Sugarcane (kan2n2al)

[Periannan Chandrasekaran]

--- Jean-Luc CHEVILLARD <jlc at CCR.JUSSIEU.FR> wrote:
> At 07:13 16/05/99 PDT, N.Ganesan a �crit :
> >We are indeed fortunate to have a poem by TiruJAn2acampantar
> >(7th century CE) on his hometown, cIrkAzi where he employs karunal:
> >        [....]
> >        *karunal paravai kamaz kAzi*
> >        maruvap piriyum vin2ai mAyntE.  (Tevaram 1.34.9)
> >
> >"karunal paravai kamaz kAzi" = *The town, cIrkAzi, surrounded by
> >sugarcane fields*; This meaning of Tev. 1.34.9.3 taking
> >karunal as sugarcane is not hitherto recognized by Tamil pundits.
>
> Indeed, V.M.Subramanya Ayyar, who was a traditional scholar
> (and a disciple of U.V.S.) takes that line to be
>  "karu naR paravai kamazh kAzhi" and translates it as:
>  <<kAzhi, where the good and blue sea is issuing its fragrance.>>
>   (in an unpublished translation which he completed before his death,
>    but without revising it; it is kept in the French Institute
> Library
>    and we plan to make it available on CD-ROM some day
>    along with a concordance of Tevaram)
>
> One has to add that kan2n2al itself occurs several times inside
> Tevaram
>  [4-43(10), 5-38(2), 5-93(6), 7-84(10)]
>
> A problematic occurrence is 3-120(11):
> *VMS takes the line to be:
>   "kan2 nalam periya kAzhiyuL"
>    <<K. which is great by the beautiful workmanship
>      of the walls of fortification>>
> *TVG (T.V.Gopal Iyer) takes the line to be:
>  "kan2n2al am periya kAzhiyuL"
>

The sea is actually described as *stinking*.
The crowning glory of Indian literature cilappathikAram's poignant
poems in "kAn2al vari" chapter  exquisitely portray the ocean-side
scenario [kAn2al = sea-side garden or forest;
vari = a poem relating to dance].

"pulavuRRu iraGki atu nIGkap
 pozil taN talaiyil pukuntu utirnta
kalavaic cemmal maNam kamazat
 tirai ulAvu kaDal cErppa!..." (cilap:7:39:1-2)

pulavu = smell (of fish); nIGka = to rid (of the smell);
maNam = fragrance; tirai = wave; kaDal = ocean;

"...Oh my lover belonging to the sea-side town with
forests where ocean waves frequent to get rid of their
fish smell and pick up the fragrances of the sweet fruits
and flowers lying on the floor..."

Regards,
Chandra


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