Ponniyin Selvan Varalaatru Peravai

Tamil verses in my blog,
http://karkanirka.wordpress.com/2008/07/27/vaigai-godavari/



As I always say Silapadigaram is one of the most poetical epics you
can ever read. Though Silapadikaram has lot of borrowed elements from
Sangam poetry, it is a great work since it has embedded the greatness
of the Sangam poetry in the story of Kovalan and Kannagi. I was
reading the Forest book (Aranya Kandam) of Kamba Ramayana , Rama ,
Sita and Lakshmana are walking along the banks of river Godavari and
the river seeing their plight of roaming around in the forest cries. I
have read a similar motif in Silapadikaram where river Vaigai sensing
the danger that Kovalan and Kannagi would face in Madurai, cries
thinking about their fate. I surely don’t know how much of an
inspiration Kamban had from Silapadikaram , but the motif is really
striking. I have given you verses and translation from Kambaramayanam
and Silapadikaram.


The Vaigai river, daughter of the sky, wanders ever on the tongues of
poets, who sing the generous gifts she bestows on the land she has
blessed. Most cherished possession of the Pandya Kingdom, she
resembles a noble and respected maiden. Her dress is worven of all the
flowers that fall from the date tree,the vakulam,the kino,the white
kadamba,the gamboge,the tilak,the jasmine,the myrobalan, the pear
tree,the great champak, and the saffron plant. The broad belt she
wears low around her hips is adorned with lovely flowers of kuru and
golden jasmine, mixed with the mushundai’s thick Lianas,the wild
jasmine,the convolvulus,the bamboo,the volubilis,the pidavam, and
Arabian jasmine. The sandbanks,edged by tress in blossom, are her
youthful breasts. Her red lips are the trees that spread their red
petals along the shore. Her lovely teeth are wild jasmine buds
floating in the stream. Her long eyes are the carp, which playing in
water,appear and vanish like a wink. Her tresses are the flowing
waters filled with petals.

As if she knew the sad fate that lay in store for young Kannagi, the
Vaigai had put on her best veil made of precious flowers, and could
not hold back the tears that filled her eyes. After passing along
narrow paths through the woods, Kannagi and Kovalan reached the bank
of the river. Both cried out in wonder:

“This is not a river but a stream in blossom.”

Poet : Ilango Adikal

Translated by Alian Danielou



2829
And the heroes saw the river Godavari

which was like the poem of the great poets,

a sublime ornament on earth

with fields of profound wealth

and its episodes that are watering places

fro rescue form heat, with its flow

through the five landscapes of poetry,

clear and lovely and sweetly running

2830

With her bright face glittering, gracious

as lotus where the bees gather

and glowing eyes of her water lilies

that absorb and hold fragrance

while her hands, the clear waves,

one after another , were picking up and scattering

beautiful flowers, the holy river shone

as if blowing at the noble sight of them.

2831

And O river seemed to cry out ,

cry out and grieve and grieve

with risen love, as if moving the water

were shedding cool drops of tears

spreading from her lovely eyes

of newly open water lilies that had to see

this sadness,those young men who were honest

and faultless living in the forest.

Poet : Kamban

Translated by George L. Hart and Hank Heifetz