“Why anguish, my soul, when tumbling seas lie smooth”
Ponniyin Selvan“Why anguish, my soul, when tumbling seas lie smooth?” is a lyric Vandhiyathevan remembers from a song sung by Poonguzhali, a boat-girl in Kodikkarai. Its significance lies both in the contrast it voices between a quiet sea and a troubled soul and in the enduring force of Poonguzhali’s remembered singing on him.
Source and Wording
Vandhiyathevan introduces the lyric while protesting that he is no foe to music. He recalls Poonguzhali’s song in two lines: “Why anguish, my soul,” followed by “When tumbling seas lie smooth?” The question sets inward distress against outward calm; the smooth sea does not, in the lyric, settle the soul’s anguish.
Vandhiyathevan’s Recollection
The song belongs to a past encounter, not to the performance being arranged in the present scene. Vandhiyathevan recalls Poonguzhali’s voice and verse with such immediacy that he says his skin prickles with exhilaration even as he remembers them. His testimony makes music a personal experience that persists beyond the moment of hearing: the lyric returns together with the force of the voice that first carried it.
Place in the Conversation
The recollection answers a teasing exchange about music and performance. Pazhuvoor Ilaiya Rani suggests that Vandhiyathevan may not welcome Manimekalai’s singing; he counters by recalling Poonguzhali’s song as evidence of his enthusiasm. Manimekalai remains uncertain that her performance will please him, and Adithan reassures her that Vandhiyathevan will not be allowed to judge arbitrarily before asking where the yazh is. The remembered lyric thus helps turn playful suspicion into an invitation to perform, while keeping Poonguzhali’s earlier song distinct from the music about to be played.
