Mathirakshi

எந்தையும் நுந்தையும்
என்றுமே என் சிந்தையும் மாறி
நலவற்றை
பல்விரும்பும் பற்றை
நாம் பெறவே!

Reading this piece prompted an impromptu purchase of Mathirakshi, an album featuring the musical stylings of Anil Srinivasan on the piano and Sikkil Gurucharan's impeccable vocals, from iTunes last night. To my delight I discovered that the album contained Sempulapeyalneeraar's Yaayum Yaayum on the list of pieces performed. While the album also listed some of my favorite pieces, in particular Piravaa Varam Thaarum in Latangi - a frequent guest on my player, curiosity got the better of me and I decided to sample this song first. I was intrigued because the musicians had decided to expound a six-line poem written in the 3rd century A.D for 15 minutes and change. And not only did this cat not get killed for its curiosity, it was richly rewarded.

Now I must admit, while I was aware of the kurunthokai and some Sangam literature due to my high school tamil education, this particular poem caught my attention only because Vairamuthu decided to draw inspiration from it for Narumugaiye, a lovely romantic number, in Mani Ratnam's Iruvar. Often circumstances of introduction influence your opinion and understanding of the object being introduced. This is true of both people and poetry. Sometimes the road less traveled is so because it is not in plain view. During this revisit of Sempulappeyalneerars words, the gentle breeze of the Brindavana Saaranga in Gurucharan's voice cleared the brush to reveal a more meaningful understanding of the words. A poem that had hitherto had only passionate connotations to me was elevated to one that indicated a more compassionate care for all creation. The words in tamil above are my take on Sempulapeyalneeraar's words.

Below are Sempulapeyalneeraar's words:

யாயும் யாயும் யாராகியரோ
எந்தையும் நுந்தையும் இம்முறை கேளிர்
யானும் நீயும் எவ்வழி அறிதும்
செம்புலப்-பெயனீர் போல
அன்புடை நெஞ்சம்தான் கலந்தனவே

And A.K. Ramanujam's Translation:

"What could my mother be 
to yours? What kin is my father 
to yours anyway? And how
Did you and I meet ever? 
But in love
our hearts have mingled
as red Earth and pouring Rain"

courtesy: The Hindu