"Red Earth and Pouring Rain" -Kurunthogai (Story Behind Verse-7)

 "Red Earth and Pouring Rain" -Kurunthogai

In Story Behind Verse- Knowing our Root  about Tamil culture and famous poems in sangam literature  This lyric “Yayum yayum yarakiyaro” is  famous by an ancient Tamil poet of the Sangam age, and favourite love song from the Kurunthokai anthology. The beautiful kurinji thinai poem from kurunthogai, one of the Eight Anthologies of sangam poems. The name of the poet is unknown. Hence he is called by the pseudonym, "Sembulap peyaneeraar" (செம்புலப் பெயனீரார்) where the words are taken from the poem itself. The poem depicts the words spoken by the hero to the heroine. The metaphor of earth and rain for the lovers retains its urgency across the centuries often referred to as the "Red Earth and Pouring Rain" poem lyricised it some 2,000 years ago.

 

குறுந்தொகை 40

"யாயும் ஞாயும் யாராகியரோ?

எந்தையும் நுந்தையும் எம்முறைக் கேளிர்?

யானும் நீயும் எவ்வழி அறிதும்?

செம்புலப் பெயல்  நீர் போல

அன்புடை நெஞ்சம் தாம் கலந்தனவே"- Poet : SembulaPeyaneerar

(Kurunthokai–40, Ancient Sangam Period Tamil Literature, Period 2nd - 1st Century BCE)

"yaayum ngyaayum yaaraagiyaro?

endhaiyum nundhaiyum emmuraik kelir?

yaanum neeyum evvazhi aridhum?

sembulap peyal neer pola

anbudai nenjam thaam kalandhanave"-

Poem meaning:

My mother and your mother, who are they to each other? My father and your father, how are they related? Me and you, how we do know each other? Similar to the red soil mixed with water, hearts earnest in love became one.

This poem beautifully describes love as feeling which comes out naturally. The poem depicts the words spoken by the hero to the heroine. Hero and heroine are in love. The heroine is worried if their love will succeed. So the hero assures her that they would be united forever and that they would be inseparable. He says though they are not of kin, maternally or paternally, their hearts fell in love naturally. He relates beautifully something happening in nature and uses it as a simile for their love. He says that their loving hearts became one like the rain water mixed with red soil.

 

    The Metaphor of this poem the "red earth and pouring rain" represents a union so complete that the two elements can never be separated again. The rain which has no relation with red soil , falls from the sky and slowly but steadily mingles with the red soil and becomes a part of it Whereas when water meets a certain kind of soil, the water and soil bonds together and becomes mud, where the water attains the color of soil and the soil becomes almost liquid, losing its dry and solid state.

Thus, merged the heart of two, in love, inseparable and into one, by losing itself. And together they could be created into new formations, which isn’t possible to be attained by either water or soil independently. Just as rain water takes on the colour and character of the red soil it falls upon, the lovers' hearts have merged into a single entity.

This is the example given by ancient Tamil poet to describe love at first sight. And it touches on the "universality of love" and the idea of destiny. It suggests that true love transcends social structures like kinship or prior acquaintance.