24);
நிறைகடல் மன்டலம் நேமி யுருட்டிய, இறை கெழு பெருவிறல் எஞ்சிய பின்றைக்,
கடம்கண் அரிந்த கையராகி, இடம் தொறும் பல்கிய மன்னர் போல'' (பெருங்கதை, 1. 33-45-48).