"If it is true that liberal education should "liberate" by demonstrating the cultural values and norms foreign to us, by revealing the relativity of our own values, then the "discovery" and enjoyment of Tamil literature, and even its teaching should find its place in the systems of Western training and instruction in the humanities." - Kamil Zvelebil in his book, The Smile of Murugan , The Tamil literature of South India

Wednesday, November 18, 2015

Feast her eyes


Oh, Mother! Will the diviner heal her sickness? Instead, make her stand on the boulder and look at his beautiful blooming hills. That will make her feel better making her jewels stay without loosening.
Image: thanks Google


Ainkurunooru 210
annaai vaazhi vendu annai  nam padappai
pulavu ser thurukal eri avar naattu
pookezhu kundram nokki nindru
manipurai vayangizhai nilaipera
thanitharkum uriththu aval utra noye

For the original poem and explanation in Tamil, please click here.

The poem depicts the words spoken by the heroine's friend to the foster mother. This is a kurinji thinai (click here to learn about it) song sung by poet Kapilar, which falls under the category named 'annaai vaazhi pathu' meaning 'long live mother ten'.  

Poem meaning: Long live mother! Please listen! Her shining jewels will not loosen and she will get better of her sickness if she climbs on the rock stinking with raw meat and looks upon the hero's blossoming hills.

Description: The heroine yearning to see the hero is looking dull and sick. The foster mother attributes it to divine anger and calls upon a diviner to cast away the illness. The heroine's friend tries to make the foster mother understand that the heroine is in love and that doesn't need a diviner. She says to the foster mother that if the heroine climbs on the stinking rock and sees the hero's blossoming beautiful hills, she will be fine and that her shining jewels won't loosen anymore owing to heroine's weight loss. Anything or place associated with the lover is sure to bring happiness and this is implied by the heroine's friend. She lets the foster mother know that the heroine is in love with the hero. The rock stinks of raw meat as they would have sacrificed a cattle, in preparation for the divine healing. The hero's hills are blossoming, symbolizing the arrival of Spring, the right time for the heroine to get married to the hero. The heroine's friend indirectly requests the foster mother to make the arrangements.

Words Meaning: annaai vaazhi - long live friend, vendu annai - please listen, nam - our, padappai - garden/backyard, pulavu - meat, ser thurukal - stinking rock, eri - climb, avar nattu - his kingdom's, pookezhu kundram - blossoming hills, nokki nindru - stand looking, mani purai - sapphire like, vayangizhai - shining jewels, nilaipera - to stay, thanitharkum urithu - will get better, aval utra noye - her sickness

My English Version:
Long live mother! Please heed my words!
If she climbs onto the rock which
Stinks of meat in our backyard, and
Feasts her eyes on his blooming hills;
Her shining jewels won't loosen,
Also bringing down her sickness.




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