Spgm 084 - The Mountain Tribes' Offers Poem by Rajaram Ramachandran

It was the courtyard of the palace
Where the defeated kings in queues
With ornaments and gifts stood,
Gave the victor as much as they could.

It was like this the tribal people,
One by one came to assemble,
To give the king what they brought,
And for a long time they did wait.

They brought elephant's ivory,
Incense woods in plenty,
Fans made of deer hairs,
Sandal wood pieces in pairs.

Some had vermilion sticks
Black lining eyelash pastes,
Cardamom, musk of the deer,
Coconut saplings and black pepper.

Some others brought mangoes,
Herbal garland, jack fruits
Garlic, creepers, sugar canes,
Fruit basket and banana bunches.

Some had cubs of lion and tiger,
Young ones of monkey, bear, goat, deer,
Mongoose, male peacock, civet,
Cock and the talking parrot.

The hillside people brought them,
As tributes to offer them.
This was the scene of crowd,
All felt it great and proud.

WHAT THE HUNTERS SAID?

"For the next seven births,
We're your humble slaves.
Oh King, long live your rule, "
Said the hunters from the hill.

"We saw a chaste woman,
She lost her breast one.
Under the neem tree she stood
And her face looked very sad."

"A heaven blessed woman,
She was taken to the heaven
By the Lords with her husband,
Right from this forest land."

"From which country she came?
What was her mother's name?
We don't know as your citizens,
Oh king live hundreds of years."

WHAT SATHANAR SAID?

To the joy of the motherland,
Senguttuvan held in his hand,
A powerful spear to defend,
With his head that didn't bend."

Out of his love for the king
There Sattanar was standing.
As a Tamil teacher he said,
What he knew about the maid.

"Oh king, listen to this story.
Of a chaste woman weary,
Her anklet became a cause
For her husband's demise."

"Before King Pandian she told,
With her one anklet she stood bold,
And presented him her case
With her sad and angry face."

"Then her husband's innocence,
She proved in the queen's presence,
By breaking her second anklet
Which differed from queen's anklet."

"From the face of her breast,
There was a fire outburst,
That burnt and brought down
The big Madurai town."

"From his lion shaped throne
The king looked crest fallen.
Thus he relinquished his crown.
He dropped dead and fell down."

"At his feet the queen fell and died.
Thus her heartfelt respect she paid
To the king, whom she adored
And till her last she loved."

"The Pandian's kingdom unsafe she found,
Not willing to go to her own Cholan's land,
Perhaps she reached your Cheran's land,
Before, in the heaven, joining her husband."