Come not in midnight

Monkeys are known for jumping, leaping and bouncing. They are born acrobats. But why does this monkey jump off a cliff to die? What made her make this decision? She even leaves her infant. And what does this tragic story have to do with the life and love of the man? Please read more to untie all the knots!


Still amused? Well, am sure this poem would clear your doubts.
Here is a lovely poem from Kurunthogai (குறுந்தொகை), one of the eight anthologies of sangam poems. This poem is sung by the poet Kadunthot Karaveeranar (கடுந்தோட் கரவீரனார்). It is one of the kurinji thinai poems, set as the words spoken by the heroine's friend/thozhi to the hero/thalaivan.

குறுந்தொகை 69 (To read the details in Tamil, please click this link)


  "கருங்கண் தாக்கலை பெரும் பிறிது உற்றனக் கைம்மை உய்யாக் காமர் மந்தி
கல்லா வன்பறழ் கிளை முதல் சேர்த்தி
ஓங்கு வரை அடுக்கத்துப் பாய்ந்து உயிர் செகுக்கும்
சாரல் நாட நடு நாள்
வாரல் வாழியோ வருந்துதும் யாமே"

Kurunthokai 69
karungkan thaakkalai perum piridhu utranak
kaimmai uyyaak kaamar mandhi 
kalla vanparazh kilai mudhal serththi
ongu varai adukkaththup paaindhu uyir sekukkum
saral naada nadu naal
vaaral vazhiyo varundhudhum yaame

Word Meanings: karunkan - black eyed, thaakkalai - leaping male monkey, perum pirudhu - died, utrana - because, kaimmai uyyaak - not tolerating the loss, kaamar mandhi - loving female monkey, kalla vanparazh - infant monkey which has not learnt to leap, kilai mudhal serththi - leaving to the custody of relatives, ongu - high, varai - mountain, adukkaththup paaindhu - jump from the mountain, uyir sekukkum - will die, saral naada - man from the mountains, nadu naal - midnight, vaaral - do not come, vazhiyo - long live, varundhudhum - getting worried, yaame - we

Poem Meaning: Not bearing the loss of the male monkey, its mate, the female monkey after leaving the new born monkey which has not yet learned to leap, to the care of its relatives, will jump from the high peak and die. Man from the mountains! Do not come in the midnight. Long live you. We are worried.


Description: The 'thalaivan'/hero who is in love with the 'thalaivi'/heroine secretly visits her in the midnight. He has to come through the steep mountains in the darkness, which is not safe. Hence the 'thozhi'/heroine's friend tells the hero not to come in the darkness. She says that a female monkey jumps from the mountain and dies not bearing the loss of the male monkey. She implies that the heroine too will not bear any harm to the hero. 
Leaping and jumping is the nature of the monkeys. Still sometimes a monkey slips and dies. The friend uses that to tell her message that she and the heroine are worried about the safety of the hero. While it is dangerous for the monkeys it is even more dangerous for humans. This is implied through a natural incident. The message that the hero should get married to the heroine. Then there would not be a need to come secretly in darkness. Such is the beauty and depth of the poem.
It was common to use 'we' in the poems, referring  to both heroine and the friend.

My English Version: 
Leaping black-eyed male monkey perishing
Not-bearing the grief, female monkey so loving
Surrendering the inerudite infant to the relatives
Will jump off the high cliff and die
Man from the mountains! Come not in midnight
May you live long! Concerned are we!