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This blog has been edited after a reader Mr.Ashraf pointed out a mistake in previous version. You can see his comment in the comment section. Thank you Mr. Ashraf.

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Found another beautiful poem. Sangam literature is serving purpose of teaching me botany. By the time I finish reading Sangam literature I hope I can identify most of the plants and trees in Tamil Nadu. If you wondered why I am saying this , the poem below would give a perfect explanation.

Thalaivan has met Thalaivi and the are in love. Thalaivan is from the neighboring village. The love affair between Thalaivan and Thalaivi is a gossip in the town and the parents of Thalaivi come to know about it. Thalaivi is under strict supervision of her parents. Only time she can meet Thalaivan is in the midnight when her parents are asleep. Thalaivan comes through the forest in the dark and hides near the house of Thalaivi and makes some signals – mostly some kind of sound. Thalaivi understanding such signal would sneak out of the house and meet her lover. They would spend the whole night together.

In one such occasion , Thalaivan comes and hides and the Thalaivi didn’t get the signal and they couldn’t meet in the night. So next day when she and her friend(Panki- always accompanies her and more of companion) see Thalaivan , Panki talks very loudly to Thalaivi so that Thalaivan can hear it and utters the poem below.

Kurunthokai 138

138. குறிஞ்சி

கொன் ஊர் துஞ்சினும், யாம் துஞ்சலமே-

எம் இல் அயலது ஏழில் உம்பர்,

மயில் அடி இலைய மாக் குரல் நொச்சி

அணி மிகு மென் கொம்பு ஊழ்த்த

மணி மருள் பூவின் பாடு நனி கேட்டே.

குறி பிழைத்த தலைமகன் பிற்றை ஞான்று இரவுக்குறி வந்துழி, தோழி சிறைப்புறமாகக் கூறியது; இரவுக்குறி நேர்ந்ததூஉம் ஆம். – கொல்லன் அழிசி

பரந்து விரிந்த்ருகும் இவ்வூர் தூங்கியது,

எங்கள் வீட்டின் அருகில் உள்ள ,

எழில் என்ற பெயர் கொண்ட மலையில்,

மயிலினது அடியைப் போல் இலைகளை கொண்ட

நொச்சி மரத்தின் மென்மையானக் கொம்புகளில்

அணி அணியாக தொங்கும் பெரிய பூங்கொத்துகள்,

உதிர்ந்து மணி போன்ற பூக்கள் விழும்

ஓசையை கேட்டுக்கொண்டே ,

நாங்கள் தூங்காமல் விழித்திருந்தோம் !

The vast city had slept, we did not.

We heard the sound

of clourful clusters of aged flowers

which look like sapphires,

decorated on the soft branches of

the nochhi tree, with leaves like peacock feet,

falling down

on the Ezhil mountains closer to our house.

Poet:Kollan Azhici

Translated by Palaniappan Vairam

By uttering this poem the Panki says that they were very attentive to the extent they could hear flowers falling but they couldn’t hear any signal from Thalaivan. So if some is to be blamed for Thalaivan and Thalaivi not meeting previous day it must be the Thalaivan for not giving proper signal. She says this to make it clear that Thalaivi did not avoid Thalaivan , rather she was waiting to meet Thalaivan the previous night.

Ezhil here is the mountain in Kingdom of King Nannan.

Now it would be interesting to learn about the Nocchi tree.

நொச்சி nocci , n. 1. Five-leaved chaste tree. See வெண்ணொச்சி. நொச்சி மாமலர் நிறத்தன (சீவக. 2163). 2. Three-leaved chaste tree. See கருநொச்சி. 3. (Puṟap.) See நொச்சித்திணை. நொச்சிப்படலம். (பு. வெ. 5.) 4. (Puṟap.) A minor theme eulogising the nocci But we should also look at this word

மயிலடி¹ mayil-aṭti

3. Tall chaste-tree. See காட்டுநொச்சி,

காட்டுநொச்சி kāṭṭttu-nocci

, n. < id. +. (L.) 1. Tall chaste tree, l. tr., Vitex altissima; நொச்சி மரவகை.

We see so many different varieties of Nocchi. But there is clue in poem “leaves like peacock feet” so with this clue I search for the tree.

To understand the leaves we first need to know how a peacock feet would look like.

So it looks like the plant is going to have three leaves together like the peacock feet.

Lets see the leaves of this kaatu nochi

So lets have closer look at peacock feet once again.

Peacock foot has 4 fingers and one at the back.

See the foot print of a peacock below.

Lets check out the leaves once again now in comparison with peacock foot print.

Now you would understand why the leaves look like the peacock feet.

Now Lets see the flower

Compare this with a Sapphire stone.

More about the flower : http://www.biotik.org/india/species/v/vitealti/vitealti_en.html

http://www.flowersofindia.net/catalog/slides/Peacock%20Chaste%20Tree.html

The poet compares the blue shades of the flower and the Sapphire stone as well as says the tree’s leaves are like peacock’s feet. The Sangam poets have always described nature as integral part of love poems to add to the emotions of the poem.

We also come to know that Noocchi flowers fall in the night!

Now you would understand that learning Sangam poem also gives you a big lesson in Botany!

After seeing this tree you should understand the underlying sarcasm of Panki. She mocks at the Thalaivan saying we could hear even leaves from the tree falling but not your signal!

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Other Available translations:

What Her Friend Said:

Even though the whole

large town sleeps,

we do not sleep,

hearing distinctly the sound

of blue flowers

shaken off the beautiful , soft branches

of the nocci tree,with leaves

like peacock’s feet,

and dark flower bunches on Ezhil hill,

near my home.

Translated by Shanmugam Pillai and David Ludden

The great city fall asleep

but we did not sleep.

Clearly we heard,all night,

from the hillock next out house

the tender branches of the flower-clustered tree

with leaves like peacock-feet

let fall

their blue-sapphire flowers.

Translated by A.K.Ramanujan

Word by Word Translation:

கொன் ஊர் துஞ்சினும், யாம் துஞ்சலமே-

Vast – town – sleep- we- no sleep

எம் இல் அயலது ஏழில் உம்பர்,

our – house -near – Ezhil(mountain name)- mountain

மயில் அடி இலைய மாக் குரல் நொச்சி

peacock- feet- leaves – colourful- flower cluster- Nocchi

அணி மிகு மென் கொம்பு ஊழ்த்த

decoration- more – soft- branch- mature/aged

மணி மருள் பூவின் பாடு நனி கேட்டே.

sapphire- like – flower- sound – abundant – hear.

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Palaniappan Vairam Sarathy

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Reference:

Fifteen poems from a classical Tamil anthology by A.K.Ramanujan.

Kurunthokai Translation by Shanmugam Pillai and David Ludden.

Kurunthokai Urai by U.V.Swaminathan Iyer.

Tamil Lexicon

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