kuRuntokai 22

[Lakshmi Srinivas]

 I have a question re KuRuntokai 22 which I reproduce
here for quick reference:

            nIrvAr kaNNai nIyiva Noziya
            yArO pirikiR pavarE cAraR
            cilampaNi koNTa valaJcuri marAattu
            vEni laJcinai kamazum
            tEmU roNNuta ninnoTuJ celavE.

         Loosely translated:
             You're crying alone here
             who can bear to part from you,

             Your brow sweet as the fragrance of the
             right whorled white kadamba blossoms
             blooming on the mountain slopes in spring






In his commentary to this verse, U Ve cAminAtaiyar
writes,

"ArrAmai mikka talaivi, 'yAro pirikiRpavarE' enRu tOzi
kURiya mAttirattil tuyar nIGkit talaiyetuttu nimirntu
nOkkinALAka, neRRiyin viLakkaGkANTA tOzi, " tEmu
roNNutal' enRu viLittAL." (kuRuntokai, u. Ve Ca.,
kapIr Press, 4th impression, 1962, p 64)

It seems to me that this interpretation seems to, at
least implicitly,  subscribe to the view that poetic
utterance has a creative potential hidden within it.
In other words, poems have a mantra like power.

It is interesting to note that the edition of M.
Shanmugam Pillai's brief commentary on this verse
does not contain this little interpretative excursus.

Considering the traditional commentary has not come
down to us, can this interpretation be considered to
be justified? I'd like the list members view on this
topic.






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