Akam (365)

AKAM 365

Tiṇai:: pālai
Author:: maturai marutaṉiḷanēkaṉā
Translation:: V. M. Subramanya Ayyar (1975) [IFP, unpublished]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:: 2005/02/22
Table of contents (by lines):: 1-3. The description of the dull evening.; 4-6. The elephants injures its nail by kicking the hero-stones, thinking them to be actual human being.; 7-8. The hot curam where highway robbers, find no means to remove their poverty as none travels that way, in which they lie in ambush with an effort to discharge arrows.; 9-11. Talaivaṉ rebuking his mind for thinking of talaivi in the curam.; 12-15. The tresses of hair of talaivi which are as fragrant as the flowers of venkai, which was donated to Kaḻuvuḷ by a pūtam and growing in Kāmūr.
Colophon(s):: (தலைமகன் இடைச்சுரத்து நின்று சொல்லியது) Talaimakaṉ spoke standing in the middle of the curam,
(variant reading : இடைச்சுரத்துச் சொல்லியது): spoke in the middle of the curam).
Syntactical link:: see below
Difficult words:: see below
Variant readings:: see below
Notes:: see below

TRANSLATION

My mind (11)!
May you flourish (11)!
you brought me in the severly hot and cruel way of the curam, (9)
which is the place where the merciless highway robbers (7)
do not find anybody who can remove their poverty as nobody travels, that way (8)
when they are hiding to discharge arrows with effort (7),
in the spot where the sharp nail of the wild elephant (5)
which kicked the hero-stone thinking it to be a human being (4)
is injured (5),
and breaks like the cover of the pulpy kernel of tender fruit of a big palmyra tree (6)
in the very angry evening which inflicts suffering (3)
with a dull appearance having despatched the sun (2)
to make the thick darkness spread in the widening sky (1),
and made not only yourslef unable to bear and made me also suffer; and having gone back from your prupose (10),
began to think about (11)
the beautiful artlessness of our talaivi who has a few tresses of hair (15)
on which the cool and fresh flowers of the vēṅkai (வேங்கை: east indian Kino tree) having a trunk of rough cracked surface which was given by a pūtam; (பூதம்: demon) in the city of Kāmūr belonging to Kaḻuvuḷ of great munificence, having a victorious vēl.

SYNTACTICAL LINK

நெஞ்சே! வாழிய(11)! புன் கண் மாலை(4) வெஞ்சுரம் தந்த நீ(9), துயர் செய்து ஆற்றாயாகிப் பெயர்பு(10) அம்சில் ஓதியின் ஆய்மடத்தகையினை(15) உள்ளினை(11).

VARIANT READINGS

.7. ஏவியல் கிடக்கை
.11. வாழியெனெஞ்சே
.12. காமூர்.

DIFFICULT WORDS

அகல்வாய் வானம்: - in the sky of widening space.
ஆல் இருள் பரப்ப: - the thick darkness to spread
பகல் ஆற்றுப்படுத்த பையென் தோற்றமொடு: with the dull appearance having sent away the sun.
கிசவல் போகிய புன் கண் மாலை: in the angry evening that afflicts distress.
அத்தம் நடுகல் ஆள் என உதைத்த கான யானை: - the wild elephant which kicked the memorial stones set up in the forest-path, thinking it to be a human being
கதுவாய் வள் உகிர்: the sharp nail which was wounded
இரும்பனை இதக்கையின் ஒடியும் ஆங்கண்: - in that place where it breaks like the cover of the pulpy kernel of a tender fruit of a big palmyra tree.
கடுங்கண் ஆடவர் ஏ முயல் கிடக்கை: in the place where the ferocious highway robbers lie in ambush making effort to discharge arrows
வருநர் இன்மையின் களையுநர்க் காணா: - the placed where they are unable to get people who will removed their poverty as nobody travels that way
என்றூழ் வெஞ்சுரம் தந்த நீ: - you who brought me in this very hot and cruel path of curam.
துயர் செய்து: - Not only having made me suffer.
ஆற்றாயாகி: - but you also are not able to bear. it.
பெயர்பு: - having gone back
வென் வேல் மா வண் கழுவுள்: - Kaḻuvuḷ of great liberality and a victorious vēl (வேல்)
காமூர் ஆங்கண்: - in the city of Kāmūr.
பூதம் தந்த பொரி அரை வேங்கைத் தண் கமழ் புது மலர் நாறும் அம் சில் ஓதி ஆய்மடத் தகை: - the attractive artlessness of our talaivi of a few tresses of hair which is as fragrant as the fresh flowers which are cool, and have blossomed in the vēṅkai (வேங்கை மரம்: east indian Kino tree) having a trunk of rough cracked surface, which was given by a pūtam
உள்ளினை: - began to think of.

NOTES

ஆல் இருள் - increasing darkness. It can be split into s வானம் இருள் போகிய increased

மாலையல் வெஞ்சுரம் தந்த

- is the order of words. It can be interpreted in this way also;

மாலையில் துயர் செய்து ஆற்றாயாகி,

கதுவாய் scar; ""கதுவாய் போகிய துதி வாய் எஃகமொடு'' ""காத்துயர் தொல் குடிச் கதுவாயாக'' (peruṅkatai, 1-35-166 foot notes) ""அரக்கன் கதுவாய்த்தலைகள் பத்து அலற யிடக்கண்டான்'', ""கதுவாய்த்தலையிற் பலநீ கொள்ளக் கண்டால் அடியார் கவலாரோ'' (tēvāram) ""கடல் வாய்ச் சென்று மேகம் கவிழ்ந்து இறங்கிக்கதுவாய்ப்பட நீர் முகந்து ஏறி'' (periyāḻvār, 3-5-4). The cause for the elephants nail becoming injured is its kicking the hero-stone. From this we can infer that the hero-stones were of human size.

இதக்கை - this is a rare word.

வருநர் இன்மையின் - this means that there are no people who travel that way on account of the cruel nature of the forest. Talaivaṉ rebuked his mind in the following manner: "You yourself who brought me without thinking of the cruel nature of the forest, go back on your resolve thinking about the beauty of talaivi. How is your idea ?

""கழுவுள் the name of a petty chieftain, he is mentioned to be strong as to require the combined efforts of fourteen petty chieftains to overthrow him; akam, 135-11-13). He is mentioned in two places in patiṟṟuppattu; ""ஆன்பயன் வாழ்நர் கழுவுள் தலைமங்க'' ""பொரு முரண் எய்திய கழுவுள் புறம் பெற்று'' (71-17, 88-7). From the old commentary on pattiṟṟuppattu we learn that he was chief of the shepherds, giving trouble to the cera Kings.