Book 02 - Chapter 18: Ponnan’s Disgrace

The last three days had been tumultuous at Ponnan’s hut.

“I realize I made a mistake and I have said that I regret it. Why do you have to humiliate me by rubbing it in?”, Ponnan asked Valli.

“You realized later it was a mistake. How could you not know at that time that it was a mistake?”, asked Valli.

“It is still not too late. No need for you to harass me like this. My spear is still here, and the emperor is still around”.

“You and your spear! God gave you two hands to row boats. Those hands are not fit to wield a spear”, said Valli with contempt.

The episode that caused friction among the loving couple had taken place a few days prior to this scene. The Emperor and princess Kundavi were on their way to Uraiyur with their entourage. On the way, the emperor stopped near the pier. He said something, pointing to the pier and the golden tower on the spring palace that was peeking through the greenery on the island. Ponnan and Valli were standing outside their hut. The emperor saw them. He gestured to Ponnan to come closer. Ponnan hurried forward, touched his feet and stood with bent head and folded hands. He forgot all his plans of revenge. The charm and grace on the emperor’s face seemed to have hypnotized him into submission.

The emperor had asked, “Are you the oarsman here?”

“Yes sir, your grace… majesty”, Ponnan had stammered.

“Is that the palace Queen Arulmozhi lives in”?

“Yes, your majesty.”

“Princess Kundavi, my child here, may come here to visit Queen Arulmozhi sometime soon. Will you carefully row her across the river?”

“As you command, your majesty!”

The emperor resumed his journey towards Uraiyur after this exchange. Valli heard parts of this exchange from a distance.

Valli looked irate when Ponnan returned to her. She heard the whole exchange from him and started berating him for his behavior. She pointed out that Ponnan betrayed Prince Vikraman by his supplication to the emperor. She called him a traitor. This exchange went on for a few days.

Ponnan could no longer stand the tirade that afternoon. He walked away and sat beneath a tree and started making plans to redeem himself in Valli’s eyes. It was the end of the month of Karthikai (second week of December). It had rained continually for a month. The rain had filled the river and the fields. It had also washed the dust off the foliage, making everything look clean.

The weather was cool and calm, but a storm was raging in Ponnan’s mind. He remembered the same season some ten years prior. King Parthiban, the prince and the queen would visit the palace often. The royal boat was always busy. There used to be many distinguished visitors too. Elephants, horses and ivory palanquins would wait at the mango orchard nearby.

He thought, ‘The place has lost all that activity, perhaps permanently.  No one cares about the pier anymore. The pier must have been cursed. King Parthiban has attained the heaven of warriors. The prince is somewhere far away, suffering who knows what kind of difficulties! The queen seems to be perpetually in tears. No one seems to care about the spring palace, or the pier.’

The one to blame for all these fortunes was that traitor, Marappa Bhupathi! But for his betrayal, Prince Vikraman would be King Vikraman now. Narasimha Varman would have no reason to visit Uriayur. Valli would have had no reason to berate him.

His train of thoughts was broken by hoof-beats. Ponnan looked back, and saw that Marappa Bhupathi was dismounting his horse near the hut.

Prev

Next

Click here for the audiobook version

Parthban Kanavu: The Tamil version of the novel is in the public domain. Copyright for the translation is reserved by the translator..