Reg ThoNdaradip podiyaazhvaar pasuram

[Guest guest]

Look at the poem split in its words like this:

 

(and bringing the last two lines as address:)

 

miNdar paaynNthuNNum cORRai

vilakki naaykku idum miNnNneerE!

 

Oh ladies having a waistline like lightning (miNnNneerE) [and they are further

qualified thus] and who will feed the dogs food keeping some for the beggars

who will grab the food [literal meaning is rice and quite often synonymously

used] [ this also qualifies the very good hearted people of Thiruvarangam

and its prosperity - when people take into account while cooking to provide

for people in need and animals that depend on humans for their survival-a

very typical scenario in southern cities] listen! [ again there is no explicit

word

word for this but implied]

 

vaNdiNnam uruLum sOlai

[begins to describe the sprawling groves- a group of fragrant flowering

trees and shrubs with birds singing etc., was typically associted with a

'sOlai']

 

where the bee species hum all day

[note that he did not say a single bee - which indicates bees swarming the

grove for its flowers in plenty]

 

mayiliNnam aadum sOlai

 

where the peacocks dance happily

[i think the word is aadum and this is the interpretation. If it is aadum

 

if it is aalum sOlai, it means where the peacocks reign, once again indicative

of a rich and glowing grove ]

 

koNdal meeNn thazhuvum sOlai

 

where the fish would love to embrace

[normally these groves have some ponds or fresh water lakes surrounding them

or in them]

[if it is koNdal meeNn thaNavum sOlai, I'm not very sure of the meaning for

the later part]

 

kuyiliNnam koovum sOlai

 

where the nightingales constantly sing

 

aNdarkONn amarum sOlai

where the King of kings resides

 

aNi thiruvaraNGka meNnNnaa

is an exquisite neclace for this place called Thiruvarangam.

 

 

[ He apparently is praising Lord Ranganatha and this poem is a preface

to those who do not know this place, detailing its beauty, richness and

greatness for having the LOrd in it. There must be more of the praise of

the Lord immediately following this. Now that my defense is over, I will

have time to follow such mail and would be more than happy to mail the

meaning to the best of my recollection. I am out of touch (sadly) with

literary Tamil and do not decipher the meaning of some words easily. This

is one of an easier and lucid style poems though. I am eager to see what

praises he adorns the LOrd with and would appreciate some more poems of this

sequence posted. Thanks for giving me the pleasure of reading these poems.]

 

 

[ The types of new adjectives poets found to praise a good land is awesome-

the situation he describes about the ladies (well except the lightning kinda

waistline ofcourse :-) ) is a day to day reality. In the nights moms in

the houses would have kept some for the poor and feed the rest to the

street dogs. The beauty is in finding the source for such actions, good

hearts and a place that is decently affluent to afford such excess and

bringing it all together as an excellent interpretation of the goodness of

the place, which dominates all poetic literature, only in different forms

in tamil]

 

 

Vaidehi V. Raja