gave her joy enough to await with resignation such time as would bring the nuptial day. The mother saw her fetching the plant from the stream and planting it, but said nothing. Even the highest heaven would not be adequate reward for her goodness, was the opinion of the heroine. Listen, maid dear. The highest heaven would be small reward for mother. I fetched the kaantal tuber that arrived one morning brought by the fragrant stream fed by the evening rain on his hill. I kissed the tender leaves so repeatedly that they withered; and I planted it at home. Mother watched me but breathed not a word.
| (Kur; 361) |
The wedding ritual itself included the use of petals of flowers and paddy grains. Before the bride was taken to her chamber, four ladies who already had given birth to children, were appointed to strew flowers and paddy grains on the bride and pronounce this greeting: May you never swerve from chastity and thus do good, and may you be a partner in life that loves her husband.40 Disappointed lovers too said their disappointment with flowers in the later developments of love poetry. They wore garlands of the most uncared for flowers (e.g. erukkalai) and mounting palmyrah stalks made after the fashion of a horse, they went about proclaiming their grief.41 In daily life too garlands were profusely used, especially when men and women went on their social visits or on religious pilgrimage. In the Paripaaṭaloccurs a statement that the entire road from Maturai to Tirupparankunṛam, a distance of about four miles, seemed to be one long garland to an onlooker from the hill, so many were the pilgrims and so profusely had they decorated themselves with garlands.42 The people said it with flowers not only in love but also in friendship, in hospitality and even in relief of poverty and ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 40Akam; 86. Even the image of the god which was used for the marriage ceremony was made of petals of flowers, and laid on the tender Vaakai-flowers and grass. See Akam, 136. 41Kur; 17; 182; Nar; 220; H.T. pp. 170, 171. 42“Pari; 19, 15-18. |